Have you ever looked around and wondered how many small businesses go out of business? Or perhaps a better question would be: why do so many small businesses fail? According to the Small Business Association (SBA) approximately 30% of new businesses fail within the first two years of being open, 50% fail during the first… Read more »
Employee Engagement During the Holidays
The holiday season, between the times of Thanksgiving and the New Year, is one of the most hectic and chaotic periods of the year- for both employees and companies alike. In this time of appreciation and charity, maintaining high levels of employee engagement is critical. The difficulty can stem from both the employees and employers…. Read more »
Susan Cain’s ‘Quiet’: A Book Review
In this day of social media and the 24/7 news cycle, the stream of voices, words, and emoji’s is endless and loud. Individuals often express themselves whenever a thought arises. It was in this environment that I was intrigued during a visit to Costco to purchase a book named “Quiet” by Susan Cain. The cover graphic reads,… Read more »
Why Consultants?
We know that consultants can be invaluable in bringing an outside perspective and industry expertise, yet oftentimes it isn’t clear when you may “need” a consultant. Below we have broken out recommendations on when to hire consultants and when it doesn’t make sense to do so. Read on for how to tell the difference! WHEN TO HIRE A… Read more »
Gender Equality in the Workforce: How the International Day of the Girl Child Can Inform Change
On December 19, 2011, United Nations General Assembly adopted a Resolution declaring October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and… Read more »
In the Rear View: A Milestone Project Completed
Having recently celebrated the 1 year anniversary of an important project success, we decided to reminisce and write about this unique project experience. We first heard about a potential Balancing Authority project in early 2015, 3 ½ years before it would come to fruition. Percipio was already on the ground at Avangrid, managing a portfolio of control systems… Read more »
Start-up: Taking the leap
“Start-up renewable energy in town?” I heard, and in the blink of an eye, I rose my hand. Too many questions in mind. How? Where? When? How do you start a brand-new renewable energy company from scratch in this era? It turns out that Portland has a healthy ecosystem of renewable energy companies. It is… Read more »
Financial Risk & Controls Management Best Practices
It is very common that day-to-day activities and issues in your workplace consume most of your time and usually don’t leave you with time to really consider what practices are value-added for achieving your objectives. As finance professionals, we get engaged in how to make cost reductions, how to implement a resolution to an audit finding, or just how to support the operation of the… Read more »
Seeing Portland in Japan: The Culture of Food
As I walk through the streets of Fukuoka in the Kyushu island of Japan, a familiar scene came into my focal point- food carts along the ridge of the Naka River. I live in Portland, a food cart obsessed city where good, cheap, creative food plates are one of the delights the urban center has to offer…. Read more »
How do you create self-organizing teams? You don’t.
If you hire, manage or lead people, you’ve likely heard the buzz. There is an increasingly common desire in business for self-organizing teams. From Amazon’s two pizza teams to Spotify’s squads, the value of small, self-organizing teams has been well documented: Rapid innovation in complex organizations Full ownership, accountability, and visibility from conception to delivery Those closest to the work best… Read more »
