The objective of this message is to get you to say thank you to at least one of your people by the end of it.

We've just passed the halfway point of 2013, and here are a couple of thoughts to help you finish the year strong. The average growth rate across all U.S. small businesses last year was 8 percent, according to Libby Bierman, an analyst at Sageworks. I'm proud to say that my clients' average growth rate for that same period was 18 percent. You might be interested to know that there is a specific reason for this, and it's three words.

I read a great quote this week by Warren Bennis. You may have heard it: “A leader doesn’t just get the message across—a leader is the message.”

George Perles, the head football coach of the Michigan State Spartans from 1983 to 1994, delivered a powerful message years ago. He shared a mantra from his days as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers during their heyday in the 1970s. He said, “We made every decision like we were going to the Super Bowl,” and they ended up winning the Super Bowl four times.

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article regarding the impact on an organization of making a great people move every quarter.