We may have conflicting views on politics, movies, and choice of beer, but when it comes down to it, the whole country can agree on one thing – it’s hot outside. Living in Colorado, I’m not quite as accustomed to a steady supply of 100-degree days. But whether I like it or not, this is…
Barney! You beat everythin’… you know that? – Sheriff Andy Taylor Last week we lost a beloved television icon – Andy Griffith passed at the age of 86. Griffith starred in numerous television shows over the years but is best remembered for his role as the folksy Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry on The Andy…
If you lose readership of your email, your influence wanes at work. If you misuse it enough, you’ll turn partners into detractors. If you mismanage it as a resource, you’ll force everyone to do more work and they’ll despise you for it. To quote TechStars grad and Vanilla founder Mark Sullivan, “Don’t suck at email.”…
Research reported by Alex Pentland in the April issue of Harvard Business Review has revealed some interesting new information on effective teams. He and his group deployed “sociometric badges” in teams in 21 organizations. These devices are able to monitor on individual team members’ tone of voice, body language, frequency of initiating and responding, plus…
We all face challenging personalities on a daily basis. It could be that customer who has great expectations, maybe it’s the channel partner who takes but does not give, and sometimes our greatest challengers are on our team. Some call them “problem children”, but I do not recognize that label. Leaders Beacon is the Holy…
The happy Union of these States is a wonder; their Constitution a miracle; their example the hope of Liberty throughout the world – James Madison In the book, Resources, by Kenneth L Dodge, he writes of the experiences of the Founding Fathers after the Declaration of Independence was signed. As…
Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement. – Henry Ford I came across some interesting statistics recently that underscored what could happen if 99% were good enough: 12 newborns will be given the wrong parents daily 2.5 million books will be shipped with wrong covers 315…
In this article we will share with you the Threat-Opportunity Analysis, which is a change management tool that helps a project team develop their case for change. We had written previously about how to develop a powerful case for change and why it’s important to have one for your business transformation initiative (e.g., enterprise system deployment, organizational restructuring, downsizing,…
Managers typically are more competitive than average employees. So it’s natural for managers to want to create a competitive spirit between employees, shifts, divisions and locations. And some employees respond really well to this competition. It can even get carried away to include gaming the system to improve your score over your colleagues, and other…
Last night I gave a talk to a group of donors about generosity. The point of the talk was that giving is an area of excellence in our life, just like any other activity. Some people are great givers, and others are sporadic to inappropriate. It’s critical that we approach giving with a Good-2-Great mindset…
There is enough research on Employee Engagement to show that engaged employees give more “discretionary effort” (going above and beyond job expectations…without being told/asked) to their employer. Yet levels of engagement have not changed over the last ten years or so, through a period first of boom, then of bust. Consider this data from the…
Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers – Stephen Covey In Reader’ Digest a story is told of a factory worker who refused to sign up for group insurance. The problem was no policy could be issued until all employees signed up. Yet he held out stubbornly. The…
So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work. – Peter Drucker A story is told of a man flying in a hot air balloon who realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon and shouts, “Excuse me, can…
Previously, we had explained the value of incorporating a change agents network as part of your overall change management program. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when Paul Hagen from Forrester contacted me to request an interview for his recent research report titled “How Customer Experience Change Agents Transform Culture.” I provided Paul with firsthand insights from two customer…
The Ables are not just a family from Oklahoma. They are the functions of what empowers talent in your organization. I was conducting a thorough organizational assessment for a large company recently. One of the organization’s leaders explained to me that she did not have the luxury of examining every area of her organization. There…
A good measure of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better. – Jim Rohn Chronicled in countless newspapers across the country including ESPN, we were all inspired by the recent act of kindness of high school junior Meghan…
I consider myself an enthusiast of people improvement. Motivational speeches, blogging, coaching, mentoring, and Employee Engagement consulting are my thing. It is a massively fulfilling cross-over of personal ambition and professional drive….a purpose driven passion. Life is good! In my advocacy for people empowerment there is a prominent obstacle: People are still working in silos…
At one time, Achilles was considered the strongest of all Greek warriors, except for his pesky heel problem. To give you a Greek mythology refresher, Achilles was the hero of various battles during the Trojan War. He was invulnerable, except for one spot untouched on his heel. And in true mythology misfortune, Achilles met his…
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others – Mahatma Gandhi Perhaps you never heard of him and chances are you never saw him play ball. Last week at the age of 78, he passed away. Jack Twyman enjoyed an 11 year career in the NBA and saw…
Throughout this year I have had the pleasure of teaching a seminar on “Cultivating Employee Engagement” to a variety of professionals. I moderate an interactive conversation as we explore the pillars of what attracts and retains great talent. I told the story of the Goldman Sachs employee who posted his letter of resignation in the New York Times.…