First there’s the suffocating volume of e-mails. That’s complaint number one. But the next biggest gripe I hear from my clients is that they are spending way too much time in meetings. Do any of these comments ring true about meetings where you work? too long no agenda (or, if there is one, we don’t…
DetailsVision is the world’s most desperate need. There are no hopeless situations, only people who think hopelessly. – Winfred Newman As the story is told, about 350 years ago, a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town…
DetailsIt is safe to say we were all inspired by the 2012 Olympic games. None more so than the 70,000 volunteers who gave their time to ensure the event was safe and efficient. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a worldwide extravaganza where each nation sends their most gifted athletes to represent their flag.…
DetailsI left the world of compliance consulting for a career in incentive consulting because I was tired of management by consequence. For years, I have stood fast by the premise that there are two ways to manage employees: By the bench or by the basket If you manage your players by fear, they will do…
DetailsThe technique of appreciative inquiry (AI) can play an important role in the overall change management strategy. AI challenges the status quo by working from a strength-based foundation. If you accept the following principles, AI may be a technique for change of interest to you: What you focus your energy on increases Every individual, team and…
DetailsIn 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,…
DetailsRecently, I’ve had the opportunity to hang out with an assortment of highly successful facebook page owners and administrators. The include the manager of a popular band, two Fortune 500 Company Social Media Directors and the CEO of a firm that manages hundreds of high traffic-high profile pages. Collectively, they’ve given me some good advice…
DetailsI remember a VP once told me not to get too close to my team. This way, it would be easier to discipline those who were not achieving. Just yesterday, my son asked me if I ever had to fire anyone. I told him I do not believe in firing people. As he persisted, I…
DetailsI have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get along without it. – Walt Disney Back when the telegraph was the fastest means of long-distance communication, there was a story about a young man who applied for a job as a Morse code operator. Answering an ad in…
DetailsHow many of your employees are simply not engaged any more? Are there some who seem to just be going through the motions of their job? Yeah, they show up every day. They do the essential tasks. They don’t miss deadlines or cause any major screw ups. But something is clearly missing. The spark has…
DetailsUnless you’ve just crawled out from under a rock, you have most likely heard about the new free micro-blogging sensation www.twitter.com . Twitter is currently one of the fastest growing social network sites, just behind Facebook and MySpace with over 55 million visitors per month.
Complaining not only ruins everybody else’s day, it ruins the complainer’s day, too. The more we complain, the more unhappy we get. – Dennis Prager The story is told of a cowboy out West driving down a dirt road, his dog riding in the back of the pickup truck, his faithful horse in the trailer…
DetailsI’ve been approached by a prospective client who wants a workshop as part of an internal strategic initiative around communications between the levels. They want to focus on: 2-way communication, down to the employee and upward to the manager what should be communicated and when obstacles to communicating more openly how to solicit communication from…
DetailsYears ago when I was taking courses from University Associates around how to facilitate groups, a wise instructor, Larry Porter, said these three words: trust the process. I have never forgotten them. They have been my anchor at critical times when in a team building session the conversation seems about to get out of hand.…
DetailsI was struck by a local news item in The Washington Post on Brian Betts, a model middle school principal, who was found gunned down in his home. While the story obviously includes the murder aspect, I was touched by the leadership angle. Rising to a challenge: Here was a white man who took over…
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