The US and Canadian armies (among others, I’m sure) are famous for its post-event after action review (AAR). Whether it’s a mission, a tactical maneuver, or just a patrol, the individuals involved meet immediately afterward to debrief on how it went and what they can learn for the next time. This goal is to quickly…
DetailsThe most pathetic person in the world is someone with sight, but has no vision. – Helen Keller Do you know and understand the vision of your organization? Better yet, do you understand the role you play in fulfilling that vision? If your answer was no, you are not alone. In fact, sad to say,…
DetailsYou can start right where you stand and apply the habit of going the extra mile by rendering more service and better service that you are now being paid for. – Napoleon Hill In his book, Waking the American Dream, Don McCullough relates a story about Winston Churchill during World War II. England decided to…
DetailsTell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. – Benjamin Franklin At school one day a little boy was asked what he was thankful for. The boy replied, “My glasses.” “That’s good,” said the teacher, “they help you see better.” “No,” responded the child, “I’m thankful for my…
DetailsIf the title of this article makes you scratch your head, consider for a few minutes the concept that a strong team with a high degree of trust requires its members to challenge one another. Ian Thomas, a professional speaker from South Africa was using the illustration of a pride of lions and the lessons…
DetailsAll teams must pay attention to their work: the task, the goal, the things to be done, the agenda items to be crammed into their meetings, the hurried decisions to be made by the group, the deadlines to be met, and so on.
Have you ever watched a highly functioning department accomplish a goal or objective? The secret ingredient I have noticed is that “natural leadership” is encouraged from every team member or participant. Within groups, each participant brings a unique combination of skills, talent or style to the discussion. Great groups take advantage of this uniqueness.…
DetailsIn my leadership workshops and keynote speeches I sometimes ask the group/audience to think of the best boss and worse boss they’ve ever had, what each did, and what effect it had on you. People come up with all kinds of descriptors and behaviors of both bosses. But one thing emerges about the best boss…
DetailsYou are never too old to set another goal or to dream another dream. – C.S. Lewis What do Colonel Harland Sanders, Ray Kroc, William Amos, Laura Ingles Wilder, and Henry Ford all have in common? These successful people did not achieve the greatest levels of success in their respective lines of work until each…
DetailsHave you ever had confidential information leak that reflected on you or your department? One of the worst surprises for a supervisor is having confidential information repeated back from an inappropriate source. How could this have leaked? Who leaked it?
DetailsEver have a dilemma in your office where two employees are having a clash? Where you trust both of them? Where they have conflicting stories and positions on an issue? Where they cannot get along with each other? Where you have no idea how to resolve the issue?
DetailsSalt has two primary functions related to food: Preservative and Seasoning. Many people, me included, find that a little bit of salt brings out the flavor of food. In the same way a front line supervisor or manager is responsible for bringing out the best in employees. The supervisor is also responsible for preserving the…
DetailsWe 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…
DetailsYour greatest success might be disguised. That was the case for William Wrigley, Jr. You recognize the name from Wrigley chewing gum. What you might not have known is that Wrigley started out as a soap company, using chewing gum as a promotional giveaway inside the box of soap. Perhaps your greatest success is lurking…
DetailsA client organization of mine has a culture that values measuring everything. This makes good business sense. It enables you to monitor, recalibrate and optimize your processes and results.
