Jul 13 2011
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:38 — 3.3MB)
I’m often asked, “What’s the difference between a mission and a vision?” That’s a great question as it strikes to the very heart of leadership responsibility: ensuring people understand your dream for the organization, as well as why they are there and what the organization does. A vision is a big dream; the …
Jun 29 2011
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“I really thought he would work out. He’s a nice guy, but he just doesn’t seem to be the kind of leader we were looking for. Now what do I do?”
When selecting new leaders or promoting current leaders, most executives will give the decision careful consideration, using a combination of experience, intuition, and perhaps evaluation tools prescribed by the company. The problem is, we’re all human and what may have seemed like a good fit initially, will not necessarily work out in the long run. What’s a leader to do?
Jun 22 2011
Things have changed. When I was young, the new generation was expected to conform to the wishes of the older generation. Although not quite at the “seen and not heard” level, we were still expected to listen and wait. Wait until it was our turn, though we were never sure when that would …
Jun 15 2011
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Many leaders find decision making difficult, especially when decisions concern something important. This hesitancy is usually rooted in at least one of these four factors.
Jun 08 2011
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:04 — 3.7MB)
Are you smarter than your workers? If you said yes, you’re in trouble. Either your ego is out of control or you need to take a serious look at your workforce. Let’s turn that question around. Are your workers smarter than you? Here are some thoughts on the subject. 1. In most cases …
Jun 01 2011
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:36 — 3.3MB)
Is your strategic plan really a strategic plan? Many of the plans I see are really marketing plans in disguise. Now, before all you marketing whizzes jump me let me say that a marketing plan is important for any business. In fact, it is a critical step to success. But, it must be based on something else; a solid foundation that clearly explains three critical questions.
May 18 2011
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:29 — 3.2MB)
It jumped out at me from the jumble of other news stories – “Staffers in the White House budget office filed a petition to gain more input into their working conditions.” They wanted to join a union! The story went on to say that the workers were seeking a little more say in …
May 11 2011
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:57 — 3.6MB)
There certainly isn’t anything new about conflict between generations. When I was young they called it the generation gap. In Rhetoric, even Aristotle writes at some length about the problems with youth. But today, this conflict seems to have become even more significant; especially in the workplace. Leadership tends to be very personality …
Apr 13 2011
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:22 — 3.1MB)
John was a quiet associate. His managers really liked him because he could tell a customer where any item was in the store. When a recent store-wide reset was completed, he seemed to instinctively know all the new locations, even more amazing considering the store had a large inventory of small products. Unfortunately, John’s managers saw his quiet demeanor as a lack of motivation, completely missing his need to be self-actualized. When opportunities to move to new positions within the store arose, he was usually not seriously considered. John works for another company now, lured away by the prospect of continuously learning new parts of the business.
Apr 06 2011
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:01 — 3.7MB)
Where do you belong? Are you part of a group, a team, a church, a social club, a professional organization? There’s been a lot of discussion lately about how some generational groups aren’t team players and want to work individually. Yet, these same people have families, and friends. Maybe they like to go to sports events or concerts with the same small group. Psychologist Abraham Maslow identified belonging as a basic human need on his Hierarchy of Needs.
