Is your organization’s customer service lower than you’d like it to be? Does your customer service training create some short-term change, but then after the training, behaviors revert back to the way things were before? Do members of your team agree conceptually that you exist to serve your customer, but then make decisions that are […]
Read post »Uncover and tap into deeper meaning and values already in the culture. Tell stories that honor the past and highlight the rich heritage of your organization. Link recognition, appreciation, or celebration to these. Lead change with examples of how the organization has gone through tough times or major changes like these before. Appeal to a […]
Read post »Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher said, “It’s the intangibles that are the hardest things for a competitor to imitate. You can get an airplane. You can get ticket-counter space; you can get baggage conveyors. But it is our esprit des corps – the culture, the spirit – that is truly our most valuable competitive asset.” […]
Read post »Following are a few “how to” steps from the Responsibility for Choices section of the new workshop I have designed around The Leader’s Digest: Timeless Principles for Team and Organization Success. You might want to share and discuss them with your team. Identify common “victim speak” used within your team. This might include blaming other […]
Read post »A reader asked, “When working with senior managers that come from a ‘command and control’ background, how do you work with them on the power of involvement of more of the employees in the planning process?” That’s a great question! If I had the magic answer I’d be the Bill Gates of the training and […]
Read post »Jim, I enjoy reading your newsletter. I’m looking for a “best practice” in the area of teaching managers how to have effective performance review conversations. I don’t want this to be limited to just conversations with poor performers, but with all employees. Any ideas? Thanks, Bob Hi Bob, You’re asking a very broad question. The […]
Read post »The downside of today’s focus on accountability and performance management is a fragmented view of how work flows across every organization. As a result departmental silos are reinforced and way too much finger pointing occurs. This leads to a culture of “if it’s not our fault, it must be yours.” I love to get examples […]
Read post »A new consulting Client is struggling with organizational change in an industry that is experiencing rapid change. The pressures on this company to reduce costs while improving customer service is some of the most ruthless we’ve seen. We’re helping them completely overhaul their systems and processes as well as leadership practices and culture. Understandably, there’s […]
Read post »Within a few days I received two e-mails asking for help dealing with a team member who was unmotivated and a loner who doesn’t care about the team, doing the minimum required to get by. In one case the person writing to me was a peer of the team member. In the other case, he […]
Read post »Following are a few “how to” steps from the Responsibility for Choices section of the new workshop I have designed around Leader’s Digest: Timeless Principles for Team and Organization Success. You might want to share and discuss them with your team. Identify common “victim speak” used within your team. This might include blaming other departments […]
Read post »“The most fatal illusion is the settled point of view. Since life is growth and motion, a fixed point of view kills anybody who has one.” – Brooks Atkinson, drama critic “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American writer/philosopher “If we […]
Read post »I came across the emerging research on emotional intelligence about 10 years ago. Having focused much of my own personal development on these issues and then making the training and development of these “soft” skills my life’s work since 1981, I was really excited by this new research. Finally we had hard proof for the […]
Read post »The title of my fourth book, Growing the Distance (now available on our web site as an e-book download), reflects its focus on personal growth for personal, career, and family success. Following is an exercise taken from it’s Personal Implementation Guide. Both Growing the Distance and the Personal Implementation Guide are now part of an […]
Read post »Just telling people they need to grow is one thing. Actually offering practical ideas is what really helps leaders to reach their full potential. Here are a few ideas from dozens listed in the Growing and Developing section of the Growing the Distance: Personal Implementation Guide. Get a personal coach or counselor to guide your […]
Read post »Two and half years after I began writing (and more than fours after I conceived the book idea), I have finally finished the first draft of my Moose-on-the-Table book! Squeezing this writing between a major web site redesign, increasingly busy Client work schedule, and all the other writing I do for our newsletter and various […]
Read post »“Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.” Gandhi “I argue very well. Ask any of my remaining friends. I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don’t even invite me.” Dave […]
Read post »Here’s a note I recently received from the president of a company we’ve been working with: “I am looking for a book/information on organizational structures. However, there’s a twist. We are currently set up as most companies are, with a vertical (silo) model. I want to change this. Part of our vision is to be […]
Read post »I received an e-mail from a visitor to our web site asking for “your thoughts about leadership within volunteer organizations and what can be learned for people who provide leadership for ‘paid employees.’“ Here’s my response: I have long believed that managers who provide leadership for paid staff can learn a great deal about true […]
Read post »I just finished delivering a highly customized two day Leading @ the Speed of Change workshop with a delightful Client at a ranch resort in the foothills of Alberta’s beautiful Rocky mountains. This was a group of 21 managers and supervisors for a mid sized family business. They were highly participative and keen to improve […]
Read post »One organizational problem that keeps repeating itself is the high failure rate for implementing new organizational improvement efforts like increasing customer service levels, re-structuring, mergers/acquisitions, introducing new technologies, performance management systems, leadership training, and the like. I recently wrote an article on this recurring problem for a new column I am writing for HR Professional […]
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