I frequently listen to music as I work. For almost three years my music source of choice was the online service Pandora. Until two weeks ago. I’m done with Pandora; I’ve replaced it with Songza, which so far seems great. Here’s why. Pandora operates on the “fremium” model, which means you can get their basic […] Read more… Read More»
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Where in the world am I going?” At one point it seemed merely a philosophical question about life that never needed an answer. Not answering the question wasn’t the first mistake; it’s not taking the question seriously and declaring the answer. Over the past year the question has been […] Read more… Read More»
Businesses will always seek to find competitive advantages within its industry. It’s part of any company’s strategic (survival) DNA. Whether it be new products, new services, even investments in technology, these levers for outsmarting, outmaneuvering ones competitors are short lived. They become duplicatable, eroding gained advantages. Such a scenario, however, is business as usual for […] Read more… Read More»
What price are you willing to pay to develop your team? See, to lead a team successfully the rugged individual approach to leadership will always limit you and the team. The rugged individual is the manager who believes she is the one who makes things happen. The rugged individual is the manager who finishes or […] Read more… Read More»
I’m sometimes asked how I made the transition from a focus on customer service to a focus on leadership. “What transition?” is my usual reply. When I wrote Five-Star Customer Service in 2005, I opened with a story that illustrated a culture of service: George Boldt, who was paid $1 million a year to manage the […] Read more… Read More»
Something unexpected happened with a recent post I wrote, “If it can be measured, it can be manipulated” (link below). My intention with the post was to point out the pressure employees feel to game whatever system you throw at them, and the futility of managing by metrics. It’s a call for managers to work […] Read more… Read More»
Visualize, if you will, this picture of employees: They give you eight or more hours of their time five days a week. They eat lunch at their desks. They endure dreadful plan-to-plan meetings that rarely result in decisions. Managers have little to no budget to recognize employees for great performance. Managers have no budget […] Read more… Read More»
What does it mean to unleash employee passion? To start, it doesn’t mean letting employees run amuck and do whatever they want. It does mean, however, spending time learning about what your employees’ aspirations are. It means spending time deepening the relationship with employees. It means paying attention to the work environment and doing what […] Read more… Read More»
Research shows that it takes but only a few people to influence the majority to follow the lead of a minority. If you had a hunch that we are like sheep you’re right. Apparently the larger the crowd, the smaller the number of people who know why the crowd is going in a particular […] Read more… Read More»
Depending on who you believe and what you read, an impending talent mass exodus from crappy work places is on the horizon. I believe it’s already here. Employees who leave crappy work environments for perceived better work places will leave gapping holes of lost knowledge and take with them corporate mythology essential to strategy […] Read more… Read More»