Nothing puts a damper on the workday like a drop in productivity. A shift in one level of an organization can create a domino effect that potentially leads to a decrease in company morale, and even poor customer service. How can leaders boost employee productivity?… Read More»
We’re now making workforce history as Millennials have become the dominant demographic in the US, outnumbering Baby Boomers 80 million to 76 million. There is a resulting generational shift in the workforce currently underway, and gathering steam. However, as Baby Boomers delay retirement in increasing numbers, friction is occurring as growing numbers of Millennials enter the workforce and find themselves at odds with their Boomer managers and Gen X counterparts. In some cases, they’re competing for the same positions, bringing a different point of view and different work ethic with them…. Read More»
We’re over halfway through the 2017 work year, and many lists of the best places to work are rolling out.
Inc. Magazine (in partnership with Quantum Workplace) surveyed 169,000 people and compiled a list of 50 Best Places to Work.
Fortune (in partnership with Great Places to Work) surveyed 230,000 people and came up with their own list of 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Glassdoor, a recruiting and review site, offers three “best of” lists each year. They use a unique approach for creating their annual Best Places to Work list by analyzing real employee feedback left on their site along with nominations submitted by employees.
Even if your company didn’t make it on a Best Places to Work list, we can analyze these reports to better understand what the best do well and how we can improve…. Read More»
According to Dr. Robert Cooke, CEO of Human Synergistics and Associate Professor Emeritus of Management at the University of Illinois at Chicago, “The organization as a whole, including all departments, teams, and individuals within it—and really, almost every outcome relevant to them—is impacted by culture and climate.”… Read More»
Pat Wadors, Senior VP of Global Talent for LinkedIn, believes that three factors – Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIBS) – are the key drivers of employee engagement. A sense of belonging, in particular – the feeling that you can bring your authentic self to work, that you are valued and are an essential part of your team – is the critical piece to the equation. We posed this question to members of the Young Entrepreneur Council – their answers are below:… Read More»
To many executives, involving rank-and-file workers in business strategy is a strange concept. Isn’t business strategy better left to those trained in it? Can’t the VP of operations provide all the insights a regular employee could — and then some? The reality, however, is that strategic planners tend to be a homogenous bunch, and organizational creativity thrives on diversity. Three-quarters of a strategy team might be ex-consultant MBAs or members of the executive suite. Sure, their ideas might look great in 2×2 or 9-box matrices, but they’re all several degrees of separation from the factory floor. Innovation happens when those executive-level ideas collide with equally valuable ones from everyday workers…. Read More»
Nothing ruins a productive workday like rushing around at the last minute. You’ve worked hard all day long, done a lot, and almost reached your daily goals. Then you glance at the clock and realize only 10 minutes remain. A panic sets in and you begin to rush through tasks. You find yourself attempting to finish your to do list without staying late. As a result, mistakes are made and details forgotten. You sacrifice your best work to the constraints of time…. Read More»
One of the perks as a resource speaker for training is the chance to meet people from different walks of life. I once had a discussion with a parenting coach about our children who where both starting at primary school at that time. I expressed my concern that my child was too timid to excel in school. Surprisingly, the parenting coach blamed me for not pushing my child to be more outspoken. Then I realized parenting is almost like managing a team. Since then, I started using the parenting analogy in my leadership training, teaching leaders to inspire employees…. Read More»
And just like that, we’ve traded our scarves for sunglasses, and switched our Pumpkin Spice Lattes to Unicorn Frappucinos. Summer is officially here… again! While summer creates unique opportunities for team bonding activities, happy hours and Nerf gun battles are not everyone’s cup of tea. What constitutes fun varies depending on the unique personalities in your group, but the benefits of disconnecting from work (and connecting with team members) shouldn’t be ignored. So step away from the daily routine, take advantage of the good weather and find something fun to keep the ties between your team members strong! Capitalize on the positive energy that spills over from the experience and find ways to keep the momentum going when you’re back in the office! Our friends at the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) are filled with great ideas so we asked them to weigh in on their summer plans.
… Read More»
Not long ago, promotions went to employees with the most technical expertise. Companies bent over backward to gain specialized industry knowledge, so it made sense to promote based on its merit. But the times, as they say, are a-changin’. At a certain point in history, technical ingenuity began to take a back seat to interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. In fact, a recent study by Harris Poll found that 77 percent of employers believe these “soft skills” are as important as talents directly related to specific job functions…. Read More»
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