Even though there was some positive response to my recommendation to institute pay reductions rather than additional layoffs, there was substantially more negative response to the idea. Since the economic ...READ»
Corporate Prima Donna: a manager/executive who is arrogant, difficult to work with, not a team player, manipulative, privileged, demanding, unreasonable, and with a high opinion of themselves not shared by others.
Acco ...READ»
As the earth continues to move under our feet and the economy remains in free fall, with no bottom in sight, the leaders of every company must decide how they are going to react to an economic meltdown that happened to fast, ...READ»
Last week I conducted a Leadership Workshop for nineteen Front Line Leaders (progressive companies continue to believe it is essential in this bad economy to develop their Front Line Leaders because training & development ...READ»
I just returned from conducting a Workshop on Continuous Operational Performance Improvement (C.O.P.I.). After the Workshop, the President of the company and I engaged in a healthy debate over my recommendation that his company ...READ»
2009 is predicted to be one of the worst years in recent memory! But, to quote economist Paul Romer, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” So, rather than hoping things will get better - never a solution to a problem-, take ...READ»
Yesterday I received an email from a student asking several questions about an assignment due the first class after the holidays. Because of the nature of the questions, and my irritation at having to consider teaching during ...READ»
Workforce Management 12/16/08: One might think lousy economic conditions would make companies more selective during recruiting. Instead, employers appear content to endure poor performers rather than take a chance on unknown ...READ»
Aretha Franklin says it best when she sings “All I'm askin' is for a little respect.” The requirement for Employers to ensure Respect in the Workplace was brought home to me forcefully this week while I was ...READ»
Remember the last economic “crisis”? It occurred in the 1980s. The response from companies was to cut staff and operate “lean.” As the economy improved and entered the extended growth period of the late 1990s and ...READ»
My father was a farmer, a blacksmith, and an electrician who worked the hoot owl shift at a General Motors plant to pay for his farming addiction. He was also a pragmatist. After observing me engaged in a passionate ...READ»
I’m pretty hard core about things when it comes to the workplace. I believe the workforce is divided into three segments: Core Employees – 20% of the workforce who are hardwired to give 110%; Temporary Employees – 60% ...READ»
With the election of Barrack Obama as President and with the Democrats closing in on the filibuster proof number of sixty seats in the Senate, the odds are that the Employee Free Choice Act will pass in the Spring of ...READ»
I just read “Why Talent is Overrated”, an October Fortune Magazine article by Geoff Colvin. I love this article because I believe every Employee can make a big difference in an organization if they are properly trained, ...READ»
I am a confirmed Starbucks addict. Because the burnt flavor of their beans titillates my taste buds in just the right way, at 5am every morning I walk to my neighborhood Starbucks and kick start my day with a whole milk grande ...READ»
Over the last month I have been assisting Doug, the President of a $140 million national distribution company, to prepare for a crucial presentation to 350 managers assembled for the company’s annual meeting. Doug ...READ»
As reported by Workforce Management – October 8, 2008: Communication Gap: Nine out of 10 employers think it is important for their employees to understand and appreciate their benefits, but most employees don't do either, ...READ»
“You can’t handle the truth!” Col. Jessep (Jack Nicholson) in “A Few Good Men”
Can your company handle the truth?
This week I had plenty of time to contemplate stuff. A “simple” day surgery turned into 3 ...READ»
Last week I wrote about the need to include Employees in the decision making process if Employee Engagement was a goal. This week I read an article about this year’s WorkTrends Report by the Kenexa Research Institute. According ...READ»
Every client I work with to improve Employee Performance struggles with the reality of Employee Engagement. While every Manager knows that without meaningful Employee Engagement in the Work Process at every level of the ...READ»
Has the Human Resources Department Become the Union of the 21st Century?
Every Labor Day I reminisce about my 24 years as a labor attorney and union official of an 8,000 member national union. It was a great job and I enjoyed ...READ»
The motto “No man left behind” expresses one of The Marine Corps' core beliefs and helps make the organization a world class fighting machine. But while I applaud the Marine Corps for the esprit de corps it exhibits in standing ...READ»
Introduction
Are you shocked and awed by the rapidity and complexity of the ongoing changes in the Rules of Work? Are you still trying to figure out what “Diversity” really means? Are you a Theory X personality secretly ...READ»
The easy stuff is hard.
Today marks my first week back at work after two weeks paternity leave. Day one, not so bad. My boss reminded me that a great way to balance work and home is to be “100% present” wherever I ...READ»
