You can have it if you don’t need it:Did you hear about the South Carolina teenager with H.I.V. who had his health insurance policy revoked? That got me thinking about Henry Ford and three big industries in the USA.Wait. ...READ»
Perceptual errors create nonsense at work:Socially, our consensus about how we interpret our environment seems to work well enough. But at work, well enough is often not good enough.Because we rely so much on our agreement of ...READ»
Why nonsense is so abundant:Why is nonsense so abundant? Because it is a natural, renewable resource. I realized this when I watched two dung beetles at work. I looked around the African bush and saw lots and lots of ...READ»
Don’t waste a nonsense moment:Have you heard the one about the 6 year old Cub Scout who was so proud of his scout eating utensil that he took it to use at school? He got 45 days in a disciplinary school all because the ...READ»
How to regain respect:As we drift towards Labor Day, I plead, yes, plead that business leaders out there will apply Emmanuel Kant’s categorical imperative:Here it is: What would happen if every one behaved the way you do?If ...READ»
Management By Wondering About:August is the month when real managers go on vacation while juniors hold the fort. It is also when a lot of MBWA takes place.No, no, not management by walking around. That’s so ...READ»
The key aspect of leadership:
What is the key aspect of leadership? I bet we could come up with a bucket full of words, like visionary, inspiring, commanding, and so on. Yes, these attributes are necessary for effective ...READ»
Why working from home is impossible:
Have you wondered why so many people treat coffee shops as workstations? I’ve finally figured it out.
According to statistics and experts-in-the-know, more and more people are working from ...READ»
Time to be domoted?
I recently read about senior executives who removed themselves from the payroll to keep their construction company going. This got me thinking... what’s so wrong about being demoted?
Dr Lawrence Peter ...READ»
Are you mentoring or meddling?
Here’s how you can tell.
You are a mentor if you are using your experience to coach someone who is less experienced. The aim is to help the inexperienced person play a 'better' role or to ...READ»
Trust at Work:
Before you hire your next employee, be clear on what you can and cannot train. Certain desirable attributes just cannot be trained. They must be part of the employee from day one. Trust is one of those ...READ»
We, the enemy within:
We know that success comes from listening and paying attention to customers. And we know that paying attention to what our competitors are doing can uncover potential opportunities and threats.
For the ...READ»
The Empty Desk
I once worked for a shipping line which merged with a group that included hotels and gambling resorts. As you can imagine when conservative shipping meets liberal gambling, the two CEOs had very different ...READ»
Leave your old job behind:
Let's be optimistic for a minute and think about your next promotion. Yes, some people do get promoted during a recession.
Here's a question for you to consider, just in case you are one of ...READ»
Delegating to the boss:
Picture this: Your team has a deadline to get something done. You know you can do it faster than any one on your team. You can even do it better than any of them. What do you do – do you do it ...READ»
Organizations are strange concoctions:
Organizations are staffed with people who agree to strive for collective objectives in exchange for individual rewards. These people agree on a code of conduct and also to follow ...READ»
Cherish Your Unreasonable People:
Don't be tempted during this recession to get rid of your unreasonable people.
George Bernard Shaw once wrote that, "The reasonable man adapts himself
to the world. The unreasonable ...READ»
The simplest measure of financial health:
During a recession, what is the best measure you can use to check your ongoing financial health? A measure that applies to organizations and to individuals?
Cash flow. Come to think of ...READ»
Reverse sexual harassment:
Heard the one about the bus driver who asked his female passenger to move or get off his bus? She had on a very low cut blouse and was sitting right in the sight-line of his rear-view mirror. He ...READ»
When efficiency costs too much:
Now that everybody is shouting ‘recession’ and demanding belts to be tightened, I have a question for you: “Can efficiency cost too much?” Most people think that the point of efficiency is ...READ»
