Conference calls can be a minefield of false starts, disruptive back ground noises, awkward silences and wasted time. Or, conference calls can be a convenient and cost-effective way for people to discuss important business. Based on personal hours spent on conference calls, I humbly submit the following “must do’s, “please do’s” and “taboos” for leading …
The Happiness Advantage
What if you could improve your productivity by 30% without sacrificing happiness? We’ve been told that if you have a good work ethic and work really hard, you can be successful and then you will be happy. New discoveries in psychology say this formula is backwards. If you reverse the order of the formula, you …
Hot Stove Rule and Employee Discipline
“NO…NO…HOT!” I said, as my toddler reached for the stove. “HOT!” Fair and effective employee discipline has the same characteristics as a “Red Hot Stove:” forewarning, immediate, consistent and impartial. According to leadership expert Douglas McGregor, all four should be applied to employee discipline. Forewarning: The closer you get to the red coils, the hotter …
Hats off to YOU!
By Jeri Mae Rowley HAT-CHECK On my mind lately are the many “hats” we wear. When I asked coworkers to brainstorm a list of their hats, responses came in torrent. At the drop of a hat, they identified: spouse, parent, child, sibling, friend, employee, supervisor, coworker, church member, community volunteer, neighbor, citizen, sports fan, club …
Change is Great…. if Leaders GO First!
As leaders, we hold the key to successful change in the palm of our hand… especially if we happen to be holding a mirror. LEADING CHANGE: Over 150 years apart, two stories remind us of leadership’s unique role in making changes. CHANGE 2013 Center for Disease Control (CDC) article noted in the United States,
Family Business Longevity
Family Business Longevity William O’Hara, a pre-eminent expert on family business, has created two amazing lists for Family Business magazine of the 100 oldest family-owned businesses in the U.S. and the world. All of the listed companies are at least 225 years old; four have lasted in the same family for more than a millennium. …
80/20 Rule of the Vital Few
Imagine your overall effectiveness if you reduced your tasks to 20% of your normal work load. Choose the right 20%, your productivity and effectiveness could actually increase! Vilfredo Pareto, 1843-1923 It’s called the 80/20 Rule. In 1906, Italian economist and sociologist, composed mathematical formula describing Switzerland’s dis-proportioned income distribution. Pareto observed 20 of the population …
Court Your Customers
Roses are red. Violets are blue. If you don’t court customers . . . they’ll find someone new. Attracting, Delighting, and Retaining Customers Is Like Courtship Make a Good First Impression Like speed dating, there’s plenty of competition for the customers’ attention. You only have a short time to make a good first impression …
Appreciation
“The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” – William James People need to feel appreciation. Especially now, when all of us are “doing more [and even more] with less;” the yearning to feel appreciated is intense in every workplace. Pre-recession research from the U.S. Department of Labor revealed that …
Employee Performance Evaluation
Want to know who is really working for you? Try this fundamental formula to evaluate employee performance: Systems + Ability + Effort = Performance Results. Systems The process, procedures, technology and resources essential to achieve results are systems. If systems are lacking, it is often out of the employee’s authority to fix. So, assess systems …