On My Mind: The Power of Positive Reinforcement

By Jeri Mae Rowley On my mind lately is the most powerful motivational tool we have in our business tool box…positive reinforcement! People want to hear how valuable they are, how important their work is, and what great work they have done. And they are happy to hear it again, and again, and again. Bob

Transfer of Training: Getting an R.O.I. for Your Training Dollar

By Jeri Mae Rowley, M.S. Human Resource Management Is your business or organization getting a true R.O.I (return on investment) for your employee training dollar? My training mentor, Roberta Smith, first shared this information with our local Society of Human Resource Managers organization. Even though I had experienced training as a manager, as a trainer,

On My Mind: Ho Ho Ho for Your Health

Improve your personal health—and the health of your organization—by finding opportunities to experience lots of “Ho, Ho, Ho” on the job.

Filling Buckets

By Jeri Mae Rowley In 2002, Donald O Clifton, Ph.D., former chairman of the Gallup Organization, was honored by the American Psychological Association as the “Father of Strengths Psychology” and the “Grandfather of Positive Psychology. These awards recognized Dr. Clifton’s half century of study to understand the effects of “positivity” on people and organizations. That

On My Mind: Fortune Favors The Brave

By Jeri Mae Rowley, MS Human Resource Management The Latin proverb “Fortes adiuvat” reminds us “Fortune favors the brave.” It would be a stretch to say an economic downturn is a “good time” to start a business. Yet, 16 out of the 30 of the current Dow Jones Industrial Average corporations started during a recession.

Make Meetings Matter

By Jeri Mae Rowley Ninety percent of managers report that half of the meetings they attend are “either unnecessary or a complete waste of time.” When I am sitting in a meeting, I habitually calculate the “cost” of holding that meeting. You can too. Begin with the hourly wage and benefits dollars per participant. Then, …

E-Mail Netiquette

When you correspond with e-mail, you’ll be using a communications form still in its infancy. And, you’ll join over 930 million people worldwide. That’s a lot of humans to remember!

Lead Like Santa

By Jeri Mae Rowley Simply start with this list — and check it twice. Be a legendary leader — with Santa’s advice! Have a Great Story Everyone wants to be part of a great story. Have a story to tell. Tell it well. Tell it so often everyone “just knows” what to expect and how …

On My Mind: Leading Change

By Jeri Mae Rowley As leaders, we hold the key to successful change in the palm of our hand…especially if we happen to be holding a mirror. Change While researching the subject of “change” I came across two related stories. The most recent story is about a scientific breakthrough takes place in 2010. But the …