I’d Do Anything For Love (of country) But I Won’t Do That!
In announcing that he wouldn’t go along with the crowd of Republican partisans in his impeachment vote against the President, US Senator, Mitt Romney (R-UT) might have used words popularized by rock singer, Meatloaf, “I’d do anything for love, but I won’t do that“ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X_ViIPA-Gc , but he didn’t. Still, pulling no punches, Romney, in […]
Employee Engagement: Two Reasons Why ‘Getting Sticky’ Matters
(This piece generally represents the text of a letter sent to some of our firm’s leadership coaching clients this week.) Too often I see HR professionals and the organizations they are apart of throwing around the expression, “employee engagement” like medical terms used by healthcare professionals, without first clarifying what the term means, and why […]
Please Put Your Own Oxygen Mask On Before Assisting Others
Yesterday, on International Flight Attendants Day, I was reminded of two things: My admiration and appreciation for the women (mostly) and men who work hard to assure our safety and relative comfort when traveling by commercial air. The phrase that I’ve heard them use more than five thousand times in the interest of safety: “Please […]
Hugs, Your Space, and the New World Order
What Like bolts from the blue, less than a month before the expected announcement of his Presidential plans, former VP Joe Biden, who has been in the national spotlight for nearly fifty years, and under the watchful eyes of a U.S. Secret Service detail for the last decade, is beset by allegations that several years […]
Stop Ghosting, Keep Your Word, Your Reputation. It’s All You’ve Got!
Lately, I’ve observed unprecedented levels of people ghosting scheduled appointments. One involved a wasted 400-mile drive (grr!). I learned of others in conversation with two independent businesswomen, both of whom complained of NCNS by clients with confirmed appointments. Still others reported that post-interview ghosting by corporate recruiters remains very much in vogue, and as aggravating […]
Leadership Development Exigencies, Circa 2019
Our work with leaders in the healthcare, hospitality, and financial services sectors often begins with some derivative of the statement, “I can’t get enough managers (all levels) hired, trained, and performing adequately. Can you help?” Though the perceived need often is for the delivery of more or better leadership development, the reality is that’s often […]
Playing Favorites
Several of our recent employee engagement survey projects have indicated the presence of elevated levels of perceived favoritism within the surveyed population. It has occurred enough to cause us to pause and probe further for understanding. We’ve not yet wrapped our arms completely around the universal (as opposed to organization-specific) learnings, but here’s one consistent […]
That Leadership Bench Won’t Grow Itself
Better than half of newly appointed, first-time business leaders fail in their first two years, resulting in their removal from position, either voluntary or otherwise. I hesitate to wonder how many more are left to quietly and more slowly drown on their own. If new doctors failed at that same rate, hospitals might find it […]
Leadership is About Blood, Sweat, and Occasional Tears
In the time that I’ve served in a leadership role, in both for profit and non-profit venues, I have tried mightily to operate with a short list of simple, understandable maxims, like… Take pains to hire adults, and treat them as such Ensure that, from day one, everyone on the team understands and shares our […]
You Might be Struggling to Find and Keep Good Talent If…
Convention season is in full swing, and if the groups I’ve been invited to speak for are any indication, one of THE heaviest concerns weighing on the minds of employers almost everywhere is this: Where, and how, am I going to find enough qualified people to grow our business? (Or in some cases, just to […]