The Cynicism Cure
Cynicism. We’ve all seen it. The eye-rolls in the back of the meeting, the ‘here we go again’ Slack messages, and that lack of engagement, that hesitance to get started that covers every new initiative like a wet blanket. But cynicism is a defense mechanism. And at work, it’s what happens when employees have been […]
So Long, 2025
The year 2025 is about to come to an end. Thank goodness, some would say. On the good side, Unemployment stayed relatively stable, and under the level of full employment. The US economy DID add a significant number of jobs in 2025, just not as many as in each of the last couple of years, […]
Some Thoughts for Leaders On the Front Edge of AI
AI is already replacing jobs, and we’re just at the start of powerful tsunami that promises to wipe out countless more. Have you thought about how, down the road, you’ll fill your middle and senior ranking talent with fewer humans in the developmental levels of your organization?
Motivated People Move Faster
Treating people right, to include with high expectations, is still one of the very best things you can do for your organization’s customers, your bottom line, and yes, your employer reputation. The current practice of firing, unfiring, and refiring federal workers in retaliation for political disagreement is a particularly visible example of what NOT to do to motivate workers.
Making AI-Related Downsizing Suck Less
Good advice on dealing with downsizing caused by the growth of AI tools in the workplace.
On AI and Real, Pulsating Humans
The fact that you CAN whack 300 heads via AI doesn’t mean that you SHOULD.
Misfired
Despite the clumsy and misguided actions related to the federal chainsaw massacre, you can NEVER “unfire” someone.
Employee Engagement? Or Employee Entrapment?
Let’s think for a minute about so-called “stay-or-pay” arrangements for employees, where an employee agrees to stay with their employer for a certain period of time, or pay a penalty for early departure. Aside from the legal ramifications, (many courts have said these arrangements are illegal or unenforceable), do we really want people working with […]
See Ya! Saying Goodbye in the Workplace… It’s About How You Make Them Feel
by Bill Catlette 4/4/23 • Memphis (2-minute read) Firing people is hard, but let’s not try to make it easy. (Yes, you read that correctly.) Reasonable, mature people understand that from time to time, company managements get blindsided by pandemics, misjudge the economic windage, future prospects, and/or their ability to perform in a given set […]
Get What You Need
Many of us are confounded by the space-induced dilemma that faced the world’s most accomplished rock & roll band. So what if you can’t always get what you want?