Labor Day for some reason became a line in the sand. Now that we are past it, many employers are facing a decision on remote work. I know all the arguments, and you do too. If we allow remote work, it will be the end of productivity. And possibly the end of what The New York Times recently called “squishy …
The Labor Day motto of Clan Ramsay
ORA ET LABORA. “Pray and work.” This ancient phrase of Benedictine monks became the motto of Clan Ramsay. I’ve always liked it. It reminds me that work itself can have a higher purpose. In fact, we were working in the Garden of Eden. We had three jobs–all part of the plan. Work is something worth doing. This article quotes Teddy Roosevelt: Far and away …
Sensei suspended my kids from judo
“Don’t worry about the money. Do the right things, and the money will come.” Coaches and consultants like me say such things. Most people nod their heads. But do you really believe the statement? If you do, in the short term your team may look like losers. I can illustrate by taking you to the world of judo. Meet my …
Why bother with corporate values?
Automotive News produces really informative videos. This 4-minute briefing on Serra Automotive’s inventory sourcing is a great example. One of my mentors worked for Al Serra for a long time and has great respect for the team. The opening lines from current President Matt Serra gives me clues as to why: From a values perspective, the way we think about …
If you measure happiness, what are you measuring?
Happiness and engagement go hand in hand for employees. An influential business book, “The Happiness Advantage,” has suggested that for over a decade now. Last week we talked about surveys to measure happiness and how dialogue gets to the heart of things more effectively. Talk with your people. But just what is happiness? What is engagement? Enter this article: “In …
A litmus test for your employee retention
My outstanding design and marketing firm shared this article about employee-generated content. It is a pretty clear litmus test of how engaged and retained your employees are, isn’t it? They don’t have to create material they can use to promote your business. Researchers call it “discretionary effort.” We see it often with customers: They have to give you money for …
Podcast 110 – Crucial Conversations: Learn to look
In preparing for a high-stakes, emotionally charged conversation where there will be opposing views … you better learn to look. Mainly at yourself. Tips on how to do so in this episode. This episode is part of our series on “Crucial Conversations.” The first episode is at this link. We would love your questions and comments for future episodes: Email …
Podcast 109 – Crucial Conversations: Start with the heart
When you identify a high-stakes, emotional issue with strongly opposing views … how quickly do you discuss it? Or do you resort to “silence or violence?” As promised last episode, welcome to our series on how to have difficult conversations. We are using the excellent “Crucial Conversations” as our inspiration. Whether you have to tell somebody they smell bad, discuss a …
Podcast 108: The eight things that hinder your coaching
Mike and Mark talk through how to handle eight common things recent research revealed as roadblocks to coaching in an organization. No. 2 on the list is an excellent example of why we are so excited for our coming series on how to have difficult conversations. Listen in for a preview of this universal issue. We would love your questions …
Do you pass the toxic culture test?
MIT Sloan Management Review published “Why Every Leader Needs to Worry About Toxic Culture.” It includes the Toxic Five Culture Attributes–worth a read and a gut check. When I started working in the car business, my father reminded me that there was a hiring culture of, “Throw them up against the wall and see who sticks.” Nowadays, there is probably …