I had just closed a car dealer on working with me for a second year. In the work I do, there are no salaries or benefits. You work gig to gig, retainer to retainer. Every gig was a big deal for my wife and me–nothing, including income, is guaranteed. (Actually, nothing is guaranteed even for the salaried. We all work …
Podcast 68: Dignity, Part 3: How-to and why it’s good for you
When dignity isn’t honored, people suffer! After episodes describing dignity and the temptations to violate it, Mike and Mark get down to describing HOW to honor it in practical terms–and why that’s such a big deal. References: The Donna Hicks book that inspired this series can be found here. We also reference “the Chick-fil-A video” and “The Five Dysfunctions of a …
Podcast 67: Dignity, Part 2: What happens when you violate dignity?
Honoring dignity can transform your workplace–and you. But there are at least 10 ways to violate dignity … what happens when you do? Donna Hicks’s work on dignity inspired this series. Learn more here. In this episode we also reference “the Chick-fil-A video” and “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.” Our final episode in the dignity series will cover how …
Podcast 66: Dignity, Part 1: What is it? Why is it so crucial?
We launch our series on dignity with this double-length episode. Honoring dignity can transform your workplace–and you. Donna Hicks’s work on dignity inspired this series. Learn more here. And stay tuned for our future episodes about what happens when we violate dignity–and how to overcome it. We would love your questions and comments for future episodes: Email Mike and Mark. …
How to prioritize employee retention strategies
Remember when companies were hellbent on getting foosball tables and other Fun Activities in order to keep employees motivated and employed? It was nice, but as employee retention strategies go, it was pretty weak. Some employees really believed this would help employee retention. But not a single employee stayed for games. (If they did, they might have been the wrong …
Chick-fil-A on recruitment
Here’s a flyer found in my bag of Chick-fil-A. How does this compare to your recruitment efforts? Out: income potential (unless you count a graphic of bills) In: growth (career, personal, educational) Also in: lifestyle (Sundays, insurance, work environment) Lifestyle trumps pay. We can debate why that is true for the workforce. But it’s harder to debate the results: Chick-fil-A …
Podcast 63: Do you have a team or a group?
What’s the difference between a team and just a group? Mike explains how he boils it down to one characteristic. He and Mark also share what it takes to take a group and turn it into a team. Some of the material references Patrick Lencioni’s phenomenal “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.” We would love your questions and …
Podcast 62: Just-in-Time Feedback: why, what and when
Subscribe and listen on Spotify or Apple … or watch below. Just-in-Time Feedback has benefits for the employer and the employee. But how do you give feedback so frequently? Mike and Mark share what works. We mention the AID method, which you can learn more about in episode 16. We would love your questions and comments for future episodes: Email Mike …
The shift to ordering your car: questions for any industry
I’ve been musing if this is the new normal: Is custom ordering the future of car sales (8-minute Automotive News video). The dealership mentioned, Pat Milliken Ford, is a founding member of Ford’s Consumer Experience Movement, an initiative I’m proud to serve. They are no slouches at CX–customer experience–and bring some questions to mind for any industry: How do you …
Podcast 61: Three things you need for your coaching to succeed: Commitment
Subscribe and listen on Spotify or Apple … or watch below. There are many coaching methods out there … but what do you need for any of those methods to work? Mike and Mark discuss how commitment takes coaching from an interesting conversation to a surefire way to make progress–and how to use your calendar to make that happen. Questions or …