Meetings get a bad rap. And in many cases, they should! When they’re boring, pointless, poorly orchestrated, and a waste of everyone’s time, they should get a bad rap. But when they’re done right, meetings can (and should) be vital tools for debate, problem solving, communication, and coordination. If you believe meetings at your place
Accountability: the Secret Sauce of Business
Accountability is at the heart of every well-managed organization. It is essential to implementing plans, installing changes, or rolling out new ideas. Without it, things become chaotic . . . deadlines are missed or ignored, and results are below expectations. If accountability is an issue for your organization, if you don’t have a good system
Motivation: toss the carrot and stick
Motivation is a part of leadership, isn’t it? It’s providing something that makes followers want to go where the leader is trying to lead them. Traditionally, business has relied heavily on carrot-and-stick motivational tools . . . reward and punishment. And the carrots (the rewards) usually are money in the form of bonuses or commissions,
Stop Making Those Decisions
In a 1995 article by A.E. Carlisle entitled simply, “MacGregor,” Carlisle tells the story of the title character who is a plant manager with a remarkable management style. At the core of MacGregor’s style is his refusal to make any operating decisions. Sounds a little odd, doesn’t it? Yet his plant (even though it’s the
Dare to be Wrong
Sir Kenneth Robinson, an author, educator, speaker, and recognized authority on creativity, has said, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original.” Think about that. He’s right, isn’t he? Trace any great achievement to its roots . . . whether in business, medicine, the arts, literature, music, education,
“The result of leadership is a group of people working toward a common goal because they want to, not because they have to.”
This is only one quote on leadership among hundreds, or more likely, thousands. There is probably no other concept in business that’s gotten as much attention as leadership. But what is it? Most of us think we know it when we see it, but it shows up in so many diverse situations and in so
“Permitting colleagues to participate in decision-making is not so much a favor to the participants as it is to the executive.”
The days of the boss hurling down lightning bolts while his employees scurry to do his bidding are long gone. Employees today are better educated, better trained, and have access to more information than ever before. They have insights as to what’s working well and what’s not. In short, they are smart people who expect
“Communication is to leadership as the swing is to golf; everyone can do it, but few do it well.”
Consistently, “being in the know” ranks near the top of employee satisfaction surveys. People want to know what’s going on around here. They want to know what their part is. They want to know how events, both good and bad, are impacting the company. And why shouldn’t they? After all, it’s their company and their
“People can’t see it your way until you first see it their way.”
Listening is an essential skill whether you’re at work or at home, whether you’re the CEO or an hourly worker. Yet it’s a skill that many of us either never acquired, or have allowed to lapse. In a conversation, do you find yourself crafting your next statement of brilliant insight rather than listening to
“Success is not determined by the flawless execution of a plan. It is determined by how people react to failure.”
“I haven’t failed. I’ve found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” “The way to succeed is to double your failure rate.” “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” Lots of thoughts about failure, but it’s an important aspect of business life. It’s the consequence we must consider anytime we try
