Have you ever said that to yourself? Well, as it turns out, there is a reason people don’t take on challenges unless you direct them . . . and you’re probably looking at that reason every morning in the mirror. If you really want people to take a few risks, be creative, and show a
“Delivering Happiness”
Zappos, for those of you who haven’t heard of it (I hadn’t), is an online retailer with a reputation for world class customer service. It started out selling only shoes but has since branched into lots of other stuff as well. It went from a startup to $1 billion in sales within 10 years. Anyway,
Meetings, Bloody Meetings
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,
Culture, smulture . . . who needs it?
Brand and culture. Two sides of the same coin. Your brand is the outside world’s perception of who you are. The only question is, is that perception the one you have intentionally put in place and nurtured, or is it the one your market has bestowed on you by default. Likewise, your culture is how
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
“Wealth continually grows from multiplying existing resources using existing technologies.” -Pilzer’s Law
Paul Pilzer is an American economist and best-selling author who promotes the notion that economic progress and wealth are driven by technology. New technologies will continue to feed economic growth, but in Pilzer’s view, a lot of growth can come from properly utilizing the technologies we’ve already got. Most technologies used in small business are
Building Happiness at Work
In our last posting, we talked about some of the conditions at your workplace that influence how contented your employees are in their jobs. Several of those are particularly powerful and should be singled out for a little more scrutiny. To learn what they are, please read below. A friend of mine used to
12 Critical Questions
Awhile ago, we talked about Marcus Buckingham, a senior researcher at the Gallup Organization, and discussed his findings in his excellent book, “Now Discover Your Strengths.” He has more to offer us. Buckingham says a workforce can be divided into three categories: people who are loyal and productive, or “engaged,” those who are just
