Everyone wants to be dedicated to something. It gives us, as individuals, a sense of purpose. Organizations look for dedication among their members – dedication to the organization’s purpose. Unfortunately, when individuals dedicate themselves to what they believe is worthwhile, it may run counter to what the organization values. You may work alongside, or work [...]
Are Poor Attitudes Justified?
August 4, 2010 By 2 Comments
In a recent conversation, I was talking with someone in a leadership position who sternly addressed people in his organization that simply didn’t seem to care. He declared that the people who are just there for a paycheck and don’t put in anything extra to the quality of their work should just be fired. There [...]
Insecurity secures the status quo.
July 26, 2010 By 1 Comment
I had a conversation recently with someone in a senior position within his department. He was lamenting, yet accepting, that his job kept him very busy (60-80 hours a week). I casually asked what work they were doing, and quickly noticed some circularity of reasoning that, if further explored, might have been able to reveal [...]
Leadership and Management Effectiveness: Training the Bear (Literally)
June 28, 2010 By 1 Comment
So, I’m getting caught up after a family vacation to New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Valley. Among the amusement parks, water slides, train rides, over-excited children, over-tired parents, souvenirs, and ice cream sundaes, I came across one of the most amazing examples of effectively managing another’s performance I’ve ever seen. About 200 or more people gathered [...]
Embracing the New Fear
June 14, 2010 By 1 Comment
Sightseeing Tourists: A Continuous Improvement Idea
June 7, 2010 By 1 Comment
We need more tourists at work. While the hospitality industry would certainly agree, that’s not what I have in mind. What we need are people to walk around, keep journals of what they see, and share their experiences with others. When trying to generate improvements, people often get stuck when trying to look at their [...]
Best of MFP: To All Employees: Get up and Get out
May 27, 2010 By 13 Comments
On three separate occasions throughout my career, I’ve had my boss tell me: 1) That I produced more work, more quickly, than they had expected, however, 2) I seemed to spend a lot of time away from my desk. Despite my productivity, I was chastised for being “too chatty” or “spending too much time talking [...]
Best of MFP: Leadership: Not for Followers.
May 24, 2010 By 5 Comments
Are those who are labeled “Leaders” truly leaders, or do they follow? There are many people in leadership positions, who have achieved that rank through their ability to implement their superiors’ decisions. In the act of doing so, these people demonstrate their ability to do what is required of them, and do it well. It’s [...]
Employee Recognition Doesn’t Require Vision. It Requires Visibility.
May 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I was standing and talking with a newly-minted Department Manager in his office one day, discussing ways to help increase employee morale. He was thinking over the company’s Team of the Month program. Fortunately, there was one. Unfortunately, the teams were each nominated by a co-worker or 1st-line supervisor, who then passed along the nominations to Senior [...]
Why Performance Appraisals are Still Used, and Why Team Building Still Suffers.
April 30, 2010 By 12 Comments
In his book, “Out of the Crisis” Dr. W. Edwards Deming put forth his belief that Performance Appraisals should be done away with. His case was taken up by Peter Scholtes, who championed the Deming philosophy and became it’s strongest proponent in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, the concept of the Annual performance Review is [...]
Recent Comments