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Imagine Their Surprise “The whole department has quietly agreed never to mark anything but good scores on the damn thing!” I was talking with Joan, an employee of a large medical service provider and this…this was her ultimate response to the last round of employee surveys designed to improve morale and motivation. What’s worse, her [...]
What Now? Julia slammed her laptop shut and slumped over her desk. “Ugh! What are they thinking? My team’s gonna hate this!” We had just sat down to discuss her goals when the email arrived from her regional manager. The email listed sales goals she and her team were expected to meet…goals from headquarters that neither [...]
Can you imagine being 28 years old and being placed in charge of a business that was losing $3.5 million annually? This week I had the privilege of spending a few minutes interviewing Richard Bryan – who found himself in exactly that position when his father became ill and he had take over the family [...]
Make It Stop! I could almost hear his anguish… A young supervisor had gone to Twitter in desperation: “How can I ever motivate my team? Please help!!!” His fatigue and frustration were palpable, but they were also causing him immense problems and his credibility and influence with his team had suffered badly. The Consequence of [...]
Scary Statistics Depending on the study you read, anywhere from 66% – 77% of American employees are disengaged…doing far less than their best work. Unmotivated employees: Take twice as many sick days They’re five times more likely to leave within the next year Are 56% less likely to recommend friends use the product or service [...]
Leaders, Are You: Tired? Run down? Exhausted? Don’t have energy for important relationships? Can’t hold an idea in your head for more than a moment? If so, you’re not alone. Recently, several leaders from different organizations, with different responsibilities, and personalities have asked me variations on this question: How do you maintain your energy and [...]
What Does It Mean? You could see it from the road… The image of a lizard chipped into the stone’s desert varnish. It’s nearly three feet long, over 1,000 years old, and probably took the artist several months to complete. Standing on that hot windswept ledge with my wife and daughter in the Utah desert, [...]
Déjà Vu All Over Again I sat across from the Executive Vice President and made my case… I suggested the company change the way it handled a specific process and made my five part case why it was a good idea. The VP listened, grimaced, and then grinned. “If only it were that easy.” “But it [...]
Are You Serious About Team? If you want to achieve sustainable results over time, there’s no substitute for a strong, vibrant team. Most leaders give lip service to the concept of teams and will readily nod when asked if teams are important. In my work with leaders, however, the reality is often different…and with good reason. [...]
Can You Believe It? Maria was a superstar. She was a go-getter, she constantly looked for ways to help the organization, and clients loved her. In fact, if you had asked me to name the top 10 most effective employees in the organization, she would have been on the list. You can imagine my surprise [...]
