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- Dear Manager: Are YOU Ready for the Interview?
There is nothing more important to ensuring your enterprise’s success - nothing more significant to establishing your own professional reputation, than having a track record of getting the right people in the right positions, to do the right things. Remember, it’s better to weed out the losers BEFORE they cause you to lose time, money, and morale. Clear your schedule far enough in advance to prepare for the interviews. Make sure you are not interrupted. Focus on asking, listening and looking at each candidate, not thinking about what else you could be doing. - Tired of Young Workers’ Bad Habits? 18 Reasons Why Geezers are Great!
40, 50, and 60-somethings ‘bring a great deal to the table’ when it comes to workforce excellence. First of all, thanks to the ubiquitous layoff, they’re always in great supply. - Half of New Hires Fail: Why Do We Need Proof for What We Already Know?
Do you think it’s technical skills or interpersonal skills that are new hires' undoing? Put another way, do you think the failure is due to the stuff on resumes or how the employees perform with other people?
- The 2 Most Dangerous Employees You Can Keep
Among the hiring mistakes you can make, there are probably two that you have already made and now they’re employees. They are poison to your company. They will drain the enthusiasm out of your team. They will sap you and your managers’ energies and attention. - Reaching, Rewarding, and Retaining Employees
How to get and keep good employees? Regardless of the business, the organization, the industry, my advice centers around the answers to four major questions. - Staffing in Hard Times
You are an HME business owner, but what business are you really in? You are in the profit business, a bit redundant given that every business must be profitable in order to deliver products and services consistently to their customers. - Monkey See, Monkey Do
In the late 1980's/early 90's the practice of laying-off employees in order to boost short term earnings and reductions was copied by many. Here we go again. There?s just one problem: the cons outweigh the pros. - 10 Expensive Employee Benefits EVERY Organization CAN Afford
In a world of chaos, fast-paced change, and uncertainty, employees are being lured by ever-increasing benefits packages. Many smaller businesses and nonprofits think they have to be a GM, the American Heart Association or some other giant in order to satisfy the demands of benefits -- not so! - Different Workers, Different Motivators
I hear owners’ and managers’ disappointment after incentive programs don’t work or they observe the same people usually winning. My amazement is why they’re perplexed about their people and not contests. - I Wish It Was “Personnel” Again (How Human Resources Went Too Far)
Do you remember when there was this nice guy or gal in this basement office called “personnel?” That person doesn’t exist anymore. - 7 Things To Do When A Key Manager Leaves
In an organization, key managers leave in one of two ways: by encouragement or by surprise. When they do, retention of staff can become a problem. - What About a Bonus for Retention?
There is an old adage “what gets measured gets done.” Most leaders also know what gets rewarded gets done too! Put an incentive on a product, a service, sales, margins, expense reduction or other performance goals and watch people focus -- it’s a fact of human behavior. - Make 'Em Proud
Pride in a position, industry and employer is one of those often overlooked intrinsic motivators. Here are several ways to increase the pride factor.
- The 4 Reasons People Answer Ads
Forget all the psycho-babble, in-depth research and persuasive advertising theory of why someone answers your classified ad, it comes down to 4 reasons: |
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- Leadership Success: Not Platitudes, Just Attitude
I’m not one of these ultra optimistic, motivational, the glass is always half FULL kinda guys; however, I do believe giving up, giving in, and giving out is the last act of a successful man. In other words, I’ll try anything legal to pull off a surprise victory. - Obama’s “WOW Factor:” Is it a Defining Trait for a Successful Leader?
Madonna has it. Ronald Regan had it. The U.S. President-Elect Barak Obama has it. “It” is that mesmerizing, charismatic, articulate, confident persona that attracts fans of all walks of life. But isitenough?
- Leadership, Honesty, and Integrity
Leadership is about consistency in performance, constancy in values, and commitment to achieving the goals. Unfortunately, that can describe the worst criminals and terrorists as well as the most revered icons of our times. - Family or Work – How Do Leaders Find Balance?
The short answer is life defies balance. Balance suggests some equality of focus and distribution of time and energy to each aspect of your personal and professional lives. Can’t happen. - Industry Experts (and why you may be better off without them)
The first thing you must determine before you call anyone is whether your difficulties are tied to industry trends, issues, and specifics or more process-oriented. Let’s assume you’ve got a sales or marketing issue - do you need industry-specific sales or marketing insights or fundamental salesmanship or marketing wisdom? Don’t dismiss an expert outside of your industry. In fact, you may want to seek out one if you want to set your enterprise apart from the competition. - The Eyes of Strategic Growth for Today's Leaders
Growing any enterprise is a daunting task. Timing and luck seem to favor those enterprises with strong leadership and vision. That kind of leadership happens at several levels - top, middle, and front-line. The most successful organizations have a commonality - the ability to view things with different eyes. This speaks to an incredible ability to take the mundane/routine and appreciate the value and intrinsic necessity of every task in ultimately succeeding.
- Is Your Company Looking Like Dead Grass?
Whether you are in business, public service, or the nonprofit sector, you MUST be fed. Your organization MUST receive the nutrients to stave off infestation, weeds, and harsh elements. Eventually your enterprise will turn from healthy green to an ugly shade of brown if you do not take regular and proactive steps to fertilize your firm. - Rollercoaster Growth (and the realities of leading organizations)
Having spent three decades being managed, managing, and helping others to manage their company’s growth, I have embraced one truth: the best training for growth is enjoying roller coasters. - Positive Change (it all starts between your ears)
Can you change for the better? How about for the worse? Is your career or success pre-ordained? Can your future be dramatically altered simply by thinking differently? Which is more powerful – logic or emotion? - “Learn it Anyway!” (11 Lessons from Grade School... that still apply)
1) Everybody Gets Picked for Something... even if it’s nothing! Plus 10 others childhood lessons on leadership.
- 25 Indicators It’s Time for a Change and Time for a Coach
We all find ourselves in ‘a slump’ or at a stage in our lives, business, or career - when we ask the question: “Isn’t there something else I could be doing?” Here are my 25 ‘warning signs’ that you need to make significant changes. - The Four Mistakes that Cause EVERY Operation to Fail
For over twenty years I worked for corporate and entrepreneurial operations, then was a COO of a nonprofit concern for a few years. Since those days I’ve worked with owners and executives in business and nonprofits in an advisory capacity. - Customer Service· Why Is It So Hard?
Why is customer service so hard? Here are 7 fundamentals for improvement. - Success is in the Air
Regardless of your profession, trade, or status in life, being regarded as successful is often “in the eye of the beholder.” Success can be defined in many ways, recognize them and then take advantage of their proven attributes. - Are You Ready For A Major Fundraising Campaign?
Whether a capital campaign for new construction, establishing an endowment or launching a planned giving initiative, all embrace charitable estate planning and large asset transfers. Here are 6 steps to consider. - Six Reasons NOT TO HIRE a Consultant and Why They're Wrong
There are all kinds of reasons to think you know more than an outsider. Here are six that just don?t make sense. - Alternatives To Organizational Decline
Mature organizations have alternatives to the typical decline we often see. Some organizations and products can re-build or re-position in order to reverse a decline or stave-off death. - Strategic Planning for Today's Organization
Explore the alternatives of scenario and contingency planning when it comes to strategies for growth. |
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- Everyday Ethics: The 10 Desired Outcomes
For years I have heard academics and philosophers write and talk about what we’re supposed to do to be ethical. I’d like to look at what outcomes should result from being ethical. There is so much done in the name of fairness and compassion and noble intentions that have been disastrous. These are 10 desired outcomes that come from everyday ethical decision-making posed in the form of questions: - Brett Favre and the Ethics of Retirement (and Changing Your Mind)
Nearly five months after his tearful retirement news conference in March, Brett Favre filed for reinstatement with the NFL. He now is awaiting approval from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. However, Favre’s old team has moved on and Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy wants to pay Favre $20 million not to play this year for Green Bay or anyone else in the league. So what happened? - Legislating Liars, Cheats, and Thieves Into Becoming Ethical CEOs, Brokers, and Dealers
So, let’s see, IF we don’t have laws, we don’t know what’s right or wrong. And IF we do have laws, people will do right not wrong.That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Let’s see how that works: we have laws – millions by the way – that make it wrong to commit a crime. Reminiscent of TV entertainer, Dr. Phil’s favorite rhetorical question to some obviously bad decision, “And how’s that working out for ya?”
- The Ethics Aftermath of the 2008 Presidential Campaign
I’m writing this on the eve of November 3, 2008, prior to this year’s election. Presidencies have their ethical legacies. Presidential campaigns have theirs too: This is one for the history books.
- Are You Better Off? (Ethics, Choices, Results)
Every election year, presidential contenders always ask the question, “Are you better off?” Lately, the question has been, “Are you better off than your parents?” You see, at least in America, each generation is to make it better for the next.
Today, however, it seems a lot of people aren’t doing so well? So I guess the next question is, “Why not?”
- Government’s Pending Response to Subprime Meltdown: Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid!
Anyone remember Enron? Heck, who can forget it as it comes up in infamy at the very suspicion of corporate shenanigans?
Remember Sarbanes Oxley – that regulatory ton of bricks that was designed to fall on any corporate ner-do-wells and punish them with zeal? As with most laws, it ushered-in a whole new meaning for the term oppressive, profit sapping, time-eating, lawyer and accountant fees-increasing, consultant creating layers destined to doom the small company and make giant corporations smaller.
- Attaboy Chuck… That’s Two (Ethics and Political Leadership)
In his role, he has seen fit to do two things for/to America’s wobbling economy and financial institutions: Number One was the subprime bailout. Now the IndyMac bank New York collapse. One of our nation’s most prominent senator’s is on a roll. - Budweiser, Belgians, and Buyouts… The Ethics of Mergers
There are names that just conjure-up a fun time: Budweiser, Michelob, Busch and Rolling Rock. Those brands are all from made by Anheuser-Busch, which will transfer ownership to Belgian brewer, InBev for $52 billion. And I know I’m upset that yet another American icon has been sold off. What are the ethics of M&A transactions?
- The 5 BIGGEST Land Mines in Ethics (and how to maneuver around them so they don’t blow up)
Land minds are treacherous war time hazards. They are hidden, just below the surface, and are triggered by unsuspecting feet. They cause horrible damage. In no way do I want to be cavalier about the atrocities of war; however, the land mines metaphor works well in today’s climate of seemingly nonstop battle against ethical misconduct. - CEO Means Chief ETHICS Officer
Regardless of the size of your firm or the nature of your products, services, or tax status - nonprofits need to pay attention too - whoever is at the top of the food chain in the enterprise is the CEO. That has always meant “executive,” but today more than ever, it better include ethics, with a big “E.” - Freaks, Fame and Fortune: Ethics and Reality TV
Hopefully viewers of these shows realize they are scripted and participants are told to assume whatever role would make for outrageous, indecent, and outlandish conduct. - Tit for Tat: Re-Thinking Everyday Ethics in the Workplace
“Tit for tat” is a strategy used in game theory to explain "equivalent retaliation." The idea is that opponents respond ‘in kind’ to the way they’re treated (e.g. cooperation breeds cooperation, kindness begets kindness, conversely provocation yields retaliation). More simply stated: you get what you give.
- 6 WARNING Phrases Your Ethics Are Being Challenged
There are a few phrases that generally come just before you’re invited into an ethical misdeed. They seem ordinary, harmless, and commonplace in our everyday professional lives. - Ethics - Who Should Get a P.A.S.S.?
It’s become so commonplace that many hi-profile unethical people get special dispensation to the point of my calling - a PASS - a “Perverted Acceptance of a Special Situation.” The “situation” may be their race, religion, sexual orientation, status, addiction, etc. Regardless, the underlying problem is If there are no significant consequences to ethical misconduct, there will be no repentance or change? - “Yeahbut” -- THE Most Dangerous word in Ethical Misconduct
“Yeahbut” - is actually two words usually juxtaposed when someone who is well-liked commits an unethical or illegal act. It goes something like this: immediately following an allegation or conviction of wrongdoing, someone says,”He did something wrong, yeah but... - 7 Things to Do When Someone Good Does Something Bad (that don't make things worse)
Headlines in our neighborhood papers, city papers, and national news are filled with examples of good people getting caught doing bad things. So what is the right thing to do when someone you know does the wrong thing? - “One Bad Apple” - “An Isolated Incident” - “An Honest Mistake”
THE 3 Most Dangerous Myths About Ethical Misconduct (and how to combat them)
Over the years, my experience has born out that these are truly ‘honest’ responses that are totally false. Not that the person uttering the words are knowingly lying or covering-up, but they simply don’t understand the myths. - The Question is: Why Aren’t More Leaders Corrupt?
The end of the 1990’s leading into the new century marked a period of misconduct, morale decline, and leadership corruption. From the White House to God’s House -- Wall Street to Main Street every community in America witnessed the most egregious, self-centered, arrogance and abuse of power and criminal activity. - Have Everyday Ethics Brought Down GM? (And the Big 3)?
GM is in big trouble. Ford has been in trouble for a while. Chrysler is in trouble again. Sales, profits, and reputation - how did the Big 3 U.S. automakers plummet so far, so fast, and so hard? Perhaps it was everyday ethics, or rather the lack there of. - Today’s Ethics... It’s Not The Clintons - It’s Us!
The tarnished legacy of President Clinton is ironic. Unlike any ‘average citizen’ - he was not reprimanded even though he was:
- Obama, Plagiarism, and Ethics
Obama’s aura is based on being someone who is fresh, exhilarating, and well… a change. IF indeed he continues to take words without giving proper credit, it’s stealing, it’s duping the public, and it’s sending a message to those seeking leadership positions that stealing is the quickest way, and perhaps justifiable way, to succeed at influencing others to follow. - Executives, Ethics & Crisis
Today's headlines include wayward priests and the Catholic Church, Enron, and executives. Last year's headlines were about Ford Explorers and Bridgestone/Firestone Tires. Headlines of the past have included United Way of America, President Clinton, Watergate, Tylenoltampering, the Exxon Valdez, Apollo shuttle disaster,,etc, etc, etc. What do these all have in common? - Ethics...who cares?
Most of us (at least privately) think it's a big deal. Ask anyone if they want to be treated fairly, justly, respectfully, honestly and they'll say, "Sure." - In Praise of Blame - Step #1 in Correcting ANY Situation
From our earliest years of sibling rivalries, sandbox squabbles and classmate antics, we are told “don’t tattle” -- “it isn’t nice to blame.” As we grow older, it’s “now you can’t blame anyone but yourself” - Sex, Politics, Religion, and Race – What a Week for Democrats and Ethics (March 9, 2008)
The week was March 9, 2008. Gov. Spitzer, Mayor Kilpatrick, Nominee hopeful Obama's preacher's anti-American remarks, Ms. Farraro are all caught-up in the political correctness and corruption of their own parties. Is it politics as usual or their party's politics as usual? - The Ethics Surrounding the GM Strike (and every other Union/Management environment)
September 2007 -- As I write this article, the UAW’s 73,000 members in 80 plants throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Canada have decided not to show up for work for a second day. If you get a sense that I’m anti-union arrogance, you’re right. - “It’s a Personal Matter!” (The Issue of Compartmentalizing Ethics in Leadership)
CAN we separate personal and professional ethics? SHOULD we? As professionals, do your customers look at your personal or professional conduct? Do our spouses, children, or parents see you as two people? |
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- Dear Fortune 500 Boards of Directors: I Want To Be Your NEXT CEO (at Half the Price of Your Current Guy)
First of all, this is NOT a joke! Secondly, with the current economic uncertainties, increasing regulatory scrutiny, demanding customer service, competition and profitability pressures, I know what you need and I’m available to help IMMEDIATELY.
Finally, your current CEO is experiencing great difficulties in trying to meet your expectations. Here is my proposal: I am able to offer my services at a guaranteed half the base salary and half the additional benefits and perquisites of your current CEO. - Damnit, Nice Still Counts!
The truth is that being kind, gracious, polite, and civil have nothing whatsoever to do with most of the stuff people babble about these days - especially politicians, celebrity, and media folks. - The Top 10 Best Practices for Hiring a Conference Speaker (and why they’re unethical and should stop right away!)
This list is solely for those who engage professional speakers - those who earn their living - presenting in convention and educational settings. - The Huge, Incredible, Growing Latino Market Factor (and Why You Should Ignore It!)
This article is prompted by my having recently attended the second seminar, in as many years, on capturing the Hispanic market and embracing the Latino influx.
- Don’t Change!
Change is lousy! Change is stressful! Change is overrated! So stop it right now. “In the good ol’ days...” is how we remember our parents commenting on change. As a member of the “boomer generation,” we were so much smarter than our parents (and grandparents). - 9 Reasons Why Seminar Evaluations Don’t Work!
As a professional speaker, I am often engaged to deliver conference keynote, CEU programming, and conduct executive briefings. As such, I always cringe at the ubiquitous evaluation survey. In a word, well three words -- “what a waste!” - Tough Times
Despite the recent roller coaster rides on Wall Street, layoffs and bankruptcies -- there are real opportunities when the economy is shaky. Now is the time to show your people, your community, your competitors that you know the 4 actions to move your enterprise forward! - Charitable Giving and a Parent's Legacy
What should a parent leave to their child? How much is fair? Will it be squandered away or put to good use? To answer this, don't concentrate on money... - How Important Is Your Favorite Charity's Board of Directors?
There are basically two kinds of boards. Excellent boards always have members who do these seven things. - Tomorrow's Healthcare Crisis is here Today
Tomorrow's Healthcare Crisis is here TODAY...and these are 5 factors are contributing to the healthcare time bomb. |
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