“The culture of any organization is shaped by the behavior the leaders are willing to tolerate.” Gruenter and Whitaker As a leader of an organization, our organization’s culture is what we have allowed it to become; either proactively or inactively. What leaders seeking a culture change need to understand is they need a paradigm shift.… Continue reading To Change Your Culture, You Must First Change Your Paradigms
Blogs
Is Your Silent Salesman Well Dressed?
by guest blogger Katie Brandel Imagine this. Your doorbell rings, and you open it to find a salesman from ABC company eager to tell you about the services he can offer you. It so happens that you’ve been looking for these kinds of services, so the chance that he could convert this visit into a… Continue reading Is Your Silent Salesman Well Dressed?
What is Quality?
When you hear someone mention quality, what comes to mind? The dictionary says: Quality (qual-i-ty) noun; The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something. When you go to a restaurant do you have an expectation of the quality of service and food you are about… Continue reading What is Quality?
Effective Conversation
I read this phrase the other day while I was reading an author’s thoughts on normal one-on-one conversation. The question is do we actually listen to others while discussing a topic on which we have a strong opinion? Do we actually communicate with each other; sharing and understanding each other’s ideas and concepts? We have… Continue reading Effective Conversation
Barriers to Leadership
We all can recognize obvious barriers, like road closed signs, caution tape, etc. However, do we realize we can create barriers between ourselves and others by the way we dress, they way we talk and even the way we react to them? I have been around manufacturing management for over 40 years. I have found… Continue reading Barriers to Leadership
Lack of Available People Forces “Customer of Choice”
We are starting to see signs of something I have not witnessed in my working career. Do to the short-fall of people with employable talents, companies are starting to have problems keeping up their production schedules and therefore have to decide which customers get left behind. I have been promoting the concept of being and… Continue reading Lack of Available People Forces “Customer of Choice”
Work-Life Balance or a Balanced Life
We have all heard the phrase work-life balance used for years. It was a well-meaning phrase trying to help busy people ensure they spend sometime with their families, friends and other interests. The problem with that word picture is it creates an imaginary scale that you put your work on one side and your life… Continue reading Work-Life Balance or a Balanced Life
Employees are Whole People
My desire is to help leaders recognize the value of their employees and to develop them into the person they were created to be. Sometimes this takes a paradigm shift. Paradigm Your paradigm, or the filter you see the world through, is the sum total of what you have learned and observed up to this… Continue reading Employees are Whole People
The 21st Century Leader
Definition- A person that is respected by others for their knowledge, understanding and foresight. Also, they care enough for others in their scope of responsibility to make the effort to mentor them and help them achieve the knowledge, understanding and foresight they need to become the best they can be in their areas of responsibility.… Continue reading The 21st Century Leader
Next Economic Hurdle, Supply Shortage
We are entering a business cycle I have never seen in my 50+ years in the business arena. Multiple factors are creating a “perfect storm”. I am concerned if the business world doesn’t address this issue now, in the next few years we will slide into a recession because of supply shortages. The intersecting issues… Continue reading Next Economic Hurdle, Supply Shortage
Carefronting- A better approach to managing conflict
The world of management has transitioned from the harsh dictatorial environments of the past to a less offensive approach of today. However, for the most part, we have not equipped our managers with the ability to handle confrontation in a better way; carefronting. Carefronting is confrontation with compassion. We need to cast the vision and… Continue reading Carefronting- A better approach to managing conflict
The Road to Leadership
Leaders are relatively easy to spot in a group. Just pay attention when you are in any large gathering. There are those people that others naturally listen to and follow. The question therefore isn’t how do we find leaders; they are in every organization. The question that we need to ask is how do we… Continue reading The Road to Leadership
Employee Discipline; Punishment or Education
Many top executives say they struggle getting their front-line managers to have the “tough” conversations with their people. What is it that makes managers find it hard to address issues with employees? I believe it is seeing the discipline process as punishment instead of seeing it as an educational process. The current management philosophy desires… Continue reading Employee Discipline; Punishment or Education
Employment – Buyer’s Market to a Seller’s Market
Are you struggling to find qualified candidates for your open positions? Do you know anyone else with the same problem? Have you noticed everywhere you look you see “Help Wanted” or “We Are Hiring” signs? The employment world has changed from a “Buyer’s Market” to a “Seller’s Market”. Candidates can find opportunities much easier today… Continue reading Employment – Buyer’s Market to a Seller’s Market
Building a Bridge to Our Future Workforce
I am seeing a new warning sign in finding candidates for employment in our organizations’ in the near future. There is a widening gap between the knowledge and skills of people that are looking for work have compared to the knowledge and skills needed in our workforce of the future. I read a book a… Continue reading Building a Bridge to Our Future Workforce
Employees are People
Employees are People, not just Resources. Some managers say people are their greatest resource, but they only see the employee as an engineer or an accountant; not the whole person with additional strengths and desires. We typically only see what is on the surface. Looking at an iceberg, we see there is more below sea… Continue reading Employees are People
The Value of Internships
There are multiple reasons why I believe every organization needs to have a thriving internship program. Here are a few. An internship program is the best interviewing program I have ever found. It is actually a four month interview. Using a designed internship development system, you can discover in the first few weeks if they… Continue reading The Value of Internships
Communication Styles – Tellers, Teachers and Mentors
Communication is interesting. I have come to realize that there are multiple ways of passing information. Choosing the right style has a lot to do with the purpose. If the communicator chooses the wrong style the communication may fail. The first style I call “Tellers”. Think of a speaker addressing an audience. It is one-way… Continue reading Communication Styles – Tellers, Teachers and Mentors
Planning for Your Staff of the Future
I believe most organizations struggle in the area of staff planning because they look at the situations that effect staffing as static. They believe their business will keep doing the same things they are currently doing and in the same processes they do it, they are going to grow at a steady pace annually, therefore… Continue reading Planning for Your Staff of the Future
Millennials Are Not Job Hoppers
The other day I read a statement from Gallup that said Millennials are job hoppers. I do believe this generation of people has been changing jobs more frequently than my generation did, the Baby Boomers, but I struggle with statements made from a surface level. Having been around recruiting and employee retention for a few… Continue reading Millennials Are Not Job Hoppers
Ignoring Your Key Employees
Over my career, in multiple organizations, I have noticed a tendency to pay little attention to key employees because they are so good at what they do. I am not suggesting we need to micro-manage these people. I am however concerned about the almost lack-luster communication that happens about the value of and the future… Continue reading Ignoring Your Key Employees
Free Money is Killing our Economy
The concept of students loans, let me give you “free” money now and don’t pay until you graduate, is at a minimum setting our young people up to carry a heavy debt load and in the worst case will become such a burden on them they will not be able to become the consumers the… Continue reading Free Money is Killing our Economy
Apprenticeships, a New/ Old Thing
Apprenticeships are making a comeback. In this employment market where it is more and more difficult to find candidates with the skill sets you need to fill positions, I see organizations slowly adapting to the old way; teach someone with the right attitude the skills you need them to have in your particular environment. In… Continue reading Apprenticeships, a New/ Old Thing
Being an Employer of Choice
I have been involved in the hiring process for over 30 years. I have managed small departments ranging from a staff of 2 or 3 to having been the Plant Manager of a company with 3 facilities and 150 employees. I have managed in union and non-union environments. In all that time and experience I… Continue reading Being an Employer of Choice
Hiring and Keeping Great Employees
Remember- Employees are the only asset a company has that appreciates; all other assets depreciate. Your people are worth the effort up front. Below are questions you should answer before you start looking for candidates. How do you attract candidates? Candidate attraction demands a strategy. Do you have one? Have you done a SWOT analysis… Continue reading Hiring and Keeping Great Employees
Christian Life Coach 