Throwing cold water on the idea There is a definite disconnect in many offices where Baby Boomers conflict with Generation X’s trying new ideas.

In one office a stubborn baby boomer had a reputation for being negative.

“Why does he always throw cold water on our ideas?” asked one of the Gen Xers of his peers.

“Cold water naturally occurs when hot air comes in contact with thin ice,” replied another.

The group then decided they need to do a better job thinking things through before presenting the boomer with an idea.

Labels: Anecdote, Attitude, Generation

  ¶ 10/31/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Halloween at Southwest Airlines So, tomorrow is Halloween. What is going on at your office? Here is how they observed the ghoulish day last year at Southwest Airlines.

Labels: Attitude, Video

  ¶ 10/30/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  What is a 5 percent increase in retention worth?

1. Level of compensation is the most important factor in job satisfaction.


2. Self-esteem produced by the workplace ranks very highly in determining satisfaction.


3. Match between employee occupational interest and job requirements does not count for much in measurements of satisfaction.


4. Flexible work times rank low on the overall scheme of job satisfaction.

Labels: Employee_Retention, Retention

  ¶ 10/29/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Manager or Leader Drive down Main Street in Anytown, USA and you’ll see gas stations, restaurants, supermarkets, banks and various office buildings. For each of these entities, there is a single person who is ultimately responsible—a person who is in charge. Are these leaders or are they just people in charge? Is there a difference?

Scholar and author, Warren Bennis, is regarded as an expert in this area. In fact, he could be called THE leading expert. Bennis has written more than 27 books on the subject of leadership, served on the faculties of Harvard, Boston University and USC, advised four US presidents and consulted for many Fortune 500 companies. In 1996, Forbes magazine called him the, “dean of leadership gurus,” and in 2000, The Financial Times referred to him as, “the professor who established leadership as a respectable academic field.”

Bennis has studied leadership from just about every angle imaginable. In the course of his studies, Bennis has found very distinct differences between those who are truly leaders and those who are merely in charge. For purposes of differentiation, he calls the first group Leaders and the second group Managers.

In his 1989 book, Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader Bennis drew 12 distinctions between Managers and Leaders:

Click here to read more.

Labels: Books, Leadership

  ¶ 10/28/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  The lawyer and his expensive cigars After purchasing a box of very rare and expensive cigars the lawyer immediately insured them, fearful a client might steal them.

After each client left his office, the attorney checked to ensure the box was still there. Unfortunately eyeing the cigars so frequently caused his self-control to disappear and he began smoking them. Although initially he thought he could smoke just one, before long the entire box was gone.

After seeing what he had done he filed a claim with the insurance company. The agent taking the claim asked if they were stolen. Knowing the punishment for perjury, the attorney confided the cigars had been destroyed in a series of small fires.

Recognizing what had happened, the insurer refused his claim.

The attorney sued – and won his case to the tune of $10,000!

He was arrested within days of cashing his settlement check.

Click here to find out why he was arrested and what happened to the attorney.

Labels: Anecdote, Reputation, Strategy

  ¶ 10/27/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Keeping a Diversity Scorecard “The Diversity Scorecard” is designed to provide step-by-step instructions, worksheets and examples to help diversity executives and managers analyze and track the impact of their diversity initiatives to mobilize the organization for strategic culture change. Diversity is not a program; it is a systemic process of organizational change that requires measurement for organizational improvement and success.

Measuring the progress and results of diversity initiatives is a key strategic requirement to demonstrate its contribution to organizational performance. Diversity executives, professionals and managers know they must begin to show how diversity is linked to the bottom-line in hard numbers or they will have difficulty maintaining funds, gaining support, and obtaining resources to generate progress.

Many organizations collect some type of diversity-related data today, even if it focuses only on Affirmative Action statistics. "The Diversity Scorecard" The Diversity Scorecard: Evaluating the Impact of Diversity on Organizational Performance (Improving Human Performance) focuses on tools and techniques to make sure diversity professionals are collecting and measuring the right type of data that will help ensure the organization’s success both now and in the future. This book helps the reader spend some time thinking about what they currently measure and adding new measures to a database to track progress towards their diversity vision. The basic premises of this book are that it is important to develop measures that focus on the past, present, and future; and that measures need to consider the needs of the organization’s diverse workforce, its work climate, diverse customers, the community, and shareholders.

Labels: Books, Diversity

  ¶ 10/26/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Spotlighting Team Leaders Judith B. Redd, a 19-year employee with JPS Health Network, is executive director of JPS Institute for Learning in Fort Worth. The Institute is using the ProfileXT™ to measure leadership bench strength and to help identify people who can lead organization-wide teams.

Q. What does the JPS Institute for Learning do?
A. JPS Institute for Learning is the strategic foundation for building a learning organizational culture at JPS. We provide continuing education and learning for 4,000 plus employees, physicians, students, contractors and volunteers in the JPS workforce. We also develop and implement organizational development initiatives and manage career development programs.

To continue reading this success story, click here.

Labels: Assessments, Case_Study, Leadership

  ¶ 10/25/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Not on my watch A young boy was standing at the gate of his father’s farm when suddenly a hunting party approached.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the boy said to the obvious leader of the hunters, “my father told me not to let anyone in.”

“Do you know who I am?” asked the man.

“No, sir.”

“I am the Duke of Wellington.”

The boy took off his hat an appropriately bowed to the royalty.

“Surely, the Duke of Wellington will not ask me to open the gate against my father’s orders,” the boy said as he moved in front of the gateway.

At that point the Duke took off his own hat and tipped it to the boy, “I honor the boy who is faithful to his duty.”

The hunting party then went around the farmland.

Life Lesson: Obedient people are often respected people.

Labels: Anecdote, Ethics

  ¶ 10/24/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Leadership inspiration Here is a leadership training video featuring quotes from people who have made an incredible impact on the people around them and the world in general. It was produced by Marton House, a United Kingdom training company.

Labels: Leadership, Video

  ¶ 10/23/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  The not-so-exchangeable employees Two employees at a local grocery store were very good at their jobs.

Ray was the fastest cashier they had in the store, setting all sorts of scan-per-hour, customer count, and accuracy records. When the store was slow Ray would help stock the displays at the checkouts with amazing speed, never putting the wrong item in the wrong position.

Likewise Dan was a marvel in the produce department. He kept the fruit and vegetables rotated and made sure there was never a withered leaf of lettuce of peach with an age spot.

One day the manager decided they needed to cross-train all employees. Dan and Ray were both excited about learning new things and, knowing the other was an outstanding worker, decided to exchange places for cross-training purposes.

It was decided they would both spend a week doing the other person’s job.

After a few days, though, both employees were sitting individually in front of the manager ready to quit.

Both had a different reason. Can you guess why? Click here to find out.

Labels: Anecdote, Attitude

  ¶ 10/22/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  “I can manage better, but I don’t want to” Only 40 percent of employees feel they can do a better job as leader than their boss according to a recent survey from Robert Half’s OfficeTeam. The same survey also discovered more than 3 of 4 (77 percent) have no desire to fill their supervisor’s shoes.

This means the 31 of the 40 per hundred say they do not want to take over even though their organization would be better off – at least in their eyes.

Labels: Attitude, Survey

  ¶ 10/21/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  President Taft’s pants Legend has it that President Taft once held a Washington reception for important members of the military, government officials, and leading Washingtonians.

As was customary, a reception line formed when the President entered the room.

The president’s tailor was quite surprised by the President. As Taft shook his hand he said, “You look familiar to me I’m having trouble placing you.”

“Mr. President,” said the tailor, “I made your pants.”

“Oh, yes, yes, why how do you do Major Pants?” said Taft.

Life Lesson: The matter how successful you are it’s embarrassing when you don’t know who works for you.

Labels: Anecdote, Communication, Leadership

  ¶ 10/20/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Joe the Plummer

• Leaders listen intently and calmly. Hear what the person is saying and quietly empathize with any questions emotional underpins.


• Leaders never discredit a question. When you are asked a question in front of others, treat the question as genuine and well-meant.


• Leaders never attack the questioner. To attack the person asking the question only gives fodder to those in other power pyramids as they seek to discredit you.


• Leaders never retaliate against the questioner. After the meeting during which an embarrassing or improper question has been asked, never seek to find ways to criticize the interrogator. It is petty and ultimately makes you look overly defensive or as one who is trying to evade the importance of the feelings behind the question.

Labels: Leadership, Meetings

  ¶ 10/19/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Building Leadership at DMJM Harris DMJM Harris, the transportation flagship company of AECOM Technology Corporation, specializes in services that include transit-rail, highways and bridges, aviation, marine, planning, energy and power, and design and construct. With headquarters in New York and Los Angeles, it has more than 2,200 employees in the United States.

Labels: Assessments, Case_Study, Leadership

  ¶ 10/18/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  The frustrated owner The store owner was so frustrated that sales and profits were down he decided to tour the facility in hopes of finding a way to cut costs.

Near the back door he spied a young man leaning against a stack of boxes whistling cheerfully. The owner thought it dreadful to pay someone to be so lazy. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a 50 dollar bill.

“Here, take this and get out of here,” he commanded. The young man grabbed the money and immediately left.

As he got to the door to reenter the sales floor the receiving manager approached.

“I just fired that stock clerk of yours for slacking off on company time,” the owner told the manager.

“Sir, that was not one of my guys, he works for the delivery company.”

Life Lesson: Hasty decisions are often bad decisions.

Labels: Anecdote, Decision_Making

  ¶ 10/17/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Teamwork pedals success What can two young girls teach us about teamwork? Here is a video to answer this question. As you will see, teamwork only reaches success if the team players are willing to stick with the team concept long enough. Then it is hard to stop!

Labels: Teamwork, Video

  ¶ 10/16/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  What is Performance Management? A well-known company that opens its doors to the public every day recognizes its employees for good performance by prominently placing their photographs in the lobby display case. Each photograph is accompanied by a biography of the employee. The employee also receives an extra paid day off, a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant and a convenient reserved parking place for the month.

This reward system exemplifies one of the four crucial building blocks of performance management that is effective in combining recognition and reward, although it is too often overlooked. Other elements in the system of managing individual performance are just as essential. If any one block is omitted or neglected, it has the same effect as an architect leaving out a key step in the construction of a building: It will not be as sturdy.

The four key strategies important to managing performance are planning, monitoring and feedback, development and reward/recognition. Let’s examine how you can set each of these building blocks in place.

To continue reading, click here.

Labels: Productivity, Retention

  ¶ 10/15/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Connecting employees Are your employees connected to the vision of your organization? Several decades ago Gallup identified areas that indicate the connectivity an associates feels toward their employer. They survey using 12 questions:

• Do you know what is expected of you at work?


• Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right?


• At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?


• In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?


• Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?


• Is there someone at work who encourages your development?


• At work, do your opinions seem to count?


• Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?


• Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work?


• Do you have a best friend at work?


• In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?


• In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

Labels: Attitude, Productivity, Retention

  ¶ 10/14/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  The tricky patient When his employer changed insurance plans, John was going to forced to go to Dr. Reddy, the only physician taking the new insurance plan. But John loved his present doctor so contrived a plan to discredit Dr. Reddy. John thought that once Dr. Reddy was unable to solve his illness the insurance company would have to let him go back to his old doctor.

One day John went to Dr. Reddy to report he had completely lost his sense of taste.

“Oh, that’s too bad,” said Dr. Reddy, surmising John was not on the level.

Dr. Reddy called out to Nurse Smith who was standing in the hallway.

“Could you bring me one of those samples of Tastitol (pronounced taste it all) the salesman left this morning?”

Soon Nurse Smith handed John the bottle. Taking off the top John took one bug swig of the liquid.

“Yuck!” John yelled, spitting it out. “This is horrible.”

“It may be,” said Dr. Reddy, “but it seems we’ve restored your taste.”

Several weeks later, John decided to make another attempt to trick Dr. Reddy.

"Doctor," he started, "I think I have amnesia. I can't remember anything other than my name. Can you help me?"

“I’m not sure,” Dr. Reddy announced. “I do not have much experience with memory loss and it is pretty serious. I may need to give you a referral.”

As Dr. Reddy reached for a writing pad John rejoiced inwardly anticipating he was getting a referral to see his old doctor.

When Dr. Reddy handed the paper to John, John let out a yell, threw the paper on the floor, and ran from the examining room.

To find out why, click here.

Labels: Anecdote, Ethics, Reputation

  ¶ 10/13/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Launching a Leadership Revolution Have you ever considered what is represented by the dash on a tombstone between the birth and death dates? Here is a book, Launching a Leadership Revolution: Mastering the Five Levels of Influence, that challenges people to fill that dash with a leadership revolution.

Labels: Books, Leadership

  ¶ 10/12/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Medical Lab’s Strategic Hiring System Trims First-Year Failures Like many such operations, a mid-sized medical laboratory that employs over 400 people, relies heavily on students to fill skilled entry level positions (phlebotomist, specimen processor, etc.) As a result, they expect a higher turnover in these positions, as students matriculate and leave for other pursuits. Before embarking on a strategic hiring program, however, their first-year failure rates for all hires ran a steady 33 percent, a number they deemed undesirably high and costly.

Partially through fiscal 2004, the laboratory initiated an assessment program, screening all new hires with the Step One Survey II™, and began developing ProfileXT™ success patterns for their most critical job categories. By FY 2005, the program was well-developed, and ProfileXT™ patterns were in use for a majority of their hires.

Labels: Assessments, Case_Study

  ¶ 10/11/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Reputation Having a powerful reputation can be a real asset as famed ventriloquist Edgar Bergen once learned. Upon his arrival at the White House to perform for the president, Bergen was stopped by the guards at the White House gate. They demanded identification.

Bergen fumbled through his pockets but could find nothing to properly identify him.

After confirming it would be acceptable to have someone else identify him Bergen opened the car’s trunk. Guards watched as Bergen reached into a suitcase to pull out his wooden dummy, Charlie McCarthy. Bergen sat Charlie up and, nodding the dummy’s head said “Yes sir, He’s Edgar Bergen”.

The guards immediately let him in.

Life Lesson #1: The “dummy” on the front line is generally more recognizable than the genius behind them.
Life Lesson #2: Without the “dummy” on the front line we cannot get to where we need to go.

Labels: Anecdote, Ethics

  ¶ 10/10/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Video explains how to eliminate stress Stress is taking it’s toll in the life of professionals thanks to the demand for fast-paced actions, constant communication through email, texting, and cell phones, and multitasking. Here is a video from the 1970s television program “Taxi” that inadvertently delivers a pertinent message for stressed individuals – “slow down”.

Labels: Stress, Video

  ¶ 10/09/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Hiring in North America: Why Are We So Often Wrong? Traditional methods of hiring in North American business are inherently flawed. They tend to provide hiring decision-makers with flawed and unreliable information from a variety of sources. This information is then processed in an equally flawed and unreliable decision process, leading to a decision that, statistically, is not based on anything that reliably predicts success in a job.

To continue reading, click here.

Labels: Hiring, Survey

  ¶ 10/08/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Top 10 generational clash points According to “When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work” the top 10 areas in which generations collide are:

• Recruitment
• Career Goals
• Rewards
• Balance
• Communication
• Knowledge Share
• Training
• Feedback
• Retention
• Retirement

Labels: Books, Culture, Generation

  ¶ 10/07/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Cultural beginnings of male managers

Labels: Culture, Leadership

  ¶ 10/06/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  The dejected debtor A manager was trying to help an employee that was dejected because he was delinquent on his bills.

“I haven’t paid on my debt in three months,” he cried in hope of comforting words.

“Certainly there must be something good in your life to be thankful for – think about that,” the minister recommended.

“I am so far in debt I can’t think of anything, sir,” the man stated. “Help me. Do you know of anything I can be thankful for?”

“Certainly,” said the manager, “be thankful you are not one of your creditors.”

Life Lesson: There is always something to be thankful for.

Labels: Anecdote

  ¶ 10/03/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Leading by example Here is a short video from Sidney Crosby, team captain of the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins. In it he shares the importance of leadership by example.

Labels: Leadership, Video

  ¶ 10/02/2008 0 Comments Links to this post

  Square pegs, round holes Have you ever hired a new sales team member who didn’t work out as you expected? It’s as if you tried to stick a square peg into a round hole. It just doesn’t fit. In the same way, the new sales employee might not be a good match for that position.

Not everyone has what it takes to succeed in sales. Sometimes people who excel in other areas just do not fit well in sales. The reason is simple: To thrive in sales, certain key attributes are necessary. These include competitiveness, reliance on self, persistence, energy level and sales drive. In addition, seven important behaviors affect sales performance: prospecting, closing, call reluctance, self-starting ability, teamwork, building and maintaining relationships and compensation preference.

The Profiles Sales Indicator™ measures all of these and produces easy-to-understand reports that show how closely the candidate matches the position. This assessment takes only minutes and can be customized by company, sales position, department, manager, geography or any combination of these. You receive the percentage of job match so you can determine the candidate’s potential to do well in the position.

The Sales Indicator™ also works well as a training guide for your current sales people.

Getting the right peg to fit in the right place the first time makes sense. Achieving a good job match means success for both the employee and your company.

Labels: Assessments, Case_Study, Sales

  ¶ 10/01/2008 0 Comments Links to this post