Most of us are familiar with the role of canaries in coal mines of the past. The miners kept them in cages to warn of lethal gas buildups before the gas poisoned the miners or exploded. If the gas level got too high, the canary would die, telling the miners it was time to exit […]
Blog
The Kumbaya Syndrome
By Larry Johnson & Bob Phillips (This blog was adapted from Larry and Bob’s book, Absolute Honesty: Building A Corporate Culture That Values Straight Talk And Rewards Integrity, (AMACOM Books) While demonstrating a rapid assent procedure for some VIP civilians off the coast of Hawaii, the nuclear submarine USS Greenville collided with the Ehime Maru, […]
The Linkster Generation
By Meagan Johnson and Larry Johnson We call the generation born after 1994 as Generation Linkster, so called because no other generation has ever been so linked to each other and to the world through technology. They are currently in their teens and preteens. There are approximately 20 million Linksters in the United States and […]
The Joys of Managing Generation Y
By Meagan Johnson and Larry Johnson Adapted from their book: Generations Inc. – From Boomers To Linksters, Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work. (AMACOM Books, 2010) Steve is a Gen Xer who manages an office supply store and supervises a group of 10 Gen Yers. Steve was just visited by the parents of one […]
GET A JOB! Nine things every college graduate should know to find a job in 2010
Meagan and I were speaking about our new book, Generations Inc. – From Boomers To Linksters, Managing the Friction Between Generations At Work at Gannon University in Erie, PA recently when a student asked us about the daunting job market she was facing when she graduates this year. It inspired Meagan to write an article […]
Treat Them Right and They’ll Treat You Right – Happy Employees = Great Chili and Loyal Customers
I recently conducted a leadership retreat for a client in Santa Fe, New Mexico, one of my favorite towns. As usual, I made a bee line to Tia Sophia , which has been my favorite purveyor of Northern New Mexican food since I first visited there 15 years ago. (Northern New Mexican is quite different […]
How To Be A Great Boss Questions & Answers
After a recent broadcast of my tele-seminar, How To Be A Great Boss, I received some questions that I suspect have application to most managers. Here are those questions and my answers. If you have other ideas for responding to these questions, I would love to hear them in the comments section of this blog […]
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE REAL HEROES OF HEALTHCARE
by Larry Johnson While President Obama and the congress debate healthcare reform, not much has been said about the dedicated people who work in healthcare and the incredible differences they can make in the lives of their customers. During a bicycling vacation through Napa Valley in 2003, CJ, my wife of 34 years was involved […]
Employees From Hell: Sometimes We Accidentally Create Our Own
Early in my career, I was working for a government institution, and was assigned a new manager. We didn’t know each other except by reputation. We were as different as dirt and water. I had long hair and a beard; he was clean-shaven and sported a crew-cut. My politics were liberal; he was a Nixon […]
Eight Steps For Productive Meetings
1. Determine the purpose. People are quick to judge something as stupid if it wastes their time. Holding a Friday afternoon meeting every Friday because it’s Friday is stupid. Having a clear purpose for the meeting that contributes to everyone’s success is smart. 2. Consider alternatives to meetings. Can the purpose be accomplished equally well […]
