Leadership at mighty Volkswagen was embarrassed this past week when the company was caught cheating. The ensuing scandal has forced CEO Martin Winterkorn to resign. To enable its Diesel automobiles to pass rigid U.S. emission control standards without losing any noticeable power, the company has, for years, installed special software to get around the inspection system. […]
Corporate Culture
Amazon Corporate Culture: Sweatshop or Paradise?
The recent article in the New York Times[1] criticizing Amazon’s corporate culture as a “brutal” and cutthroat culture has the business pundits all atwitter. It seems this company that has enjoyed astronomical success in on-line retailing may not be everyone’s idea of a great place to work. Employees are reportedly expected to work up to 16 hours a […]
Culture Of Engagement Requires “Generosity Gene”
I’m presently reading The Real-Life MBA: Your No-BS Guide to Winning the Game, Building a Team, and Growing Your Career by Jack and Suzy Welch.1 So far, it’s chock full of practical suggestions on how to be a great leader in business, including how to push employee engagement up. And given their track records (Jack […]
Tom Selleck’s Lesson For Corporate Culture
Regarding corporate culture, there is a famous quote in Time Magazine from Warren Buffet that goes: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” Never has that quote been more appropriate than in an age where social media can have a huge impact on an employer’s reputation. Do something […]
Nurturing a Productive Corporate Culture
Corporate culture depends on social capital. That’s what was discovered in a study conducted at MIT by Anita Woolley , Thomas W. Malone and Christopher Chabris, the researchers divided 697 volunteer participants into teams of two to five members and gave them various complex tasks to perform and problems to solve. The groups were observed […]
Not My Fault: Nurturing Employee Responsibility
Shun Fugimoto was a perfect example of employee responsibility. “Monteal 1976 – After severely breaking his kneecap during the floor exercise, Japan’s Shun Fugimoto ignored his injury as long as possible, knowing such news could shatter the confidence of his teammates. The injured gymnast continued to the pommel horse routine, miraculously scoring a 9.5 out […]
Leaders Practice Accountability-It Pays In Spades
A couple of weeks ago, I had myself video taped doing a presentation of my new program, “Cultivating Employee Accountability.” I needed a clip to put on my website so potential clients can get a taste of what they would get if they book me to speak or provide training for them. Since I live […]
NINE STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING GENERATION GAPLESS
By Meagan Johnson and her dad Larry Johnson Adapted from their book, Generations, Inc.-From Boomers To Linksters: Managing the Friction Between Generations At Work According to one study, today’s college kids communicate with their parents an average of 13 times a week, which includes phone calls, emails, text messages, and Skype. We call this crop of […]