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 […]
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Job Ownership: It’s The Feeling That Counts
In my seminars for supervisors and middle manager, I often ask the group to list what they think are the most effective motivating factors in the workplace. Invariably, money is mentioned but after some discussion, the group realizes that although money can attract good employees and dissuade them from leaving, unless it’s tied directly to […]
Conflict Management – Check The Facts Before Blaming Others
This past Saturday I learned a thing or two about conflict management. My wife, CJ and I pulled into the parking lot of a local camera store where I was picking up some prints. CJ is wheelchair bound, so we drive a wheelchair ramp van with handicap plates. Unfortunately, the only handicap spot was occupied […]
How Much Time Should a Manager Spend With Her or His Direct Reports?
In my management workshops, I have always encouraged managers to not rely on the annual performance review to give employees feedback on their performance. Let’s face it, having to wait for six, eight or ten months to hear how you screwed up or did well defeats the purpose of the feedback doing anything to change […]
A Culture of Trust Is Good Business
If you’ve ever returned something to Costco, Home Depot, Target, or Nordstrom Department Stores you know that the norm in retailing these days is a “no or few questions asked return policy.” The idea is to make the customer WANT to do business with you by making it as easy as possible to return purchased […]
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 […]
LESSONS FROM BRIAN WILLIAMS ON BUILDING A TEAM CULTURE OF HONESTY AND INTEGRITY
Last week, we learned that the NBC anchor person Brian Williams lied in 2003 about his involvement in a Gulf War helicopter raid, saying that he’d been riding in a Chinook Helicopter that was hit by an RPG fired by Iraqi ground troops. It turns out that he was in a helicopter that night, but […]
The Value of a Customer – What Every Employee Should Know
In 1991, my family and I moved to a new neighborhood. On moving day, the professionals moved the furniture while my wife, daughter and I made several trips in separate cars, transferring the smaller items. As I completed the last trip for the evening, frazzled and ready for bed, I noticed my gas gauge showed […]