Fortune Magazine recently released its annual 100 Best Companies To Work For edition. The usual suspects were again at the top of the list: Google, ACUITY Insurance Company, Boston Consulting Group, Quicken Loans. I couldn’t help noticing that those organizations are primarily office work. I was curious if there were any traditional manufacturing organizations. You… Read More >>
Open Door Policy = A Lame Excuse for Cultivating Honesty
In an insightful article in the January-February 2016 issue of the Harvard Business Review titled, “Can Your Employees Really Speak Freely?”(1) authors James R. Detert and Ethan R. Burrus discuss the importance of leaders maintaining a culture of honesty so they can get the feedback they need to know what’s going on in their organizations. They… Read More >>
Kentucky Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)
As a professional speaker, I can’t believe how blessed I am to stand in front of an audience, flap my lips and get paid for it. But nothing beats presenting with my daughter Meagan Johnson like on September 24 when we presented at the 31st Annual SHRM Conference in Louisville. I am truly a lucky… Read More >>
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… Read More >>
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… Read More >>
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… Read More >>