This posting on Facebook about the future and the changes we will face comes from Udo Gollub, CEO at Messe Berlin. It’s breathtaking how the future will change our lives, our culture, and our world in the next few years. The Future Is Here! In 1998, Kodak had 170,000 employees and sold 85% of all… Read More >>
Radical Honesty = Meritocracy & Success
I just read a fascinating treatise on corporate culture and radical honesty called Principles, written by Ray Dalio. If the name is not familiar to you, he founded and is the co-CEO of Bridgewater Associates. With $152 billion in assets and 1500 employees, it is the world’s largest hedge fund. Dalio started investing when he… 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 >>
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Leadership = Monkey See, Monkey Do
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. To do… 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… 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 >>
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… Read More >>
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… Read More >>
Employees Who Support Your Success Are Made, Not Born: Building a Culture of Employee Loyalty
You might have noticed in the news this past summer the brouhaha at Market Basket, a chain of grocery stores located in New England.Founded in 1917 by Greek immigrant brothers Athanasios (“Arthur”) and Efrosini Demoulas as a small Greek grocery, specializing in lamb, it is now a 72 store chain that stretches from Cape Cod… Read More >>