Not long after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a shift to remote work, the internet security research firm Twingate conducted a national survey to find out what workers missed most about going to the office. Heading the list: “Social connections,” followed closely by “human contact in general.” Those answers aren’t surprising to Phil Kelley Jr., author of Presence and … [More]
Why Businesses Shouldn’t Lower Their Standards when Hiring Salespeople
As the economy (finally) heats up, hiring managers are desperately trying to fill sales openings. Faced with stiff competition for a small pool of applicants, they might be tempted to compromise on the quality of new hires. It’s easy to rationalize: Thanks to the pandemic, the nature of sales has changed. The role is less forward-facing than it used to be, and anyone can give a … [More]
Employee Woes: Move Over Winter Blahs, Make Way for Worker Boredom
A recent poll by talent solutions firm Robert Half shows 33% of professionals feel bored — a lack of interest in their job and disengaged — more than half their workday. Of those, 20% want a new job and may have one foot out the door. A separate Robert Half survey of more than 2,400 U.S. workers shows one in five respondents (20%) feel less engaged on the job than a year … [More]
Difficult Decisions
Countless tools and frameworks claim to make decisions objectively and bias-free. But in reality, the defining decisions that leaders face are complex ones with subjective information sources and conflicting courses of action. That’s why the toughest choices are left to the leaders, and that’s why formulas won’t answer them. In Difficult Decisions: How Leaders Make the Right … [More]
Workplace Progress: Who is stepping up diversity?
Interest in diversity, equity and inclusion is arguably a universal in business these days. But there is no universal one-size-fits-all DEI program.Businesses may be tempted to apply to their own operations programs they’ve seen be effective in other organizations. But, as Joel (JP) Martin, Ph.D., emphasizes, “Each program is organic.” Speaking from her two decades’ experience … [More]
Don’t Let Metrics Myopia Drive Away Your Talent
“Employee engagement” has been a boardroom buzzword for quite some time. We’ve long known engagement matters. Still, the unspoken “but” has always been that metrics — especially those of the performance and financial ilk — matter more. Now, with the talent shortage at a 10-year high, according to a 2010 survey by ManpowerGroup, the time is right for a major shift in this … [More]
Dr. Joel (JP) Martin, Positively Powerful™ Triad West, Inc.
DEI. And an additional initial: B. Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are in the forefront of business operations these days — whether it’s because consumers are evidencing concern for supporting it through their spending habits, or because younger generations are making it a point of their choice of where to work, or because business leadership has decided it’s the … [More]
Feedback: February 2022
Question: “Over this past year, what has been the most significant or successful action your company has taken in regard to DEI?” Scott Gruwell President and CEO Courtesy Automotive Group Sector: Retail Since 1955, Courtesy Automotive Group has grown as a family-owned business, digging deep into the communities we serve, hiring and promoting employees from nearby … [More]
You Can Be Yourself Here
Does your company or organization have trouble attracting and retaining people from diverse and underrepresented communities? Does your organizational culture suffer from low morale, exclusive cliques, or microaggressions you don’t know how to address? You Can Be Yourself Here lays out the deep psychology of our need to belong, its critical impact on workplace performance, and … [More]
Cultures of Belonging
This book shows how to bypass the faulty processes and communication styles that make change impossible in so many organizations. Filled with actionable advice Alida Miranda-Wolff learned through her own struggles being an outsider in a work culture that did not value inclusion, and from her work since with more than 60 organizations to prioritize diversity, equity and … [More]
Reinventing the Way We Work
The ongoing pandemic has created a wave of change of epic proportions that has led to the great employment “reset” that the country, and the world, is now experiencing. Workers across various business sectors and age and ethnic groups are rethinking where and when they want to work, or if they want to stay in the workforce at all. Many employees are experiencing a radical … [More]
