In The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy and her friends set off on that yellow brick road, they needed three things to succeed: a heart, a brain and courage. Most of the time, when people think of emotional intelligence, they think only of heart. They think heart = empathy, compassion and kindness. But emotionally intelligent leaders who are full of heart possess more than just … [More]
How to Halt the Tide of Environmental Decline that Threatens the Viability of Our Modern World
This question haunts everyone who cares about the world our grandchildren will inherit. Older readers will remember how it was just half a century ago — vibrant and thriving. In the post-war economic boom, governments were oblivious to the slippery slope ahead, the warnings of respected ecologists left unheeded. In due course, this generation will pass on, and, like those who … [More]
A Corporation’s Biggest Threat Is Its Leaders
Most organizations and leaders say they want to empower people to contribute at their fullest capacity. But most leaders are never taught how to do that. Those who started their corporate careers 20 years ago or more were given a formula for success by their bosses: Do these 10 actions to drive these 20 outcome; multiply those actions and outcomes across a department, and … [More]
Performance Review: Useless Procedure?
Evidence from a recent survey by Gallup and others has found that two-thirds of organizations feel their performance reviews are not effective. Described as “subjective and highly ambiguous,” performance reviews can be a very impactful tool when used appropriately, but, as this research shows, most companies say they are falling short of the mark. As a response, some … [More]
Have the Best Benefits Open Enrollment Ever
Open enrollment can be a stressful time for employees and HR professionals alike. Educating employees on how their choices will affect them and their families is important when it comes to making decisions like how much to contribute to a 401K, or if a high deductible health plan is the best option. To help your company have a successful open enrollment, I’m sharing some of my … [More]
What Business Owners Should Know about Lobbying
What do you picture when you think of a lobbyist? Perhaps an older gentleman, with a slick suit, power walking down a marble hallway in Washington, D.C., flanked by a team of big-money corporate executives congratulating each other on the deal they made on the golf course? Most people have a Hollywood idea of what lobbyists do; they have no idea what the day-to-day work of a … [More]
Solve Problems from the Root
Juggling the demands of clients, suppliers, family – it’s easy to take the path of least resistance. It’s easier to not ask the hard questions and quickly “assume” what is needed. We may be surprised, however, if we ask more questions. And the result may go much further than the immediate sale or solution. As a business owner in a highly competitive industry, I am always … [More]
Networking Is for Introverts
Why do we have a visceral reaction to the word “networking”? I often hear the mental machinations that hold us back, like, “I have nothing to say” or “They don’t want to talk to me.” The other roadblock is how it feels — yucky! I have heard people refer to networking as manipulation, pasting on a smile, schmoozing (which sounds like “oozing,” which makes me think of an open … [More]
Negotiation: How to Defuse Tension and Mistrust
Most entrepreneurs enter a negotiation thinking they will be successful and are surprised when they fail to reach an agreement. We have found that, in order to negotiate productively, entrepreneurs or their agents need to learn how to defuse tension and mistrust right from the beginning. Implementing the following actions can be highly effective: Defuse Tension before It … [More]
Age and Workforce: Valuing Experienced Workers
The demographics of an aging population are well-known, although you might not remember the numbers. The Census Bureau forecasts that individuals 65 years and older will account for more than 21 percent of the U.S. population in 2030, up from 15 percent in 2016. Census also expects that the number of people over 65 years of age will outnumber children under age 18 for the first … [More]
Personal Reputation Audit
I speak with leaders and entrepreneurs on a regular basis about the power, value and need to proactively manage our reputations. In those discussions, I’ve heard responses like, “Reputations are important, and it seems like something I should keep an eye on, but it’s not very tangible to me.” In other words, it seems like a soft skill. But nothing could be further from the … [More]
Transform from Rust-Belt to High-Tech
Many rust-belt company CEOs blame their company’s failure on everything under the sun: automation, offshore labor, AI and even their own employees. What these CEOs don’t realize is, the No. 1 reason their company failed had to do with themselves — they decided to live in “happy land” and live off the successes of yesterday. They chose to ignore the margins and new technology; … [More]
Five Ways to Cultivate Innovation and Problem Solving
Automation is a great way to drive costs out of operating a business and free up time for the humans to do what humans do best: think strategically and solve problems. But it’s not possible to just flip a switch and turn on the problem-solving gene in employees who’ve never been asked to think critically before or, worse, have been discouraged from speaking up. Here are … [More]
Brands Under Fire
Nike. Starbucks. Patagonia. Nordstrom. Uber. Budweiser. Pepsi. NFL. What do these brands have in common? They’ve all been at the center of a firestorm of social and political controversy, poster children for the risks brands face today as they sit squarely in the crosshairs of a politicized marketplace. The news seems to carry a new story every day of another brand … [More]
From Customer Service Mishap to Opportunity
A couple of months ago, Frontier Airlines provided us with a brilliant case study on the importance of customer experience. It’s a great example of how one simple customer service failure can have serious consequences in the form of a social media maelstrom. It began when poor weather conditions caused Flight 1756 from Des Moines to Orlando to be diverted to Atlanta on July … [More]
ROI: Return on Involvement
Imagine this conversation between two shoppers at a car dealership: Consumer #1: “I want the one I read about in the latest issue of Car and Driver magazine: It has a six-cylinder turbo engine, a double-clutch transmission, a 90 strokebore, and 10:1 compression ratio.” Consumer #2: “I want a red one.” Obviously, these two people differ quite a bit in terms of their … [More]
Tackle the Pain of Business Change
Forget what they say about love. It’s change that hurts. Corporate leaders say it is the biggest challenge they’re facing today. Constant change makes it difficult to remain relevant and to create value for customers. What is worse is that most people don’t know how to manage the changes they believe are essential for their business to thrive. Whether it’s introducing a … [More]
Is Technology Costing You Credibility and Influence?
You’re the boss, the leader, the master of business; yet your team is becoming increasingly frustrated with your over use of technology in the workplace. Employees cannot express how your behavior is challenging their willingness to act upon what you say. Influence is essential to running a successful organization and can be earned only through the development of trust, … [More]
