Case Study – Deplaning Delta Air Lines in Detroit
What do you get when you combine a New Year's holiday flight, Delta Air Lines, and a tight Detroit connection? Gate agents yelling at pilots publicly, questionable security and safety standards, needless threats... and what I hope will be one excellent management case study on what happens when our employees get stressed, lose perspective, and literally no one is in control. A hazard of my profession is that I see exceptional service often - … Read More...
Can Anyone Innovate? How to Build an Innovator
Since when is everyone an innovator? Not just every company, but every employee? Yes, I fully realize that there are different flavors and styles of innovation, some more aggressive than the next. And I also realize that "innovation" is a term for whichever process you subscribe to by which you will bring about new outcomes, and can be taught. These factors do mean there is wide opportunity for a variety of people to participate in creating … Read More...
Six Ways to Improve Signal-to-Noise with Roundtables
Our thirst for information is far outpacing our growth in need for money. If you’ve had business success, you already know access to information is critical, so this may not surprise you. But according to U.C. San Diego’s ongoing “How Much Information?” study, the average American’s daily consumption of data – things like phone calls, emails, videos, television shows, tweets, songs, even books, magazines, papers and the like – has … Read More...
Featured Performance Management
Six Ways to Improve Signal-to-Noise with Roundtables
Our thirst for information is far outpacing our growth in need for money. If you’ve had business success, you already know access to information is critical, so this may not surprise you. But according to U.C. San Diego’s ongoing “How Much Information?” study, the average American’s daily consumption of … [Read More...]
Firm But Fair
Lead for any length of time, and you will have an employee interaction or two that haunts you. One of mine involved a defiant worker who outright lied about her actions. Inventory tracking systems logged who accessed valuable company resources by badge and pass code. When presented with evidence of her … [Read More...]
Five Keys to Overcoming Management Overwork
There’s an especially strong theme coming from owners and their executives: the desire to invest smartly in improving business results. Actually, it’s stronger than that. It’s an awakening to the absolute fact that “business as normal” is simply not okay. It’s not okay to struggle and kick and scream and … [Read More...]
The Leadership Rabbit Hole
Recently, I had the dubious honor to work with a senior executive who just doesn’t get it. Rodney was V.P. of Marketing for a leading manufacturer of networking technology. (Or so we’ll say – substitute the leader, politician, or other important person of your choice.) As such, it is Rodney’s job to … [Read More...]
Featured Reboot Potential
Case Study – Deplaning Delta Air Lines in Detroit
What do you get when you combine a New Year's holiday flight, Delta Air Lines, and a tight Detroit connection? Gate agents yelling at pilots publicly, questionable security and safety standards, needless threats... and what I hope will be … [Read More...]
Break All the Rules: Business Lessons from MasterChef
I have to admit I have this love/hate, moth-to-the flame relationship with reality TV: I resent that it's the nearly the only thing made any more, and yet I keep getting drawn back in. But what really fascinates me is when, like last … [Read More...]
How to Grow Your Business
We're drawing closer to fall which for my business tends to be a busy time - a time of renewal as business owners and managers get back from summer vacations... and begin looking forward to Christmas vacation. I really got stuck on the … [Read More...]
Featured People & Process
Can Anyone Innovate? How to Build an Innovator
Since when is everyone an innovator? Not just every company, but every employee? Yes, I fully realize that there are different flavors and styles of innovation, some more aggressive than the next. And I also realize that "innovation" … [Read More...]
Getting Engaged – Three Simple Cures for Employee Engagement
When Doug Fabick became the 4th generation owner of Fenton, MO-based Fabick CAT, a Caterpillar Tractor dealership, his father left him with one key piece of advice, “Build your team.” According to a Gallup Organization case study, … [Read More...]
The Difference Between Business Plans and Strategic Plans
Question: What’s the difference between a business plan and strategic planning? Answer: To some, there’s no difference, and both play a critical role. But to me, it’s a difference in focus between planning and action and … [Read More...]
