powered by
Socialbar

Post-Recession Hiring: 4 Laws to Keep One Man’s Trash from Becoming Another Man’s… Trash

Trash Man

There's an old saying that "One man's trash is another man's treasure."  True or not, there's an even wiser saying that "A good recession is a terrible thing to waste!" Consider all the companies you know who have issued "layoffs" over the past several years.  Think through the stories you've heard at dinner parties or around barbeques about how the poorest performers were cut first - the "C" player slough that most employees were amazed still had a job.  Next came marginal contributors, the "B" players … [Read more...]

Can Anyone Innovate? How to Build an Innovator

An Innovative Mind

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 progress through innovation. But I do not for a moment … [Read more...]

Getting Engaged – Three Simple Cures for Employee Engagement

Take simple steps to promote 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, heeding these words netted Doug a 600% return on investment. Research by Gallup shows that most companies are anything but a team. On average, only about 20% of employees are actively engaged, producing 90% of the real progress. Another 60% are disengaged – they may … [Read more...]

The Leadership Rabbit Hole

Lacking accountability and performance? Maybe you're in 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 create demand for his company’s products.  And yet after months of effort, demand had actually decreased, Rodney’s team became alienated, and the company’s performance suffered as a result of his … [Read more...]

Mastering Delegation, The Fire Hose of Productivity

Master delegation and get ready for your productivity to take off.

Sadly, I did not coin the phrase “drinking from the fire hose” – that is, experiencing a pace of productivity so exhilarating and empowering yet potentially overwhelming unless you know how to control it.  Not surprisingly, though, I have a story about delegation that was both exhilarating and involved a fire hose. One of the more colorful jobs I recall from working myself through school was with a Fortune 100 manufacturer of construction equipment.  There, I was assigned to Cecille, the head of … [Read more...]

A Micromanager’s Guide to Trust, Teamwork, and Communication

Trust, teamwork, and communication are key to making accountability happen.

The unavoidable truth is micromanagement makes us feel better and that’s why we do it.  Like the nicotine in a cigarette, it calms the nervous manager, providing information and visibility into situations where it would otherwise be lacking.  We gain our “hit” of easy information, our twitching eases, and we can move on to something else for a while. The problem is that just like the nicotine in cigarettes comes laden with a cadre of things that will kill you, micromanagement too carries a host of … [Read more...]

Finding and Managing Contract Staff

Having a defined process to find, select, and on-board contract staff increases your chance of success.

I remember looking up from my desk as the door to my office opened unexpectedly.  The consultant crucial to one of my anchor client projects entered – pale and slightly jaundiced – and announced as calmly as he could, “I’m going to the hospital.”  That evening he underwent emergency surgery.  Thankfully, he went on to fully recover and return to work… weeks later. Refocusing on my business situation at that moment, my boat was a critical person down and sinking fast.  How would you handle it?  … [Read more...]

Keys to Selecting an Indian Outsourcing Partner

Indian outsourcing isn't for everyone. Is it for you?

Finding someone with an India offshore horror story is a little like trying to find fireworks on the 4th of July (or Diwali, for my Indian friends…).  They’re everywhere. That’s odd, frankly. To believe the mantra of “Brand India,” offshoring buyers get superior East Indian technical training coupled with the best available processes, resulting in far superior results than you can achieve on your own.  “We’re better than you” – that’s supposed to be the value. Something is going … [Read more...]