When you fly, do you actually pay attention to the airline safety announcement? Neither do I. These FFA mandated announcements are, for the most part, monotonous, mundane, and insulting to the intelligence of anyone with a fifth grade education. Instructing passengers on how to fasten their seat belt by inserting the end with the clip…
A customer service manager of a regional banking chain recently told me about a challenge her managers were having in getting young tellers to handle incoming calls when they were assigned phone duty. “It’s astounding how many will answer our business line by just saying ‘Hello’ or ‘Yo. Wat up? This is Monique.’ It’s almost…
If you woke up today and discovered that you had won millions in last evening’s lottery drawing, would you still work? Always a great conversation starter, the number of Americans responding ‘yes’ has declined from over 80% in 1955 to 66% in recent years according to Psychology Today. So what happens when there are people…
It doesn’t take a mechanical engineer to understand why a stool needs at least three legs to fully support and balance even the slightest weight. When trying to support and balance the challenging workplace relationship between your business and your young hires, consider the advantages of inviting their parents into the employment picture as the…
One of the very best leadership speakers and authors on the planet just happens to be one of my closest friends, Mark Sanborn. His renowned book The Fred Factor has sold more than two million copies worldwide and has become the corporate bible for many companies and organizations. I asked Mark to share his thoughts…
Michele Klein, HR Manager for Fidelity Exploration and Production (a large player in the booming oil and gas industry) was doing an exit interview with an engineer who was leaving to take a similar job with a competitor. As her final question, she asked, “If we had known that you were thinking about leaving several…
“…but he interviewed so well!” the frustrated manager lamented at a leadership conference I presented for last week. “He was so sharp…so prepared. I thought he’d be a great fit. But when he came in for training, he was like a totally different person.” “That’s because you didn’t interview him. You probably interviewed his parents.” I…
It made for a dreadful commute. The crater-like potholes dotting the main thoroughfare near my office were wreaking havoc on my car’s alignment. I wasn’t the only unhappy camper. The city was inundated with complaints from angry neighbors and shopkeepers who demanded repairs. Finally, a road-crew was sent to fill the gaping cavities and restore drivability…
There is an epic war being fought along the front lines of every business in the world. Business owners and managers across all industries are engaged in heavy conflict with employees who aren’t able to get through a shift without checking the screen on their smart phones, many of whom check it every couple of…
…they want a career. They may not openly confess to their employer that this is what they want. (Heck, they may not even admit it to themselves.) But while we continue to hear so much political rhetoric about “creating jobs,” what Americans really want is a career. And there is a monumental difference between a…