“We’re adding a little something to this month’s sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Anybody wanna see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is…you’re fired.” In the 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross, Blake—famously portrayed by Alec Baldwin—issues this decree, exposing an artful…
To get back to Kansas, Dorothy never had to jump through all the death-defying hoops the Wizard put her through. She had everything she needed (ruby shoes) from the very beginning. All she lacked was the understanding of how to unlock their magical powers. Since they began making their way into the workforce in the late 90’s, business leaders, owners, and…
Every manager has been told that it’s important to acknowledge, recognize, and reward their top performing employees. Unfortunately, most haven’t been coached on how to do this effectively. And if one of the goals is to get the performer to continue performing at a high level, the why has to be linked to the what. “You’ve done a good job…
The burn out rate among business consultants is sky high. Although firms pay big starting salaries to young MBA’s, accountants, and engineers, the excessive travel demands that come with the paycheck can get real old…real fast. That’s precisely why Vynamic, an 80+person healthcare consultancy based in Philadelphia, stands out among its competitors. Ranked the #1 most prestigious…
Imagine that you are walking alone across a vacant parking lot on a breezy day, when out of the corner of your eye you notice a crumpled-up bill blowing at your feet. You immediately step on it to keep it from escaping, and then reach down to discover that it’s a $100 bill. No one…
Leni and Lou are fraternal twins. They were born 3 minutes apart, eat the same food every meal, and sleep in the same room. But aside from their DNA, they are as different as night is from day. While Lou yearns to be outdoors with a ball in her hand, Leni would walk past five balls, two…
The world of franchising is exploding as more and more franchised brands and concepts emerge each year. Sadly, in many of those organizations, there exists a wide chasm separating disenfranchised franchisees from the brand’s franchisor usually stemming from broken promises and unfulfilled expectations. In those franchised brands that are thriving, however, harmony reigns supreme as both parties…
When rules are broken in situations that don’t call for immediate termination, gain your composure and think “Open The Front Door Now.” This is the acronym for a simple formula that helps you address—and correct—many of the annoying small issues and problematic behaviors of your employees. Treating these problems according to the OTFDN formula will get them…
There are limits to the extent an employer will go to keep an employee happy, even when the employee is a top performer or in one of those almost-impossible-to-replace positions. But unless they are feeling neglected, unappreciated, or mistreated, most employees would prefer not to go through a job change and would rather stay with…
Every employee who works for you will eventually arrive at a crucial intersection, if they haven’t already. At that point, you hope they turn right and buy-in to your leadership and the vision and values of your company. Turning that direction means that they see a future for themselves with your organization so they’ll invest themselves fully…