Actually, I didn’t almost lose my ass. I nearly lost two. You see, my wife and I raise donkeys. Having a donkey wasn’t my idea. I never wanted to own a donkey. But my wife, Lori, pleaded with me to get one. I fought back and stood my ground. “We’re not raising any farm animals…
Just about every company I’ve worked with over the past twenty years has a list of core values that is proudly displayed on a handsome plaque in their corporate headquarters and visible to all on their company website. But if you were to ask the custodian, a delivery driver, or the receptionist that works for…
Businesses and brands that are replacing service workers with technology are discovering that this strategy is creating as many problems as it’s solving. Robots (the broad term I’ll use to describe digital kiosks and various other mechanical systems) are diligent, and they don’t call in sick. They won’t cheat you. They won’t ask for a…
Ten years ago, I visited a college campus in Denver, stood in a high traffic area, and held up a sign saying, DO YOU DESERVE A JOB AFTER YOU GRADUATE? WHAT SALARY ARE YOU ENTITLED TO? At that time, employee entitlement was the biggest challenge among the business owners, leaders, and managers with…
Ask most people under 40 to define the America Dream and you’ll likely hear them mention owning their own business and/or being their own boss. If you dig deeper and ask why so many young people want to pursue entrepreneurship, surprisingly, the first response won’t always be about making more money; in fact, it seldom…
Everything I ever needed to know about business, I learned in less than 10 minutes at the age of 16. I was a junior in high school when I ‘accidentally’ signed up for a business course titled “D.E.” I thought I was registering for Driver’s Education, but this class was Distributive Education (aka, DECA, now called…
The global health pandemic has completely upended the world of work. With social distancing restrictions and other health measures in place, many companies have either shifted to hybrid workplaces or completely transitioned to remote working models. Covid has forever changed the workplace culture, pushed digital skills to the forefront, and paved a clear path for…
What we call “labor” today bears little resemblance to its meaning of yesteryear. In fact, during the late 1800’s, one of our nation’s darkest labor periods at the height of the Industrial Revolution, the average American worked 12-hour days and often 7 days per week in order to eke out a basic living. Few other…
Do you treat your people like assets or asses? You should do both.
Susan, a friend and client of mine who owns a large plumbing/HVAC company called this morning feeling exasperated. “We’re not getting any responses to the job ads we’ve been running for techs,” she said. “Those guys know that they can make more money sitting on their couch playing X-Box than they can if they return…