The irony of the subtitle of my new book FULLY STAFFED: The Definitive Guide to Finding and Keeping Great Employees in the Worst Labor Market Ever (releasing Monday, April 20th) is obvious. After all, if the COVID-19 pandemic has force millions to file for unemployment, could this STILL be considered ‘the worst labor market ever?’ The answer is a…
No, the sky isn’t falling. It already fell. The stock market is in total upheaval. Schools, churches, businesses, and virtually everything deemed ‘non-essential’ is now closed – or very soon will be. The economic ripple of COVID-19 is reaching into the depths of every business and has left countless owners, leaders, and managers in a state of…
Immediately following the Columbine tragedy that rocked the world twenty years ago (4-20-1999), Frank DeAngelis vowed that he would remain the school’s principal until the class of first grade students in the elementary schools that fed into the high school had graduated. His goal was to prevent a mass exodus of faculty and staff and…
This is not an angry airline rant. I’m going somewhere important with this, so please hang with me. As a professional speaker based in Denver, business travel is a necessary evil that comes with the job. United Airlines has a large hub in Denver, and thus, I’ve been flying them almost exclusively for 30+ years…
Q. What do professional dancers, actors, musicians, and athletes have in common? A. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, they’re all in the top 6 of the 15 dream jobs that our nation’s youth aspire to have one day. What jobs didn’t make the list? Roofer, custodian, auto mechanic, welder, truck driver, short order…
When I hear the word family, beyond the mental images of my own, I can’t help but think of the Cleavers, the Bradys, the Cunninghams, and the Huxtables. Growing up, I probably spent as much time hanging out with those families as I did my own. Television families of the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s…
When the Grinch stole Christmas from all the Whos down in Whoville, he went about it with passion and fury. The scrawny-limbed hermit with a nasty attitude and a foul grimace felt like an outsider who was unappreciated by his peers, so he decided to turn the tables and ruin Christmas for the entire village.…
As the keynote speaker for more than a hundred franchise conventions and meetings over the past decade, I believe I’ve uncovered the #1 reason for the huge chasm between those franchisees who are getting wealthy and those who are barely hanging on. While the economy, geography, and increased competition are big factors in a franchisee’s success, they are out of their control. But even…
Not long ago I worked with a mid-sized manufacturing plant in St. Louis that had a remarkable record of attracting and keeping in-demand workers. Although the company offered competitive wages, their formula for employee retention did not include offering above-market compensation, perks, and benefits. When I asked Darrel, the plant manager, his secret for hanging on to his skilled machinists…
My new high-end coffee brewer drives me absolutely insane. It brews the absolute perfect cup of java – hot nectar of the gods – about every third day. The other two result in either an average tasting cup of convenience store coffee or an evil black muck that you wouldn’t throw down your kitchen drain for…