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…
The construction on this historic landmark structure began in 1933. After four years of incredibly hard work, The Golden Gate Bridge officially opened for traffic in 1937. Ready for some trivia? Q: How long did it take to complete the painting on the bridge? A: They’ve never stopped painting it. A maintenance crew is always at…
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…
Attention parents! If your kid is still parked on the basement couch this late in the summer playing Fortnite and driving you crazy by whining they can’t find a job, it’s time to change the password on the Wi-Fi and kick ‘em to the curb with a tough-love boot. As the U.S. economy continues its remarkable rebound from the…
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…