When Employees Can Say No, Their Commitment Goes Up THE DESIRE to be productive is a part of our national DNA. Individually, it started at an early age when we learned the Newtonian law of cause-and-effect implying that if we work hard, success will come. When we entered the labor force, we heard the constant […]
18
Feb
Feb
A Practical Guide to Planning Your Plan STRATEGIC PLANNING is one of the most important and most misunderstood business processes. The word “strategy” shows up in just about every layer of an organization. Managers need to be good strategic thinkers; executives attend strategic retreats, and the board of directors approves budgets that support a strategic […]
16
Sep
Sep
We Don’t Need to Suffer Yet Another Loss UNDER A NORMAL YEAR, the fall budget season is never pleasant. Each department-head has to justify their expenses or be told how much to cut. This year, most companies saw their 2020 budget blown apart by having to shut down some or all of their operations in […]
09
Sep
Sep
What We Can’t See Is Where Risk and Opportunities Lie. WALKING DOWN a stretch of road I normally drive I notice all the things I’ve missed: The wiener dog weather vane on top of a neighbor’s house, the Mountain Canyon Estates sign announcing the start of a development, the trailhead leading down to the local […]
05
Aug
Aug
Look for the friction. WHEN THERE IS FEAR in the economy most play it safe and hope for better days. When the stock market goes down many of us sell. When the housing market is weak, we postpone buying a new home. When pandemics bring uncertainty, we stop investing in marketing and training. But as […]
20
Jul
Jul
The myths, the truths and the processes. CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve just finished that two-day offsite (or zoom) session to develop your strategic plan and do some executive team development. You’ve done an excellent job of getting all the stakeholders involved in defining your SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), an aspirational vision and a clear and […]
24
Jun
Jun
Rebounding from COVID-19 needs a focus on resilience THE SECOND PANDEMIC has hit, and it is not a virus but the insidious, and growing level of stress. Our emotional immune systems are burned out and many of us are now in a state of managed depression. In the HBR article, “If You Feel Like You […]
19
Jun
Jun
Follow the intuitive or linear approach RESTARTING THE ENGINE of our economy will require all of us to establish or recommit to goals. For that reason, now might be a good time to dust off some basic goal setting principles. Depending on your style there are two approaches to goal setting, Intuitive and Linear. If […]
26
May
May
The key is applying master disciplines NEXT-GENERATION companies recognize that the planning process of developing their mission statements can be as important as the final product. First, they are aware of 5 common challenges; adjusting to the changed economic environment, maintaining worker productivity, keeping profit margins, adjusting to cultural shifts and building tomorrow’s workforce. The […]
21
Feb
Feb
A great mission statement, developed and implemented the right way, engages employees, defines priorities and guides daily work. However, most people equate mission statement development with getting a root canal. Mission statements fail for five reasons: 1. Leaders develop them without involving those who implement them. 2. They choke off growth because they focused on […]