“Embrace the hurt, people! Love the burn! No pain, no gain!” Once again, I asked myself why I paid good money for people to devise creative ways to subject me to sheer agony. Grace was the W.O.D. or “workout of the day” (with no relation with the theological concept). I Read more…
Anyone who has read my articles knows my belief in the importance of a healthy culture in any human organization, be it a for-profit company, a non-for-profit, a church, club, association, or even a family. But when it comes to business, how important is it really? The short answer is: Read more…
In my 20’s I spent almost a decade overseas in Europe and South America. During that time I became influenced by the prevailing European animosity toward America and everything she stood for. I’m not proud of those sentiments as I look back on them today. In many ways, the political Read more…
Turnover. The very word strikes fear in the hearts of leaders everywhere. A leader once told me: “The only thing worse than having someone who is a bad fit on my team is the time and effort it takes to replace them.” We all know the time and effort involved Read more…
The manager of a 20 person team confessed to me that he was struggling with some of his team members who do not accept feedback well: “I feel like every time I have to give feedback I’m walking on eggshells.” Most managers have had a team member or two on Read more…
In the Christian tradition, Christmas is the celebration of God’s gift of himself to us as a little child. This is a gift of love. As I reflect over this past year (as I often do at this time), I have recognized a special lesson that I have learned this Read more…
I had an interesting conversation today with a tax consultant from a multinational consulting firm we all would recognize. He was struggling with the way his team is performing. But, as it turns out, he is really not leading a team at all. I admit that defining terms is often Read more…
Have you ever had that sinking feeling that you made a terrible mistake in hiring someone? We’ve all been there. Most of us have experienced it: the sneaking suspicion when we first meet that person, the growing excitement as we get to know him or her better and then the Read more…
“You’ve got to hear this story,” he said excitedly. I was meeting with the owner of a local chain of luxury auto detail and repair shops. “When I started the business,” he said, “I knew some people I had taken good care of — from back when I worked other Read more…
She shifted in her seat and looked at me uncomfortably as she tried to answer my question. As a corporate recruiter from a successful software company, she has expertise and experience, and was kind enough to share both with me as I asked about hiring strategies. “How important is character for Read more…