A little-known business consultant became an overnight sensation in the ’80s by writing a book featuring the best-run companies in America. Today, most of those companies don’t exist. That’s not surprising. This “go-go” period, as it was called, was the spawning ground for a lot of the workplace dysfunction we’re facing today. In those days […]

There are several activities that you can complete which will help you discover what your career anchors are. You can read more about these activities in Edgar Schein’s book, “Career Anchors“. Ultimately, under this framework, there are eight different career anchor categories that can be important for people. We consider each of them below Technical […]

Working with colleagues who think, feel, and see things differently can be both stressful and anxiety producing. Unless a foundation of trust exists, the chances are that those who have worked together under arduous conditions are likely to harbor some negative feelings that may dampen their desire to work together for the common good. The […]

The purpose of forming an organization is to create a place where individuals can produce collectively what they cannot do alone. And, in a positive environment, they can achieve great things when they agree to join forces. Unfortunately, this isn’t happening; at least, not to the extent that it needs to for America to remain […]

Succession planning is a future-focused endeavor designed to ensure knowledge upgrades become an instinctive part of everyone’s positional responsibility. Another proviso is providing training and development support for those who are candidates for increased responsibilities. As an organization considers succession planning, it is essential to form a Succession Planning Team (SPT) consisting of training and […]

An important thing to consider is how much initiative employees in a learning mode need to show. Once the levels have been discussed, the employees will be in a better position to select a level that is most comfortable for them and most productive for their employer. Level 1: Wait for direction – Expecting someone […]

While recruitment and retention continue to be worrisome management issues, wage and benefit equity is rapidly becoming a critical factor. Unfortunately, in an over heated rush to act decisively, managers may shift into survival mode without giving much thought to the long-term consequences of a short-term financial fix. The following examples illustrate my point. Manufacturer […]

Watch closely next time a change is announced and you’ll notice that people react in three different ways. The proactive type view change as an opportunity to try news things and make needed improvements. They value innovation and respond positively to difficult situations, collective concerns and personal challenges. Others are reactive and immediately start working […]