It is time to stop thinking about new management initiatives and start embracing leadership principles. Programs and initiatives come and go. Principles never end. There is only one leadership principle you will ever need if your goal is a culture where everyone is committed to consistent results, strong working relationships, and volunteered accountability.
Complete this sentence: Performance Reviews would be great if …. I asked participants in a series of workshops that question last week, and their answers were surprising and inspiring. There were the usual responses thrown in for comedic effect such as performance reviews would be if I always received top reviews and the maximum pay raise. But, most of the responses suggest that performance reviews could be valuable tools to provide feedback, encourage improvement, and enable results.
We’ve been doing annual business and workplace predictions for our clients since 2005. This is the second year we have posted them here for wider distribution. We are different from others who publicize their predictions in one very important way – we let you know how accurate we were the previous year.
So here’s a scary thought: What if the turbulence that we’ve seen in the past three years is the new normal? This is an exciting time to be in the business of building a team, a department, and an entire organization. It is not for the faint of heart, however. The legendary brands of the future are being created today by leaders and organizations who relish the opportunity to compete and master life in the new abnormal.
Would you pay two hours of your life for a bus ride? Would you choose to sleep late if you had less than one day to live? Would you work harder to deliver results if [...]
The reality of today’s market-driven world is brutal. We are all better at some things than others. Most of us are actually excellent – or at least better than average – at some aspects of our business or personal performance. And, that doesn’t matter unless what we do well adds value to the customer.
What separates the marketplace heroes in every industry from the has-beens and wanna-bes? It can’t be just products, services, or price. Your competitors don’t hire all geniuses and leave you with the dunces. Their computer systems, compensation, and operational processes are not dramatically better than yours. When they discuss strategy, the words on their flip charts are not significantly more insightful than yours. The difference is an intangible. It is a culture where every person at every level is focused on and committed to delivering results that are critical for success.
The numbers are in, and people lack confidence. Not all people, but enough of them to slow consumer spending and business investment. Lack of confidence changes behavior. Confident consumers spend more money because they believe the future will be positive. Confident sales people make more sales because they trust their ability and the value of their product. Confident companies invest in innovation, talent development, and new equipment because they believe that they will be rewarded for their investment.
We’ve been doing annual business and workplace predictions for our clients since 2005. This year we are sharing them with a broader audience. We’ll begin with a review of our 2010 predictions. Here’s are the five predictions we made going into last year: • Politics will continue to trump leadership.
You can’t cut your way to growth. Profitability? Yes, at least for a while. But, growth is an animal of a completely different color. Growth requires increasing the top line and there are only four basic ways to accomplish that: