Want to build a life and career around something you’re passionate about? Great! Now how do you feel about intense struggle, repeated failure, and constant change? To be sure, those are things pretty much all of us are bound to face in our careers, but it’s far more likely you’ll have a tougher go of […]
How Do You Attract the Best Talent? Five Companies Exemplify Recruiting Innovation
“We have seen the emergence of the Human Age, where talent is the new differentiator,” writes Jonas Prising, CEO of ManpowerGroup. Yet organizations around the world struggle to find the talent they need. This is especially problematic, because 75 million Baby Boomers will retire within the next 10 to 15 years. Between now and then, there will […]
Future Focused Leaders Create Cultures of Purpose
I was invited to speak in Budapest a few years back at the STRETCH Leadership and Management Conference. It was truly an honor. The STRETCH Conference invites people to learn from the best and stretch themselves. This year’s theme was “Building Effective, Adaptable, Resilient and Purposeful Organizations.” Speakers covered topics such as organizational agility, experimental […]
Five Tips to Transform Talent in the Workplace
Let’s talk talent. I don’t mean Broadway and Hollywood talent; I mean organizational talent. The people at work who lead projects, clash with their colleagues, and often give 100% to their organization. The questions I’ve been asked to address in my various talks over the years include: How to retain talent with limited promotional opportunities? […]
Collaboration: How, When, and When Not To Do It
We use the term ‘collaboration’ all the time, by saying something like, “Oh, I just collaborated with Gina on that project.”. More than likely you actually brainstormed with Gina, or shared ideas with Gina. That’s not collaboration. But what if you and Gina share an office, get along well, support each other and work in […]
From Successful to Very Successful: Why Less is More
“Success is a catalyst for failure,” says Greg McKeown in a recent Harvard Business Review article. The basic premise of his statement is that once someone has a taste of success, a world of opportunities opens up and the temptation to pursue all of those new opportunities is too enticing to ignore. This loss of focus and […]
Should Your Organization Be Decentralized?
As Henry Mintzberg, author of The Structuring of Organizations, writes, “The words centralization and decentralization have been bandied about for as long as anyone has cared to write about organizations.” And that is a pretty long time, at least since 400 B.C., when Jethro advised Moses to distribute responsibility to various levels in the hierarchy. […]
20 Ways to Boost Employee Engagement Starting Today
HR managers can agree that employee engagement and retention are at the top of their priority list. Every company wants to attract and keep the best talent. The problem? Many employees in today’s job market quickly feel uninspired by their work, get bored after 2 years and start job hunting for something new. So we decided to speak […]
Do Unhappy Employees Stifle Innovation?
I recently read an article in Bloomberg Business Week titled, “Three people to fire immediately.” I know what you’re thinking – you loathe the idea of discussing problem areas that a certain ‘You Know Who’ needs to address. However sometimes, no matter how effective your management techniques, there are people who will not change and […]
Leadership in the Zone – How to Fully Engage Your Leadership
Think that brainpower alone will maintain high performing teams? Think again. Instead, it takes a special kind of energy, which is created from a combination of four aspects of our lives: the body, mind, emotions and spirit (yes, spirit!). I’ve invited expert Tom Ward, founder and principal of NextLevel, to be a guest blogger on […]
