Visiting a classroom of elementary children, I was pleased to hear the teacher stress that making eye contact with others was an important part of successful communication. The class participated in games using eye contact activities. Eye contact is often a method some human resource professionals use to detect open and honest job candidates. What […]
Is the 80/20 Rule still relevant?
Back in the 90’s, my organization brought in national and international thought leaders to meet with the members of my Business Round Table organization. As I listened to the latest ideas on business concepts, I watched the 50 CEO’s in the audience. They got it. They understood how those fresh ideas could affect their decision […]
Thoughts on a Train – Why International Travel is good for Business
Just renewed my passport for the fourth time. Although it takes just a little effort to obtain a passport and even less time to renew one, I wanted to reflect on why I even have a passport. According to social travel start-up Tripl, 115 million Americans currently have passports. That may sound like a lot, […]
How long does it take to build a team?
Well, the correct answer is, “It depends.” If one asked how long it takes to form a team, the correct answer is, “Minutes.” The difference is the concept of “build a team” vs. “form a team.” When you begin to add employees to your work team, consider the following to get that team up and […]
Help! I hate my job!
Several years ago I was helping a young man who was between jobs. After getting to know him better in order to help him find another job in his field, he confessed to me that he really didn’t like his former job, and was honestly relieved that he had been laid off. “What didn’t you […]
Is your career on auto pilot?
Would you expect someone else to take and keep pictures of your family, or remember significant family dates for you? Probably not. Sometimes employees turn their careers on auto pilot and expect their boss to manage their career. For example, do you expect your boss, or the HR department to keep track of your accomplishments […]
Is 99.95% of what you do a waste?
Track your activities for five typical work days and review how you spent your time. I think you will be amazed how little your activities supported your goals. Oh, goals? Therein lies the challenge. You must have some idea of where you are headed or maybe you are wasting 99.95% of your time. Take the […]
Do you have to go “undercover” to learn the truth about your organization?
I always enjoy the TV program Undercover Boss, where disguised CEOs take entry level jobs in their companies for just a day in order to really understand what is going on in the company. They always seem to learn a lot, and are often surprised to learn that things aren’t in line with the perceptions […]