Happy Halloween! We start out this week by sharing the five best blog posts from October 24th to 28th in the human resource, talent management, and leadership development blogosphere. Hope you enjoy and be sure to post your comments. Have a safe and fun Halloween!
Lisa Petrilli, C Level Strategies: Leading Millenials: What Millennials Want Leaders to Know - Recently, I have seen many articles discussing the topic of Millenials. Most of these articles discuss how to manage and deal with the generation, but often the articles stereotype the generation and forget about their personal opinion of who they are. Lisa shares her interview with Greg Hartle, as he discusses how Millenials want to be managed.
Andy Robinson, My Weblog: 12 Crucial Factors to Career Satisfaction - Making your career a success does not only rely on the level of knowledge you have, the position your in, or even how much pay. Andy's post shares 12 crucial factors for success that you should consider to better your career.
Mike Cook, Guest Blogger on Bud to Boss: How to Make an Impact as a Manager - Being a better manager does not take reflection on oneself but on those that you are managing. Mike Cook explains that managers must be transparent, transmutable, and permeable to make themselves and the organization better.
Tim Sackett, The Tim Sackett Project: 6 Figure Salary & Still Homeless - Having a six figure salary without a college degree is very hard to come across unless your employed in the oil boomtown of Williston, ND. These high paid oil workers will tell you that high pay does not mean happiness. Due to a shortage of housing, workers struggle to find a place to live. How happy can you be with no home? Tim explains that this is a "high class" problem, and it that it takes a creative HR to fix a problem like this.
Steve Tobak, The Corner Office: How to Deal With Gut-Wrenching Change - While no one likes to deal with change, it is completely necessary at times. Steve shares in his post that it is human nature to resist change and to want chaos. The best tool against this chaos is when leaders make smart decisions.
Hello everybody! My name is Amber Keller and that is a picture of me to the right. I am a marketing coordinator at the Rainmaker Group. I am also a full-time student working towards a degree in psychology. You will also learn a little bit more about me by reading my post. I hope you enjoy my first ever blog post!
I am very proud to say that I have been a resident of the great state of North Dakota my entire life. Up until recently, you did not hear much about the state except that it is cold, the people are way too conservative, and I have even heard “they do not have running water or electricity yet.”
To whomever said that last comment, I am nice and clean today thanks to my shower (I did not have to fetch the water from the well), and I happen to be writing this blog post on a Mac that is powered by electricity produced right here in the state.
As for those of you who think it is super coldin North Dakota, I agree it is very cold, but hey what does not kill a person will only make them stronger!
Is the state of North Dakota too conservative? Some people may be but not everyone. I think that people often mistake North Dakota for being so conservative because of the values and morals that the people of North Dakota hold. Which brings me to he whole point of this blog, do not be bias against the state solely based on things that you may have “heard” through the grapevine.
If you happen to catch any of the latest stories about Norht Dakota, you will read headlines such as Occupy North Dakota and Unemployed Flock to North Dakota; What’s Their Secret?. The state is thriving with a 3% unemployment rate, and those that are unemployed could easily find a job because there are help wanted signs on every street corner. Yesterday I passed a man holding a sign (who was most likely paid just to hold a sign) that advertised $12 per hour for a part-time assembler. That is pretty damn good pay for part-time if you ask me. One of the articles I mentioned states, “What’s Their Secret?” I have never been very good at keeping secrets, so I am going to spill the beans about North Dakota’s "secret" to success.
While I do believe that credit should be given to the oil boom, I do not think that is our big “secret.” After all, our state was doing just fine before it came along, we have long been successful in agriculture. So you probably are asking yourself, “What is the big secret then?” Well I believe our secret is the combination of the values, morals, and strong work ethic that North Dakotans have instilled in them.
An example of the great personality that North Dakotans possess is by the way they treat everyone with a welcoming and friendly attitude. I once had a friend visit from Minnesota, and when he arrived he said, “You will never believed what happened to me on the way here.” My first guess was, “You hit a deer!” “No,” he said, “I had ten different people wave to me from their cars on the highway.” I have never been taken by surprise when someone waves because I do the same. We have been accustomed to treating others with respect and welcoming them, even if it is with a simple wave down the highway. We know how to follow the rules, and especially the Golden Rule.
Okay, so we know that North Dakotans are friendly, but has that really done anything to help stimulate the economy? In some ways it probably has, but there is a more legitimate reason for the growth. We know how to work our Asses off! The low unemployment rate is not only due to the excess amount of jobs; it is because the people here want to work. They know that if you want something you have to work for it, and working hard is a part of life. Growing up on a dairy farm I knew there was no escaping the daily chores. I once tried to “call in sick,” but my boss (who happen to also be the best dad in the world) responded with a cold cup of water to my face. While he did let me escape the chores for school events and “occasional” fun, my dad rarely ever takes a day off. When he does, he spends it turning cream and collecting eggs for the local seniors. My dad is not the only one who works hard in this state. You can see evidence of hard work everywhere. If you just take a stroll through our streets, you will find yards that are neatly primped, and public property that is well maintained and respected by those who use it.
Still not convinced that the values, morals, and work ethic are the "secret"? According to the Bismarck Tribune, “North Dakotans marry more and divorce less than those in any other states.” What the hell does this have to do with the economic stimulation? I believe the low divorce rate is contributed to the values and morals of the people. Let me elaborate . . . Marriage is a relationship that we commit to and do what ever it takes to make it work. If we are good at making a marriage work, we must be good at making other things work through commitment and effort. After all, marriage is probably more difficult than any business transaction out there, and we know how to make it work better than any other state.
Well, now you know the “secret” that has helped to make our state very successful. We encompass strong values, morals, and work ethic that promote the stimulation of our economy. The hype about our state that has spread all over the nation has made us very excited, but at the same time we worry that the influx of people into North Dakota will damage our “secret.” So if you plan to jump into the great opportunities that have been created here, please remember that the “secret” which has made these opportunities possible is very important to the North Dakotans.
Posted by
Joe Jones on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 @ 04:40 PM
Miscommunication between team members, with Customers and even among family members can often create unnecessary conflict and confusion.
These frequent miscommunications occur each and every day and can have a profound effect on an organization's effectiveness and bottom line.
However, it's not everyday that miscommunication happens in front of a national TV audience during game 5 of the World Series.
With the baseball season down to its final two teams, I found my self compelled to watch how the final series would unfold.
The matchup pits the savvy veteran manager Tony La Russa and the St.Louis Cardinals, versus the relatively less experienced manager Ron Washington and the defending American League Champion Texas Rangers.
Fast-forward ahead to final couple of innings of game 5, when Tony La Russa makes a normally routine call from the dugout to the bullpen coach to get his designated "Closer" Jason Motte loosened up to enter the game when needed. La Russa actually made a second call to the bullpen later asking to get Motte ready again.
Finally, La Russa makes his trot out to the mound to bring in Jason Motte, the pitcher he thought had been warming up in the bullpen. To his surprise, Lance Lynn comes out of the bullpen to take the mound instead of Motte, who was not even warming up yet.
How does a communication lapse like this happen in a critical situation in the World Series, with so much on the line? If it happens here with the bright lights shining, how many times do you think this happens in your organization daily with little notice?
Now we will probably never know what exactly happened with the two calls between the dugout and the bullpen. However, this situation really highlights the negative effects that ineffective communication can have, as St. Louis ultimately ended up losing the game with many people pointing to this gaffe as a major factor.
Communication can make or break a team, whether it be in the corporate world or in the sports world. As a leader, how do you communicate with your people?
Do your team members understand your style?
More importantly, do you understand your individual team member's
communication styles?
After a thrilling victory in Game 6, to pull the series even at 3-3, we will
all be watching tonight to see if the Cardinals can ultimately overcome the Game 5 communication issue to win the World Series.
Have you ever destroyed value on your team because you "added too much value" - dominated conversations, meetings, and/or brainstorming sessions?
I have.
Several years ago, I had the privilege of completing a leadership program that changed my mindset about how I "contribute" to teams.
There were approximately 12 of us who spent several days together. We did not know one another prior. Throughout our time together, we had a particular goal we had to achieve - to beat the record for completing a particular obstacle. We had perhaps 20 opportunities to do so and for the first 15 times, we steadily beat the clock. Then we hit a brick wall that we could not get around or over.
Over the several days we were together, our personality styles quickly came out. From a DISC perspective, I am a high 100 D, 100 I, 49 C. I am task-oriented and blunt in my "natural state".
I wanted to win. So I took control.
The brick wall... With 3 more opportunities to beat the record - a team member who said little during the several days we were together offered an idea that if it were not for the facilitator, I tried to shut down by saying, "That will never work."
The facilitator then said that I could not speak until he allowed me to. He then asked the quiet team member to share their idea.
We implemented the quiet team member's approach and made progress.
Did we beat the record?
Nope.
Why?I added too much value for too long. We could have beat that record - if we had more time.
This was a powerful lesson for me... The reason we did not win is because I squashed great ideas. I kept the team from winning - something I wanted badly.
Adding too much value... This is a concept that Marshall Goldsmith has discussed in his book "What Got You Here Won't Get You There". A good article on the topic may be found at Fast Company.
Are you or other team members adding too much value in your team? The first step is to recognize the potential. The second step is to consider the costs of adding too much value.
Make it a habit to "cultivate" ideas from all team members to not only get the best ideas but also create buy-in. Another powerful book and concept is The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. We offer a workshop that is simply powerful in helping to create lasting systems on how to ensure that every voice is heard on the team to create powerful ideas, powerful teams, employee engagement, and buy-in.
If talent is the most important "asset" your company has and sales drives the future of your company, doesn't it make sense to have the CEO involved in the sales selection process?
I absolutely think so.
Right now, you might be saying, "Chris, you are absolutely correct if you are a small company."
How small is small? $250m in annual sales? $500m? $1b?
Some of the smartest and strongest companies I have been exposed to have the CEO involved at least at the end stages of the sales talent hiring / selection process.
You should as well.
Here are four important reasons why.
- To shape the mindset of the sales team - hiring the best possible sales
- Talent is critical to the future of the company.
- To shape the mindset of the candidates - this company means business - we carefully select our sales talent.
- To shape the mindset of the new sales hires - this company selects only the best and the CEO is actively involved.
- To ensure that the hard questions are being asked from a real gut sense. The CEO sees the results of bad sales hires decisions every day through the bottom line.
A CEO never wastes time interviewing sales candidates who do not fit the job. A CEO should never interview a sales candidate who does not fit the proper sales Job Benchmark. A CEO's time is valuable and the future of the company is not negotiable.
No smart CEO would ever interview a sales candidate who has not passed a sales pre-employment personality profile assessment as well as traditional screening.
Remember the "good old days" when the economy was humming, jobs were plentiful, and the pundits were saying, "employee engagement is everything"?
The economy is now in the toilet and the pundits are still saying, "employee engagement is everything".
And the pundits are correct. Without employee engagement, one will never see the full potential of the talent. When people absolutely LOVE what they do, great things are possible.
If you are a bad boss, your organization cannot afford the turbulence you cause. Clean up your act, get counseling, or get a job where you are not managing people.
Unfortunately, there are those who feel entitled. Unfortunately, while "entitlement thinking" is a condition all generations "suffer" from to some extent, the youngest generation seems to have this disease worse than others.
Unfortunately, loyalty to the company is something many younger generations folk have not yet quite figured out.
Loyalty to a company is not a dead concept. If you want to go far in your career, you have to earn your wings - they are not given to you. Get loyalty figured out. Now.
The current economy is a game changer. Due to the fact that hard economic "cleansings" are not good for politics, the latest recession has not completely cleansed the markets of all of the "bad stuff" that economically should not be happening. So guess what? The US Economy is going to go "sideways" over the next 5 to 10 years. Looking for an example? Think Japan.
The good news is you can make positive change happen by what you do today.
Remove "entitlement thinking" from your mindset.
Think Personal Accountability. Think - Be the Obvious Choice. And then be the obvious choice through your actions, words, and thinking.
Happy Monday! I would like to kick off the week by sharing five of my favorite reads from the human resource, talent management, and leadership development blogosphere. Thank you for checking out the Rainmaker's 'Fab Five' Picks and be sure to post any comments you may have.
Dan Rockwell, Leadership Freak: 12 True Behaviors That Expose Liars - One thing that I value most in my employees, as well as anyone I come across whether it be a friend or client, is honesty. It is important to be able to detect when someone is being dishonest. Dan shares with us 12 behaviors that will expose those who are being dishonest within your organization and life.
Adrienne Graham, EmpowerMe Blog: Failure IS an Option, If You Want to Grow - In the words of Babe Ruth, "Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game." Yes, we all know it sucks to strike out, but failing is not the end. Adrienne shares with us a personal story about learning from your failure and offers other ways that we can benefit from failure.
Meredith Bell, Your Voice of Encouragement: Personality Differences in Dogs and Humans - I am sure by looking at the title you are thinking, "what do dogs have to do with personality differences?" Well, they both have personality, and this personality effects how we deal with the dog or human. Meredith points out that we must be aware of our personality, as well as those around us. For example, you would not walk into a pet shop and pick out the most rambunctious puppy if you are a relaxed person who enjoys their quiet time. The same is true when picking people to surround you in the workplace and at home.
John Jantsch, Duct Tape Marketing: Would Your Employees Refer You? - Who knows more about your company or organization than its' employees? Do they think highly enough of the organization to share what they know and generate prospects from that? Employee referrals can generate some of the best leads, so it is important that they share the same positive outlook on the organization as you would. You would not want a bad referral from one of your own, would you?
Jennifer Sertl, My Amplify: LeadershipNext-> Transleadership (20 #practices)LeadershipNext-> Transleadership (20 #practices) - Is leadership a thing in the past? Jennifer thinks so! She points out that the world has transformed and requires more than just a leader it needs transleaders. The post shares 20 characteristics of a transleader. So if your not quite sure what a transleader is, read on!
Happy Monday everyone! I would like to take a moment to thank all of the contributing bloggers that have helped to make the Human Capital Strategies full of valuable information that can be applied to the workplace, as well as daily life. I would also like to thank the readers for supporting the Human Capital each week. Here are this week's top picks from the human resource, talent management, and leadership development blogosphere.
S. Anthony Iannarino, The Sales Blog: The Hidden Dangers of Predicting the Future and Reading Minds - If you immediately set expectations, you cannot move further or prepare for what is to come next. Anthony explains how "making assumptions" and trying to "predict the future" will disable a salesperson from building a relationship with a client or future client.
Tony Schwartz, The Energy Project: The Secret to Dealing With Difficult People: It's About You - When I first read this article, the term "scapegoat" came to mind. When a co-worker does something that really grinds your gears, you probably immediately blame them. You are using a "scapegoat." Tony explains that rather than using a "scapegoat", you should examine your own behavior.
Ann Bares, Compensation Café: No Such Thing as Extrinsic Motivation - Remember how scientists believed that humans are either intrinsically or extrinsically motivated? There is now new scientific evidence that has led them to believe motivation is not as they thought. Dr. Reiss at Ohio State University believes we are actually motivated in 16 different ways. Ann tells of Dr. Reiss' viewpoints in this post.
Seth Godin's Blog: Open Conversations (or close them) - We all know the difference between an open-ended question and a close-ended question. Seth explains how important it is to use open-ended questions to generate a conversation rather than closing off the conversation with close-ended questions.
Dan McCarthy, Great Leadership: Got a Bad Boss? Do the Opposite - Learning by example is one of the best ways to acquire new skills and talent. What should you do if the example is a bad one? Dan says, "do the opposite." He shares ten examples of how he has learned from bad bosses.
Can you remember a time where you were part of a team where there was constant tension - where people did not talk about what needed to be talked about? I have been there too.
Do you remember the productivity loss? The anxiety?
Have you been part of an organization where people emotionally disengage and do not share their ideas and instead purposefully or unconsciously "sandbag" the organization by not contributing more than the minimum?
Unfortunately, I have as well.
With rare exception, most teams have a "moose on the table" or "elephant in the room" - something that needs to be discussed but has not been discussed. Instead, productivity is drained. Anxiety is unnecessarily high.
Teams are made up of individuals who each have a unique perspective of the world based upon their unique experiences, Behaviors, Values, and Attributes. People have agendas and those agendas often oppose one another.
Through some simple practices and commitments your team can improve. An excellent book for you and your team to read is The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a profoundly powerful model on how to improve employee productivity and morale. We offer Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team framework for our team building workshop in a two day retreat format.
I have learned that Conflict is not a bad thing. In fact healthy conflict is necessary to flesh out the best ideas - the best strategy. Too often people view conflict as "in-your-face" and being mean. How teams look at conflict needs to change. A safe environment needs to be created to ensure that what needs to be talked about is talked about - that the best ideas are rising to the surface. The "dead moose" needs to be removed from the room... Rather than spending time thinking about the "wrong" someone did, team members need to be fully present with Customers and fully executing the strategy to create shareholder value.
It is time to view the avoidance of conflict as a negative. To maximize the performance and morale of your team, you need to ensure that what is not being talked is being talked about. The alternative is the status quo where.
- Valuable mindspace may be occupied by negative thoughts and is metaphorically "poisoning the water of possibility" in your organization.
- The best ideas are not brought to implementation.
- Team members sandbag innovation because their buy-in was not achieved.
Over the years in helping companies large and small view confilct more favorably, I have come to realize just how normal and uncessary avoiding conflict is. People handle conflict differently based upon many factors including their childhood exposure to conflict, their life experiences, their work history their Behavioral Style, their Values, and their Attributes. There are those who seemingly enjoy conflict and there are those who avoid it almost at any price. The key is to get everyone talking about what needs to be talked about and to do so habitually.
The Cost of Conflict Avoidance - Unfortunately, the price teams pay is often far greater than they often realize. Teams that avoid conflict avoid the opportunity to create better strategy, products, and services. Teams members that avoid one another and practice passive aggressive activities in the workplace destroy potential that could create profitability and meaningful Customer Experiences.
What can you do stop Conflict Avoidance?
- Decide to Stop Conflict Avoidance - Decide to get your team engaged in dialogue and what I call "calculated conflict" - where through safe process, what needs to be discussed is discussed.
- Create Emotional Safety - Createa safe environment to engage in dialogue where safety is of the highest priority. You will need to create the understanding that healthy conflict will be expected at every meeting.
- Create Awareness - Help team members become aware of how they view conflict and that while it is not usually a choice, situational good decisions can be improved. This is often best done through a validated Behavioral Profile Assessment.
- Create a Safe Dialogue Process - Create a conflict process where the "hard stuff" - the difficult issues are discussed during meetings and the more "personal issues" are discussed at least quarterly if not more frequently through a half or full day retreat.
Happy Monday! I hope this weeks 'Fab Five' finds you doing well. Each week I like to feature five of the best blog reads in human resources, talent management, and leadership development. Enjoy my picks and feel free to comment!
Mark Sanborn, Leadership Blog: The Presentologist Learns in Future Tense - What can you do to ensure your future is the best it can possibly be? I agree with Mark when he says we should prepare for it. This post lays out three things you can do to prepare for what the future holds.
Mary Jo Asmus, Leadership Solutions: Wanted: Your Belief In Your Employees' Potential - I have talked about culture change in many of my past blogs. Mary Jo discusses change on a more personal level, which I think can make a big difference in culture change. She stresses the importance of believing in your employees' potential, if you really want to make a change effective.
Lisa Petrilli, C Level Strategies: The Most Important Business Lesson I Have Learned - Lisa's most important business lesson is really not complicated at all, and it applies to all aspects of life. It is to be "open", and in order to be completely "open", you must "give." She also points out in this post that being open and giving will help you to build authentic personal and professional relationships.
Kris Dunn, HR Capitalist: PODCAST: Hiring Sales Talent: Why Would They Want to Work For Your Crappy Little Company? - This post by Kris is actually a list of keypoints in Mark Suster's podcast, This Week in Venture Capital. The podcast discusses the best strategies when it comes to hiring salespeople.
Scott Eblin, next level blog: Why All the Leaders Are Above Average - According to a poll by Smartbrief, 74% of leaders rate themselves as above average. Well I think it is important to have confidence, leaders may be missing out on the reality of things when they think they are above average. In this post, Scott points out four things leaders can do to actually be "above average."
Guest Post from Marlene Chism
It’s no secret that human beings dread change, especially when they don’t want the change, aren’t in charge of the change, and didn’t expect the change.
As a leader, when your company gets ready to go through change you probably expect a fair amount of drama in various forms of complaining, excuse-making, power struggles and resistance. One reason for the drama is that change signals a threat to the brain.
The feeling of uncertainty triggers the almond shaped structure in the brain called the amygdale, which then shoots out chemicals that feel like fear, anxiety and doubt. So, even though the brain likes stimulation, the brain craves certainty.
Very often, the lower your status, the more uncertain you feel. As a former employee with over 21 years experience at the bottom level I can tell you that change is even more terrifying when you feel that your voice doesn’t matter and you have no power.
This article gives you a snapshot into the mind of your employee and gives you some possible solutions to help you create a sense of certainty around your change so that you get everyone rowing in the same direction with much less drama.
Three reasons change contributes to drama 
- Lack of desire and willingness
- Fear of loss
- Fear of failure
Lack of Desire and Willingness
What Your Employee Thinks: I don’t want to change. It makes no sense at all! This is probably just another flavor of the month. I can find all kinds of reasons why what we are doing is good enough.
What You Should Know: If there’s no desire there’s not going to be much willingness. When there is no willingness, their heels are dug in, and you see power struggles, and resistance in the form of complaining and excuse-making, because from the limited point of view an employee has, the mantra is “If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it.” In Stop Workplace Drama I talk about how willingness is the fulcrum point of change.
Possible Solution: Share the vision so that those doing all the rowing can experience a desire to move forward and a willingness to cooperate. This happens through Open and honest communication explaining why things need to change, as well as getting excitement about “going to the new island” can create a sense of purpose and desire. Without a vision, the people perish and without communication you can’t share the vision.
Fear of Loss
What Your Employee Thinks: What am I going to lose? Every time they make a change it is never for my good. I either have to work harder, do more with less, or give up a benefit.
What You Should Know: No one embraces change that is not to their benefit. No one. Not even an executive embraces a change that cuts his pay, takes away benefits or makes his work harder.
As a former employee at the very bottom level for over 21 years, it’s funny to me when I hear a company using a slogan like “embrace change,” when often the very change being talked about is likely to have a negative impact on the employees.
Solution: Engage them so they will drive the change. When you feel that you are in charge it is a lot easier to accept and maybe even embrace change. Zappos understands this principle because they understand that change happens from the bottom up rather than the top down. The way you get people to embrace change is to get them to be a part of the change instead of feeling like change is forced on them with no warning.
Fear of Failure
What Your Employee Thinks: What if I can’t learn how to adapt? I know it’s going to be hard and I’m going to make mistakes. I don’t want to look incompetent; therefore I’m going to complain in advance so they can’t say I didn’t warn them.
What You Should Know: This issue is all about trust. Can your employees trust you to give them the structure, leadership and support they need? Are you setting them up for success, or are you shouting out “embrace change” then jumping down their throats when they make a mistake during the change? Change needs to be managed, and this means managing expectations and giving the appropriate support and training during the transition area.
Solution: Shorten the gap, and celebrate success. In Stop Workplace Drama, the second principle is “shorten the gap.” The idea is that although there is a vision to work toward, when you manage the expectations and chunk down the goals, it makes the steps more manageable. I often suggest that with each change there is a pilot period of three weeks to three months so that you can once again shift direction if needed. This builds trust and lets your team know that even the best laid plans will have some tweaks along the way.
With each pilot or trial period, you can reassess and then celebrate the small successes along the way. In other words set everyone up for success even through the challenging times. These small success celebrations keep everyone focused, aligned and ready to change with you instead of fighting against you and when change is managed the unknown isn’t quite so threatening.
Marlene Chism is a professional speaker, trainer and the author of Stop Workplace Drama, (Wiley 2011). For more information visit www.marlenechism.com or the web at www.stopworkplacedrama.com
Happy Monday! I hope everyone has had a great start to their October. Each week I like to feature five of my favorite reads from the talent management, leadership development, and human resource blogsphere. Here are my picks from the week of September 26th to the 30th. Enjoy and feel free to comment!
Dan Rockwell, Leadership Freak: One bad apple DOES spoil the whole barrel - Building a team for success takes a lot of effort and strategy. Dan explains that there are five stages that every team goes through. He then shares ten attributes and skills a team must possess to be successful.
Chris Edmonds, cool Culture: What's Your Leadership Philosophy? - As Chris points out in his post, it can be easy to create a leadership philosophy. It is much harder to carry out that philosophy and be sure it stays strong in the culture of the company. Chris gives tips on how to create a leadership philosophy that will stick in this blog post.
Scott McKain, McKain's Viewpoint: Who Are You Trusting To Be Your Sales Persons? - How much do your sales people stand behind the product and company? Scott shares a story about the effectiveness of selling a product and tells how important it is to be enthusiastic about the product.
Gwyn Teatro, Your Not the Boss of Me: Caring or Care-taking?~A Fine Distinction - Leaders can take two different approaches to leading their people. In this post, Gywn explains that some leaders "care" for their team, while others "take care" of their team. By "caretaking" leaders do not give their team the opportunity to thrive and grow in the organization.
David Nour, Relationship Economics: Do You Have a High Retrun on Involvement (ROI)? Return On Impact (ROI)? - When you hear the term "ROI," what comes to mind? Most would say return on investment, but this post is about time management. David explains that we must choose our professional and personal relationships wisely. Doing this means your involvement in the relationships will be much more worth the time.
