The No. 1 reason why most Americans leave their jobs is the feeling they’re not appreciated. In fact, 65% of people surveyed said they received no recognition for good work in a previous year, according to Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton, authors of How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life (2004). According to newer Gallup research, what employees want most — along with competitive pay — is quality management. When they feel unappreciated and disapprove of their managers, … [Read more...]
Leading Change, What You Say Is THE Key
”No one has to change; everyone has to have the conversation.” —David Whyte Business is fundamentally an extended conversation. Whether you’re speaking with your boss, team members, colleagues or direct reports, conversations shape what gets done. The quality of your conversations matters most, providing either: Clarity or confusion Collaboration or competition Inspiration or resistance Profound connection or disengaged boredom As a leader, you must engineer conversations to … [Read more...]
Ethical Slips and the Irresistible Urge to Cheat
Even with a solid foundation of good moral values, no one is immune to making unethical choices. Ethical slips and traps are rampant, from telling white lies that protect a friend, to ignoring a gut feeling and following orders when we know better. Not a month goes by without some highly publicized ethical scandal. Be it tax evasion, executive pay excesses, sexual dalliances and outright fraud, many individuals are simply unable to resist temptation. Does this make the perpetrators … [Read more...]
A Dashboard for Managing Complexity
Leading people and organizations is fundamentally more complicated than it was 20 years ago—and it’s not getting any easier. Economic and global uncertainties, along with innovative technologies, complicate efforts to run a business. Businesses are also becoming more intrinsically complex. It’s harder to predict outcomes because intricate systems interact in unexpected ways. Interpreting data also proves more challenging because: The degree of complexity may lie beyond our cognitive … [Read more...]