By now, you may have heard about that audiotape featuring a Comcast employee and a long-suffering customer who wanted nothing more than to have his service canceled sans fuss. Unfortunately, the very aggressive and very talkative sales representative refused to comply until the customer would tell him why he “wouldn’t want the fastest internet in the country.” Apparently, this employee ...

The great poet John Donne famously wrote that “No man is an island.” Donne’s observation was a comment on humanity's inherent interdependence, and it’s hard to argue with his worldview. People need other people. That’s a fact. And this fact is very apparent in the workplace, where absolutely nothing can be accomplished without team effort. Yet, employers often don’t think to develop pro...

The Omnia Assessment measures our most comfortable behaviors in 4 areas: Assertiveness, Sociability, Pace and Need for Structure. When I say most comfortable, I mean those behaviors that require the least amount of stretch, the least amount of, well, discomfort. We all like to move smoothly on our rails so to speak. That certainly doesn’t mean we can’t jump tracks or challenge ourselves ...

Every July, my family heads to the shore. We spend hours at the beach sunning, swimming, cooking out and just generally enjoying each other and a much-needed week or so off from work. It’s all topped off by a big Independence Day bash complete with cornhole competitions and a fishing contest. Whoever catches the biggest fish gets a medal and their name branded into a wooden leaderboard. ...

Management. Leadership. Though these two terms are used interchangeably, they are not the same at all. Equating management with leadership - so what? Knowing the differences could set your course toward growth and success, whether personal, professional, or organizational. A disclaimer: Below are a few observations and suggestions. The further from the problem, the easier it is to give a...

You are doing only part of your job as a supervisor if you give the squeaky wheels, that is, your challenging employees, enough grease to get the train out of the station. It is equally important to perform the other half of your responsibilities: To show appreciation to your star employees so that you retain the people who keep the train on track. At this very moment, your best people...

You know that simply because employees are outstanding in their current roles does not mean they have what it takes to manage the team, right?  Sometimes the qualities that make them star performers—reliability, consistency, conflict avoidance, seniority—are not sufficient to merit their appointment to the top slot, no matter how much they desire the post . . . or at least the income tha...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] When we think about innovation, we usually picture someone quirky and isolated, like Yoshiro Nakamatsu the inventor of the floppy disc. When Nakamatsu had a specific mental challenge, he would head down to the pool, dive in, and hold his breath until he was completely deprived of oxygen. When he surfaced, gasping for breath, he would madly scribble do...