The good and faithful servant.
When my three boys were younger, each time I took them to the grocery store, without fail, someone would approach me and say these five words, “My, your hands are full!”
I quickly became irritated by this phase because I found it slightly critical and not at all constructive. Each time someone said it to me, I always thought, “If ...
Why now is the time to buy
If you’ve never heard of the Silver Tsunami, you might think it’s a car, a Mitsubishi, perhaps. Or a fancy shake from Sonic with extra whipped cream.
The term actually denotes the high number of baby boomers who are ready for retirement and are leaving the workforce. Silver describes their age. Tsunami, the sheer force of their departure f...
On Building Relationships
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. That phrase has become so commonplace it’s almost like white noise. She got that first interview because of who she knew, he scored that big promotion because of who he knew, they got that recommendation because of who they know, we won the award because of who we know.
Sometimes this phrase i...
Don’t Quit
I’ve been at this for some time now. As a leader, I have seen the good, bad and ugly. I have led through hard times (ahem, Covid) and high times. I have seen shifts in what works and what doesn’t. I have hired good people and not so good people. I have said goodbye to employees I thought would stay, and applauded underdog employees as they soared and excelled.
...
Turning people loose in the workplace
My third child wears the same outfit every day. My mother comments, his teachers laugh, and sometimes I even attempt to haggle with him over switching out those worn black sweatpants for his “cool blue ones,” so I can get at least one wash in.
I’ve come to realize, however, that after having three children there are certain...
Some leaders may think of addressing poor performance as the “Big Bad Wolf” of leadership jobs and they fear having to do it. Instead, they circumvent it or cross their fingers hoping the situation never arises. When it does, they run in the other direction.
Not only is this bad leadership but it’s also bad for the success of the company, for company morale and for the...
On staying connected to your employees
There’s a scene in the hit sitcom, “The Office,” in which Charles Miner, one of the vice presidents of the company, pays a visit to the Scranton branch. He walks in and immediately goes into the empty conference room. He closes the door, pulls out his computer and spreads out his work. He proceeds to stay in there all day, typing ...
How To Be A Great Board Member
And Make a Huge Difference
Lots of good work is happening around you in your community. I can guarantee there are least four organizations a stone’s throw from your office that are dedicated to helping others. Houses are being built for those who can’t afford them at market rate. Exercise classes are being taught to lonely elderly who need ...
Whoops! On Making Mistakes
I was working as an intern at a Public Relations and Marketing firm during my final year of college. I was tasked with creating an Excel document that showed one of our biggest clients how valuable our services were. It showed them, in dollars, how effectively we had carried out their campaign.
After compiling and calculating all that we had done, I d...
Embrace the Winding Road
It would be great if a career path was a straight line. It would be wonderful if we signed up for a particular profession as a child, gained the knowledge that we needed to be successful, went on to do the thing we had anticipated, and retired happy and fulfilled, knowing that the work we did made a difference in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
...
