My black backpack is starting to look green. I have a black nylon backpack I bought in 1994. I carry it every day. It has traveled with me from Paris to Puerto Vallarta. It once had a security sticker from the London Underground Authority, but it wore off a year or two ago. My wife [...]
We all hope our employees believe in our company values and follow and abide by company policies and procedures. We want to believe our teammates share the values outlined in mission statements and vision manifestos but do we know they share our company values? Not unless we ask. Do Your People Believe Your Company Values [...]
We've all been to a networking event and been cornered by “that” person, a networking Ninny Muggins. You know, the one whose motto is always be selling, or they’re so self-involved they have a conversation with themselves while you listen, nod, and drift. I’m here to tell you, whatever the networking experts have told you—that’s [...]
Do you know what makes a leader worth following? You've been promoted to manager. It’s your first real management position and you don’t want to mess it up. You've had bosses who helped the team be more productive, others who interfered with productivity, and some who hindered performance. You don't want to be one of [...]
How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? Last Saturday, while listening to The Nutcracker and retrieving Christmas decorations from the attic in preparation for installing exterior illumination, I thought about how friends and family would celebrate Thanksgiving. In this diverse land, how do others celebrate, and why are some traditions a part of nearly everyone's holiday? So, [...]
A college professor sent me this book report covering The New Manger's Workbook from one of the profs students. This isn't the first time I've heard from secondary educators who use my book as a text or offer it as collateral material. The New Manager’s Workbook A Crash Course in Effective Management Randy Clark – [...]
So, does your business move at the speed of change? I remember attending a management presentation promoted as being geared toward small businesses. It lasted more than 45 minutes. It was all over the place. The presenter shared several acronyms verbatim from a PowerPoint presentation. Don't get me wrong, most of the content had merit. [...]
How important is proper grammar for a blog? My friend, Eric Deckers, a great writer I respect, who (or is it "whom?") has written for newspapers for more than 20 years, said he never learned when to use "who" or "whom," and didn't care. Another writer/editor friend, whose work I thoroughly enjoy, was uncertain about [...]
Do you know what's important to your employees? Last week, I asked a management team how they could make their workplace better for their employees. A short discussion ended with the conclusion that the best answer to this question was to ask the employees. They're currently conducting an employee survey. The team has reviewed about [...]
If you're not currently working with or directly managing younger people in the workplace, you soon will be. Interacting with people outside your generation comes with a whole host of challenges. But there's one serious problem, in particular, to keep in mind when working with younger team members that you absolutely must hold at the [...]
