A few years ago my wife and I lost a pet. Our cat Joe got away from us and hid in the woods for three weeks. It was devastating. For the previous 14 years, we had been blessed with three cats, but within a year all three passed. Joe was a Christmas present to my [...]
With unemployment at near record lows, a younger workforce that’s not waiting for the gold watch, and wages on the rise it’s more important than ever to keep your valuable people. Companies that understand this and work on retaining their staff will control the market while businesses that don’t “get it” will fail. Learning how [...]
Is your team meeting your expectations? If so, I applaud you. But if expectations are unmet and your belief is people should just do their job – good luck with that. My observation is that most managers fall somewhere in the middle. You don’t expect everyone just to do their job because people need direction. [...]
So, what can you learn from the signs of route 66? As I write this, a co-worker and her daughter are cruising somewhere on Route 66. They began exploring the highway several years ago, gradually heading west and eventually want to make it to the end at Santa Monica. This year they hope to make [...]
I’ve been in management for more than 30 years, and the first thing I want to say about the five leadership activities I’m about to share is – I’m still working on them. All of them. All five. So, this will not make you an overnight leadership ninja. What I hope it does is put [...]
Not long ago, my wife and I attended a reception for the Hoosier Auto Show sponsored by the Circle City Corvairs. Corvair owners, (it’s a car from the sixties) drove from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio to show their cars. It was a catered event. The previous year they ran out of food. This year, [...]
I’ve been fortunate to have been mentored by many wise leaders and friends. However, one piece of advice I received more than 30 years ago stands out because it changed my life. But before I share the advice, let me give you my back story. Drop out I was married at 19 years old, dropped [...]
Do you remember what it’s like the first day on a new job? I don’t care how confident anyone is, the first day is in the least uncomfortable, and at times even for the fearless among us, and it can be downright scary. The newbie doesn’t know who is who, where they’re supposed to go, [...]
A friend sent me a copy of a letter she’d written for an organization where she mentors high school students. She’d been asked to write about a mentor that had impacted her. She chose me. My favorite thing she said was, “Randy taught me that silliness shouldn’t just be accepted—it should be encouraged!” Here's why [...]
Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” For a long time, I thought I understood what he meant, but I was only partially enlightened. It wasn’t until I faced obstacles that stopped me in my tracks that I began to understand what he meant. Are you waiting for others to [...]
