Turnover in business is like leaving your doors and windows open on a cold winter day. You can still heat your house, but it will cost you. And you can save a boatload on your heating expenses if you just close your doors and windows. The U.S. Department of Labor cites the top two reasons that businesses fail: They run …
On March 12, 2019, a story broke in the news that continues to reverberate. Uber-wealthy parents paid between $200,000 and $6.5 million to ensure their children got into the colleges of their choice. Of course, the uber-wealthy have been leveraging their resources to get their children into elite colleges for generations, through large donations, legacy admissions, campus visits, tutors and …
I recently gave a presentation on different generations to a group of CEOs. Afterward, one of the older and wealthier CEOs told me this: “Behind every overpaid Millennial is a Baby Boomer executive who doesn’t know how to use his computer. Millennials would be nowhere without the wealth Boomers created.” While I know that is a common sentiment among Baby …
Last week, I was reminded of an article that was published in Harvard Business Review last year, “The Busier You Are, the More You Need Quiet Time.” In it, the authors go into how quiet time benefits everything from learning and memory to creativity, to increasing employee morale and productivity. Wonderful! But the authors fall short. At the end of …
I’ve been working with companies trying to manage a multigenerational workforce for almost 12 years. Until lately, the focus had always been on Gen Y or Millennials, the generation of people born between 1982-2000/01, as defined by “The Fourth Turning” by Strauss and Howe. But recently I have been doing more reading and speaking about the generation following Millennials. I’d …
In last week’s blog, we discussed the high cost of incivility in a workplace culture. This week, I’d like to discuss some ways you can create a more civil culture. Set a Destination An ancient Chinese proverb states, “If we don’t decide where we’re going, we’re bound to end up where we’re headed.” Creating a culture of civility requires leaders …
Last week I had a flashback — full-on, no holds barred, cognitively, emotionally and physically. A former consulting client called to see if I would work with him and his company again. As he described his current situation, his whole demeanor reminded me – through my flashback – why I stopped working with him and his company: incivility. Many people …
Recently I had the honor of working with The Executive Committee, Canada, better known as TEC Canada, during its “Canada Day” in San Diego. I gave a two-hour keynote presentation on culture as part of a full-day conference, which extended into the evening with a dinner gala and awards ceremony. While I speak at this type of event dozens of …
Think about the last time you walked on a beach. It was probably a bright, beautiful day. You could feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. Everything was picture perfect. Lovely … Enjoy the memory. Now think about the actual physical experience of walking on that beach. You might remember that every time you placed your foot down, …
As promised in my last blog post, this week we discuss how Newton’s second law of motion can be applied to changing workplace culture. The second law is more complex, but if you stick with me, I promise to use it to explain another big and painful challenge when creating change in workplace culture: resistance. Here’s Newton’s second law: F=ma. The vector sum …
