Blog Topics
Looking for something specific? The following topics address a wide range of business needs and challenges.
Lean: The Missing Piece is Behavior
For many years the lean champions who have been through our Performance Management classes have all said the same thing, “This is the missing piece.” Most of them had experienced the same…
Do Relationships Matter in Safety?
When it comes to safety, organizations need more than just compliance; they need people to follow the rules all the time, even when no one is watching. In this short video segment, Dr. Judy Agnew…
Horrible Boss? Kill Them With Kindness...or More Specifically, Positive Reinforcement!
With all of the hype surrounding the new movie release “Horrible Bosses,” it forces those of us that have had a horrible boss in the past to relive our own experiences. In an article I read this week…
A Reversal of Fortunes: Who is Really Appraised By the Performance Appraisal Process?
Now, I know I’ve said this before but, just because something is printed in HBR doesn’t necessarily make it true or valuable. I was reminded recently of an article in HBR that provides tips for how…
Gambling with Safety
Why companies unknowingly put themselves at risk
It’s probably a fair statement to say that companies are interested in supporting a safe work environment in their organizations. But it is all…
What You Might Not Know, But Should, About the Effective Use of Measurement
Measurement gets a bad rap! In business, measurement can be used to solve problems and help companies perform better, but one of the most frequent uses of measurement is to identify performers…
Twitter: More Than a Social Platform—An Effective (and Cool!) Tool for Building Fluency in Pinpointing
Without fail, one of the most challenging tasks managers and leaders face in building coaching fluency models is developing pinpointing skills. I see it consistently with my new clients during their…
A Perspective on Culture and Brand Japan, Post-Tsunami
I came across an article from NPR (Of War and Kisses: How Adversity Shapes Culture) that provides great context for how cultures are shaped and nurtured. Before I go further, I think it’s…
Can You Speak Up? I Can’t Hear You
Maureen Dowd recently wrote an Op Ed piece in the New York Times entitled Giving Doctors Orders, in which she discusses the importance of speaking up and asking your doctor to wash his or her hands…
Mining Safety No Reality in Coal TV Series
Spike TV's show Coal provides a window into the practices of the Cobalt coal mine in McDowell County, West Virginia. The series clearly presents the pressure to bring the coal to the…
Eliminating Rare Errors – Even Sleeping Air Traffic Controllers
It’s happened again! An air traffic controller deliberately made his bed and slept in it while 7 different aircraft were trying to safely land at a Tennessee airport. I think it’s safe to assume this…
Translating Sports Philosophies to Business: A Lesson for Us All
Just recently I was asked to comment for an article that was published on Mainstreet.com, Famous Sports Wisdom to Use at Work. This was no far stretch for me as I have collected various quotes…
For Women Only: When is Talking About Yourself Helpful to Your Career?
While reading an article from the Huffington Post by Marcia Reynolds titled, When Women Talk about Themselves, They Earn More, it reminded me of something my actress daughter said jokingly that…
Are Googlers Really That Different From the Rest of Us?
This is not the first blog I have written about mistakes I think Google is making in how they are managing the company. It will probably not be the last. This blog was prompted by an…
Will Safety Issues Entangle Spiderman?
Workplace Safety will not improve until OSHA learns the basics of behavior change
I couldn’t help but be amused about an article in the New York Times reporting the latest citation by Federal…
Steve Jobs: Recent Appearance Raises the Question of Legacy Planning
Sure the Apple community was thrilled yesterday when the man who runs what is arguably the most highly valued tech company in the world, took to the stage to launch its latest product amidst stepping…
Coaching ROI: Approach is Everything
Coaching, like leadership, is one of the most highly ‘Googled’ terms today. It wasn’t long ago that coaching was perceived as something poor performers received as a last ditch effort to improve…
“Let Me Speak to Your Supervisor”
Guest post by John Green
Does customer service have to be a thing of the past? Even the Superbowl ad from CarMax, an online used car buying service, brought to light the strong and effective…