Posts by Mark Weaver

Workplace conflict. It happens. We like to think that time will resolve things. Time doesn’t heal; it buries. Left unresolved, issues fester and become apparent later. And when they do it’s usually worse. The biggest mistake most people make is not to try to resolve things. The next biggest mistake people make is to try…

Founders’ Syndrome. At least that’s what I call it. Someone has a great idea, an invention, a new way, a new service. Others join the adventure – partners, employees, investors. At some point one of 2 things can happen: Sometimes this works. Kind of. Some founders just aren’t leaders. Some have no idea how to…

Did you know that about $1 billion is spent on employee engagement initiatives annually in the U.S?  Did you know that there isn’t a lot of proof that it’s helping the bottom line?  Did you know that there isn’t a lot of proof that it’s helping employee engagement? Half a century ago, Psychologist Frederick Herzberg…

I have this 19 year old son who likes to quip that when his old man was a teenager surfing in Florida, there was no sand on the beach. Only rocks. Erosion hadn’t created sand yet. So when I talk about what life was like when I entered the professional workplace, let’s just say it…

Maybe it’s because I’m the dad of a High School athlete, but I find this time of year exciting. Coaches are getting teams to end of summer practices, camps, and workouts all geared to help athletes start off the fall athletic season at the top of their game. Coaches know that the best teams aren’t…

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… It can seem that way when you hire a new employee. Many employers have hired someone who was fine in the interview, not realizing the gem she is until after she starts. It’s great when we’re pleasantly surprised. Many employers have also hired…

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), 88,778 charges were filed in 2014.  31,863 of those alleged illegal harassment in the Private Sector; 15, 226 were within the Federal Government.  Add in other Public Sector employees (state and local governments, school boards, universities…), retaliation claims, and some other charges and you get to the…

This week all kind of people are talking about our Founding Fathers; what they said, what they meant, what they codified, what they didn’t.  Americans of every age, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, political party, and any combo or mix thereof, will all join one another watching civic demonstrations of patriotism.  We’ll eat, parade, watch…

That’s what Philip Crosby called the traditional forms of Quality Improvement in his day.  As a best-selling author and Quality Guru, Phil approached quality from a whole different perspective from “Acceptable Quality Levels,” and an attitude of “That’s Close Enough.”  He spoke of “Zero Defects” and an attitude of “Do It Right the First Time.” …

School’s out, the weather’s great, the mountains beckon, and employees want time off.  For many employees, time off is one of the most important benefits an employer can offer.  Companies that provide attractive time off benefits have a distinct advantage in recruiting and retaining today’s workforce.  Following are 5 things to look at right now…