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It can be tough being a boss.  Most people don’t really like confrontation, particularly when it’s with someone they may have to work with day in and day out.  Many make the mistake of thinking that if they just keep overlooking a performance deficiency or a behavior that is incongruent with company values, that the…

How did your team do?  Being that it’s February 2, 2015, that may sound like a post-Super Bowl question.  Watching athletic teams is a great way to see how an effective team works.  Or how an ineffective one doesn’t.  But I’m really after how your team – your work team – has done. It takes some…

We’ve all seen the signs.  We know when an employee isn’t performing, or is behaving in a way that is toxic to the work environment.  When you see the potential of it going down the path to termination, there are some steps you can take to make it less hazardous to all involved:   There are…

Most employers know that they should address employee performance and behavior problems.  Few do.  Many save up discussions about problems until some annual review and then dump it on employees who thought everything was fine.  Many save up frustrations with performance until they just can’t tolerate it anymore, and then find some convenient way of…

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 came…

If you’re one to regularly work out in a health club or gym, this is the time of year you hate to go work out the most.  That’s because all kinds of people who aren’t normally there are trying to figure out how to use equipment they don’t routinely use, slowing down your workout.  And…

New Year’s Resolutions for Leaders This is also a great time of year to look ahead.  The human thing to do around the turn of the year is to come up with those New Year’s Resolutions.  Here are some resolutions related to leadership, that you could consider making yours: 1.  Part ways with that bad…

Working for Quality Guru and best-selling author Philip Crosby early in my career, I learned that there was a difference between Quality Control and Quality Management.  Quality Control is often after-the-fact measurement to determine if a product was within “Acceptable Quality Levels.”  That was what Phil called “Conventional Wisdom.” There’s nothing wrong with Quality Control…

Yes, it’s that time of year.  Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa or merely the end of the year, this is an excellent time to say thanks to employees.  You’ve undoubtedly heard a financial planner tell you that it’s not how much you make that’s important, but how much you get to keep.  Same…

Welcome to December!  About this time of year, many employers wonder what they can and cannot do related to their holiday of choice.  Advice varies; sometimes based on the personal preferences of the advisor rather than on the law or common sense.  Read more…  The Second Absolute of Quality “An ounce of prevention is worth…