In the movie, A Bug’s Life, Hopper the grasshopper says, “The first rule of leadership is everything is your fault.” That certainly can seem to be the way it is, but that’s more a potential outcome than a rule. There are a couple of other ways out there to define the first rule for leadership success: Show up […]

Here’s a question I received from a manager. What motivates employees to produce better results when I do not have options of offering them more money?  You might be surprised to learn that money isn’t all that motivates employees.  In fact, it’s often not near the top of the list of motivators. Does Money Motivate? To […]

Here is the text of the Declaration of Independence. Yes, celebrate freedom! Maybe, all members of Congress today should read this document, and be tested on it. The founding fathers weren’t perfect. Did you know the founding fathers of our country were traitors to Britain of which they were citizens? They were racist, too, because most […]

Think for a moment about changing habits in how you sign your name on a check-try using your other hand. Why not go ahead and actually try it…right now.  Experiment for a minute. What happened? For most of us the penmanship will be awful. Now, what do you think you will do the next time you write […]

Have you ever been so frustrated with bad customer service that you wanted to scream? My family and I moved recently. I also moved my business. So we had to do all of the things required to change vendors for a variety of services. One company after another failed in their customer service. The companies […]

Fatal CX flaws in thinking and strategy foretell the demise of most companies trying to improve their customers’ experience. Their efforts become an epic comedy of errors to the tune of the 3 Stooges or the Marx Brothers. It’s sadly unfortunate. You see, these companies and their executives aren’t doing their due diligence. These and […]

Managers coach better when they have been coached well. What happens if they haven’t experienced good coaching? Unfortunately, research indicates that only 75% of managers do more managing of tasks than they do coaching. In addition, they only invest 18% of their time in people management activities. In other words, good coaching doesn’t happen often […]

Lately, habits are habitually on my mind. I hear so many people, and so many professionals, talk about their desire for personal change- change within themselves and change outside of themselves. (Controllable change & uncontrollable change) It seems uncomfortable-almost wrong-to settle for anything in its current state. So, if we’re that uncomfortable with being where […]

Remember in the movie I, Robot, where the droids are activated as a group, and they begin to overtake the human population? It is a frightening idea with a lot of action. You could think of customers beginning to behave like that.  Customers have the power, and they are demanding better service. Market changes are […]

As soon as the word ‘coach’ enters the scene, subtly but seriously, an underlying tone is set for all coaching discussions. The coach has the expertise and the other persons needs the knowledge or skill. Power is divided. Authority is accomplished. And roles are recognized. The coach has all of the answers and dictates what has […]