Habits are a time saver. They function a bit like reading a large paper map and knowing where to go with a single glance instead of having to rotate the map and trace the route to the destination with your finger. But sometimes there’s a downside to this kind of efficiency. Sometimes the fast way…
In a recent online Forbes article, a start up CEO shares how he gets things done. He explains the mechanics of creating his master to-do list each week and how he transforms his many big projects into smaller to-dos on his daily action plan. He says that the process he uses keeps the projects moving forward…
My discussions with managers about employee motivation often center on getting employees to be more motivated for their work. Managers then describe the reasons they need employees to be “more motivated.” Usually it is to achieve the important goals (or tasks) for which they are responsible. But discussing motivation in terms of how much someone…
One of the most persistent beliefs leaders tell themselves and employees is that if you can’t measure something, it does not matter. I can easily refute that belief with two questions: 1. Do you love your partner/spouse, mother, father, or children? 2. If yes (no one has answered no yet), then tell me precisely how…
So here we are again on the cusp of the new year. One slippery six week slope to 2014. Another spin around the sun officially starting on January 1. We will soon read all sorts of advice about how to set our New Year Resolutions, how to avoid letting yet another gym membership go to…
One of the most perplexing questions in business is how to think about people. On the one hand, we realize that we need each other if our organizations are to achieve what the founders, current leaders, and employees—people all—wish to achieve. We are reminded that there is no “I” in team, and that all great…
Last week, one of my executive coaching clients was noticeably frustrated. His firm had just released a new product that his company leaders believe has the potential to become a real game changer. Development time lines have been aggressive and productive. A company-wide, cross-functional team has created major innovations in the product itself, along with new…
The great motivation debate among business leaders has been whether motivation is a trait we are born with or a skill that can be developed. Contemporary research has answered that question; motivation is a skill that can be nurtured and developed in oneself and others. This important finding means that employees at all levels have…
Last week I met with a group of sales managers for a national retailer that is doing very well. Turnover is low. Same-store sales have been outpacing their peer group for five years. Quarterly and annual financials have been excellent. The question they were asking was, “How do we keep our people motivated?” I asked…
In a recent post for the Harvard Business Review blog, editor Gretchen Gavett reported the latest Gallup research on employee engagement. In the article, Ten Charts That Show We’ve All Got a Case of the Mondays, we learn—again—that the majority of the U.S. workforce is woefully disengaged and has been for many years. We read—again—that…