Dear Madeleine, I run a large team for a media company. The CEO has a lot of strengths but is inconsistent and often irrational. My team is constantly on the hook to respond to endless PR issues, so we never quite know what is coming at us. Before Covid we all came to the office…
Dear Madeleine, I am an EVP for a major insurance company where I have been leading a large team for five years. I was just getting the hang of things when COVID hit, and since then it has been a mad scramble to keep up with all of the changes. I have a hybrid workforce…
One of my favorite buildings is the Chrysler Tower in New York City. Although it was constructed 90 years ago, that building is still standing because it was built with integrity. Since it was designed and assembled properly, it doesn’t need to be propped up—it just needs to be maintained. The same can be said…
Have you ever stayed in the office longer than productively necessary, gone to work while you were sick, or put in overtime when you were already exhausted simply to impress the boss? If yes, you might be suffering from presenteeism—and it may be harming both you and your business over the long term. Traditionally, this…
Dear Madeleine, I am a senior director at a big pharma company. Our company has grown quickly through mergers and acquisitions—four in the last four years, in fact. I’ve noticed a big problem with what seems to be an “us and them” culture. Even some of my peers forget that we are all one company…
Is your workplace frustrating and lifeless—or is it engaging and inspiring? For many people, descriptors such as dreary, discouraging, or fear-based are often mentioned. The problem, according to Chris Edmonds, author of The Culture Engine: A Framework for Driving Results, Inspiring Your Employees, and Transforming Your Workplace, is that leaders don’t put as much thought into…
In his new book, The Culture Engine: A Framework for Driving Results, Inspiring Your Employees, and Transforming Your Workplace, author Chris Edmonds identifies a common problem that keeps many leaders from addressing potentially dysfunctional corporate cultures—they aren’t aware of how bad it really is! In Edmonds’ experience, leaders—especially senior leaders at the highest levels in…
Can you fill-in-the-blanks on these common workplace belief statements? It’s not personal, it is just ________. The purpose of business is to _____ _______. We need to hold people ___________. The only thing that really matters is _______. If you cannot measure it, it _________ ________. We have embedded these beliefs so deep in our…
At the present, most customers are a bit overwhelmed with choices. Think for a minute. When we want to buy something, go on a trip, stay at a hotel, get a new dog, new barbecue—what do we do? Most of us go online to check out reviews of what others have done and recommend. It…
Picture clothes shopping with a 13-year-old. But first some background: He has worn only basketball shorts and jerseys as his “uniform” for a few years. Nothing, except his school dress code, could pull him away from those awful clothes. (And did I mention that he was 13?) That was the task I faced as I…