The current brouhaha over the impending Fiscal Cliff is yet another example of a national culture that waits for crisis before taking action. The irony in this current example is that our political leaders actually created the cliff to force themselves to address this complex economic issue. In other words, because they couldn’t work togetherRead… Read more »
Some small business owners have been slow to realize many of the practices they were schooled on by the past generation are no longer viable in the age of the Internet. Often the difference between making it and breaking it as an independent business is by employing lean modern methods to limit the needless overheadRead… Read more »
I drive a 2002 Kia Rio and over the last few years I have noticed countless others driving the same vehicle. Each time I see a Kia Rio, I cannot refrain from comparing our cars. Is my car in better shape? Does their car come with power windows with extra leg room? Although I continueRead… Read more »
Creating a platform that works for you There is a lot of buzz around the word platform recently. From the source of all knowledge (Wikipedia): “Platform technology is a term for technology that enables the creation of products and processes that support present or future development.” The key word in here is enables. For companiesRead… Read more »
As a young boy I lived with my family in Cuba, where my father was stationed. We lived in a village near the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, and I played with the neighborhood kids or fished off the back deck of the house (when I wasn’t in school). I have a vivid memory of aRead… Read more »
I’m not sure who got more out of our time together, Miguelito, my employees, or me. He was nine when I met him. Both of his parents were serious alcoholics. I was stationed overseas and living by myself in a modest two bedroom concrete house in the mountains. Miguelito (Spanish for “Little Michael”), like theRead… Read more »
Below is an article I wrote for ASTD on the above topic: Virtually everyone seems to agree that great organizations generally have high morale. After all, when morale is high, the employees tend to have more energy and greater focus on achieving the organization’s goals. Conversely, when morale is low, employees seem to have lessRead… Read more »
You wouldn’t hire Jonathan Ive and put him in a cubicle with an underpowered Lenovo laptop, would you? You wouldn’t sign Peyton Manning to run the triple-option offense, would you? You wouldn’t hire Tony Stark but tell him he’s not allowed using your tools, would you? Then why do organizations continue to hire social mediaRead… Read more »
We are all leaders. At some point in our careers and even personal lives, we have the opportunity to lead. But what makes us successful leaders? There are countless articles, whitepapers, books, and journals of what a good leader looks like. In your experience, what do you think are the top 3 traits of aRead… Read more »
Friends: I thought you might be interested in my latest article on visual management: Visual Management is a system of management that uses all of your available space to send a consistent, whole-brained message which focuses on accomplishing your mission and achieving your goals. At the same time, it will help you engage and motivateRead… Read more »