For quite some time, I was part of the management team of a manufacturing facility in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Quality was top of mind as we were getting ready to hire a new plant manager. Senior management in the organization refused to build high-profile components in Mexico because the expectation …
Responsibility
Hit me with your best shot
The famous Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had an Intern working for him. On one random Thursday morning, Secretary Kissinger asks the Intern to write a position paper on a particular topic. If you would rather listen to a podcast version, CLICK HERE, otherwise continue reading The Intern is …
Quick tips on how to build trust in teams
Identifying the issue Last week we discussed staying in your lane. In the article, we mention that trust and respect are some of the causes. For example; if your engineering manager doesn't trust the sales manager to follow through, you may see him butting in to this area of the business. Why isn't …
Does your team remind you of a 5 year olds soccer team?
Johnny! Run a LAP! Somehow I was voluntold to become a soccer coach when my daughter was 5-years old. Mind you, I knew nothing about soccer having never played before. After going to the library and reading up a bit (yes, the library - Google had not yet been invented), I figured out the basics of …
Balancing the needs of the organization and team in the post-pandemic era
In last week's blog, Motivators vs Consequences, we showed a pre-pandemic list of what employees value. Since the pandemic, the needs for autonomy, work-life balance, and flexible scheduling have moved up the list in importance. As leaders we must always keep the goals & objectives of the …
Motivators vs. Consequences!
You layout the new policy … your team will adapt their daily work habits and put it in place. If they do this the company will have; higher efficiency, more effectiveness, improved customer satisfaction, and they all will be treated to an additional week off with full pay after the results are …
Do you know what you want?
I was approached by a coaching client getting ready for a job interview. Their main concern was to come up with a narrative of what they could do in a position that had become vacant within their current employers' organization. My questions to the client: What do they need? How will they measure …
Make this years goal setting process easy
Mondays' have always been my day. I loved them. It was time to put my plan into action. That plan was different every week, but it was the same. It always revolved around sales, accounts, territories, products, management, building the team, internal and external meetings, traveling, putting …
Even a Jackass Can Teach You Something!
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors …
Tip: How to find enough time for …
You would love to try this, but you don't have time in your day. Don't people understand that you are running a business, have three kids, a house to take care of? How can you find time to try that new book, or workout 4 days a week like the neighbor? We all run into this at one time or another. …