How do you deal with people who waste a lot of time chit chatting and scanning social media, then complain about being too busy and that they can’t get all their work done?

In a 2016 survey from CareerBuilder, nearly 20% of bosses believe workers put in less than five hours of real work per day. That is a lot of wasted human capital! Half...

Are your team members satisfied and engaged in their job? What does each one like about what they do? What do they avoid whenever possible? Are they overwhelmed with the amount of work they have, or are they bored to death? Are there ways that their job could work better for them? Do they see a future at your company? Do you see a future for...

Do you remember your first day on the job?

What was it like? Was it structured around meetings, getting your computer password, getting your ID card? Did you get a tour through the facility and have a chance to meet with your team members to get to know them and so they can get to know you?

Or, were you shown your cubicle/desk and told...

When you go to work every day, what are you focused on?

First, naturally, your people. How are they doing personally? Do they have what they need? Are they on track with their projects? How can you help them succeed?

Second must be your organizational strategy. What larger goal are you trying to accomplish? Do you get really good and clear about...

As a leader, do you think about the jobs you hire people to do?

Study after study suggest that people want meaningful work that matters. When you think about it, that’s probably what you want too.  Let’s face it—no one wants to get up early every weekday and head to a job where they have little to do, or where what they do...

What are you doing to expand the talents and skills of your people?

One of the main reasons people seek out other opportunities is because they are bored.  They have done this job forever, and simply can’t see themselves going through another year of more of the same. Or, they have tons of talent and are quick learners, and they have...

The work’s gotta get done…right?

As a leader, your two inputs for getting the work done is machines and people.  When dealing with machines, we all know that regular maintenance and updating is required so they don’t break down and prevent progress.  Easy, right?

What about your people?

Early psychologists liked to...

Are you a great coach?  Do you know when and how to help your direct report move forward on a project or correct course toward a goal?

You and your employee are a team.  You have assigned him or her a project that will get your entire team or organization closer to its goals. In that context, the two of you become a team working...

When things are going well at work and people are more or less getting their jobs done, things are pretty routine for most leaders.  It is when the shit hits the fan that we truly find out what leaders are made of and what their values are.

It’s when the organization is getting low on funds, or when the quarterly goals aren’t...

Leaders take action.

We all know the sayings: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”, and “You are measured by what you do, not what you say you will do”, and many other that illustrate that accomplishing something is what leadership is all about.

It’s a lot like exercise–it is easy to sit at our...