San Francisco Fleet Week is an annual public event that honors the contributions of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces while advancing cooperation and knowledge among civilian and military personnel. As the largest and most significant event of its kind in the nation, Fleet Week features a unique training and education […]
There is much wisdom written these days about the importance of your workforce to enhance your bottom line. Go online and search for “invest in your people” or “good jobs revolution” and you will learn how the conventional wisdom—labor viewed only as a cost—is debunked. Places like Deloitte University and prominent researchers are finding that […]
Doug Burgum is the remarkable entrepreneur who founded Great Plains Software and sold it for over a billion dollars (now Microsoft Dynamics GP). In a keynote address to aspiring business entrepreneurs and company founders, Burgum focused his remarks on four values that he explained are the keys to success: Passion, Courage, Perseverance, and Gratitude. Here are […]
Why Culture Matters One does not need to look very hard to find evidence that high-performing corporate cultures positively impact the bottom line. Here are some compelling arguments for creating a values-driven, high-performing culture. “Research shows that [leaders who] effectively manage the people side of change are five times more likely to meet objectives and […]
Christine Porath’s recent article in The New York Times created a quiz to assess toxicity in a work environment suggesting that how we treat one another at work matters. Porath presents 13 statements and asks employees to rate them on a seven-point “Always to Never” scale: My manager is disrespectful. People I work with are […]
Steve Hermanos wrote an article in San Francisco’s Marina Times about successful coaching tips for Little Leaguers. The tips, taken from the Positive Coaching Alliance, are reminiscent of the wisdom of All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum. Perhaps leaders, managers, business owners and us executive coaches can take […]
Even the National Basketball League’s Most Valuable Player, Stephen Curry, one of the top athletes in the world, has Steve Kerr as a coach. Likewise, top executives also hire coaches. It’s important to remember: It’s not about the coach, it’s all about the executive and his or her team. The best executive coaches are in […]
Here is a quick “intuitive assessment” about how well your company functions. Answer these questions—a simple “yes” or “no” will do. Then ask your employees to answer the questions as a validation exercise. What do you think you will discover? Does you company have: a strong set of (published) core values that everyone participated in […]
For anyone with a level of sensitivity or empathy, firing an employee is never fun. In reality, however, sometimes it has to be done. It has to be done when it is best for the company, best for the employee, or best for both. It’s pretty clear when employees need to be let go. Their […]
It was gratifying when one of my clients, Cathy Choi, was the subject of the following NY Times article. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/business/cathy-choi-of-bulbrite-on-letting-workers-set-values.html Cathy is president of Bulbrite, Inc., and attributes the company’s double-digit growth and much of its success (20% increase in sales) to the values-driven culture we developed together at Bulbrite. Company values impact productivity, work […]
