Reading in the airport while waiting for a flight to Houston, a housekeeper was tidying around me when approached by another facilities employee. After a few minutes of easily overheard chit-chat, she received coaching from her now apparent supervisor."You know," he said "I'd like you to pace yourself." Intrigued by his words, I stopped reading to eavesdrop and heard as he told her, "You're doing too good a job. You don't n...

You don't need an employee engagement expert to confirm what you already know and Gallup polling substantiates: the majority of employees are disengaged at work. You don't need an employee survey to tell you why discretionary efforts are tamed, passions for work are fleeting, and ideas are tethered. And you don't need a consultant to explain why cynicism is up, enthusiasm is down, and trust is the new workplace currency.All...

Ever hear the story of the two masons working side by side at a building site? They're doing the same work under pretty much the same conditions. One day a stranger comes along, approaches one of the men and asks, "What are you doing?""I don't know and I don't care," replies the man, his voice brimming with irritation. All I do is slap this crummy mortar on these crummy bricks and pile them up in a crummy line. That's what...

All requests are not equal; all customers or clients are not equal; all to-do-list tasks are not equal; all work responsibilities are not equal. You can do fifty things today and get little, if any, return on your personal investment for having done them. Or you can do one or two things which have a large return.You possess personal capital. It's comprised of your time, effort, knowledge and skills. Investing that capital w...

As I turned on the national news, two "experts" were debating one of the societal issues that divide this country. For minutes their ping-ponged comments volleyed about a controversial book and a soon-to-be-released movie.Then, the commenter asked both guests if they had either read the book or seen the pre-released movie. "No," answered the first man "but I've heard from people who have." "No," answered the second, "but I'...

The Emperor's New Clothes was a favorite childhood story of mine. It made me laugh. I couldn't believe all those adults were standing around, watching the emperor make a fool of himself and not telling him the truth. When I grew up and went to work, I discovered it wasn't that easy.In twenty years in management, I found the majority of people operated like the Emperor's ministers: people more concerned with personally looki...

Henry Ford is reported to have quipped, "Why is it that I always get the whole person when what I really want is a pair of hands?" The 21st century version doesn't sound quite like that, but its essence prevails in plenty of workplaces.The functional equivalent of Ford's thinking is housed in statements from supervisors, managers, and coworkers like: "What do you mean her kid is sick again, and I have to do her work?" "I kn...

"Stop being such a Pollyanna," a trusted, more experienced colleague counseled as we took the long route back to my office. He had just witnessed my project idea annihilated as co-workers eagerly argued why my idea wouldn't work, where it was flawed and why it shouldn't be funded. Despite naysayers in the room that day, I believed it was worth pursuing. Ultimately, it did receive funding and became, in time, a successful en...

Even now, months after it happened, it surprises me when I think about it. No phone call. No heads up. No discussion. As I opened the email from a business associate, checking my messages from an airport lounge, I expected a routine update. Instead, I read a message severing our relationship.What startled me wasn't that this person decided it best to change a business situation. These things happen. It was how she informed...

The cyclical and now ubiquitously appearing phrase, back to basics, ignites supporters. The reasonableness of returning to previously successful principles, ethics, systems, accountability, approaches, or you-name-it, appears a tantalizing remedy for our individual or collective woes. Who can argue with the refocusing trend of business to trim waste or reconnect with customers, or an expert's approach to help income-starved...