Perhaps the most important caveat is to avoid making excuses. Q: How do companies that have shown consistent declines communicate positive messages that don’t feel hollow both internally and externally? A: The messaging will be distinctly different if market changes primarily caused the decline than if there have been failed initiatives by management. Only after…
Q: How can I create a culture of organizational creativity? A: Fostering organizational creativity requires making creativity a strategic priority. Making time to generate ideas or think is seen as a luxury or something that’s done during annual planning or in a crisis. Organizations that have creative cultures dedicate time to generating new ideas. Fostering…
Managers can serve their employees as a positive guiding influence, or they can function as a source of disengagement and unethical behavior. Q: Should managers be accountable for unethical behavior of their employees? A: While I don’t think managers can or should be held personally liable for independent unethical actions of their subordinates, I do…
The ease of forming partnerships increases the risk of jumping in before knowing whether it’s a good fit. Q: My company has been approached by a very large corporation to become a “strategic partner,” supplying them with some of our specialized equipment. I’m flattered to be considered, but what do you think about the imbalance?…
Businesses Need To Nurture Leaders Who Know The Right Thing To Do — And Do It Companies need to cultivate “moral champions” – employees who defend key values within the organization. Companies also need to weed out “moral sinners and neutrals” – employees who know right from wrong but don’t act on it. Businesses should…
What makes a “good” or “principled” leader? This question has occupied philosophers, scholars, and practitioners for centuries, and it is not likely that even five books will scratch the surface of the complexity of this question. Nevertheless, we have to start somewhere! I take a strategic approach to this question, one that synthesizes these centuries…
Q: How do leaders find satisfaction in each workday and create an environment conducive to employee satisfaction? A: When employees feel they are secure in their basic needs and wants, they aspire to a sense of shared governance with the leader. This recognition of their time, energy and effort produces a state of contentment, possibly…
Q: I am interested in learning more about how diversity and inclusion efforts can improve my business outcomes. Can you provide some local resources? A: You are correct in believing that diversity and inclusion efforts (D&I) can have an impact on your business. The business case ranges from the simple — your employees look like…
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