so your vision is never lost.
LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS
Brace yourself for a troubling statistic: a recent Gallup poll found that only 35 percent of employees are engaged in their work. What’s worse, research shows that when managers are disengaged, it has a cascade effect on the employees they manage, leading to less engagement over all. [1. “U.S. Employee Engagement Unmoved in June at 31.9%,” http://www.gallup.com/poll/184061/employee-engagement-unmoved-june.aspx?g_source=EMPLOYEE_ENGAGEMENT&g_medium=topic&g_campaign=tiles] With all the effort good leaders expend trying to create a welcoming, engaging atmosphere for managers and employees — everything from ping pong tables […]
In this week’s video blog our expert guide, Don Hadley, discusses the difference between consultants and guides. Let’s start with the definition of consultants: “People who provide expert advice professionally.” (from Merriam Webster) They then tell you what you need to do and then leave. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines a guide as “a person who leads or directs other people on a journey.” The next time you are wondering if you should hire a consultant or if you have had […]
In this week’s video blog our expert guide, Don Hadley, discusses the concept of engaging or not engaging with individuals. There are certain times when it is appropriate to engage in conversations or business with people. Then, there are times when it is just as appropriate to not engage with people. This brings to mind a saying, “A relationship is like a glove. You should be able to fit in the glove, wear it and have room to work effectively.” […]
In this week’s video blog our expert guide, Don Hadley, discusses how critical it is for leaders to take responsibility for the success of their teams when they are not in the office. The only way to develop the people that work for you into independent, self-sufficient leaders is to clearly communicate the deliverables necessary to run your organization. Make certain that these deliverables are written down, part of the job descriptions, viewed as tactics for success. Your employees […]
Have you ever found yourself figuratively (or perhaps literally!) banging your head against your office wall, trying to rack your brain to come up with a solution to a new problem or opportunity that your company faced? Those solitary head-banging sessions often end in frustration because, frankly, even the smartest business leaders need the collective strength of teams to come up with workable solutions. In fact, a 2012 survey of employees and executives found that a whopping 86 percent of […]
Many companies come to Applied Vision Works wondering how they can make their teams more cohesive. A lot of managers looking for tips on team building are dealing with it from a reactive point of view. Usually, they’re trying to solve problems that already exist in the teams they’ve created. Their teams might be failing to collaborate, lack a common vision, or not know how to communicate. The fact is many of those problems will exist before the team ever […]
Running an organization is like flying an airplane, although it is not as dramatic. When an airplane has a warning light go on, the crew reacts. In business, too often leaders wait to see what happens…and they wait…and they wait… and by the time the crash occurs, it is too late. We have identified seven typical situations where we see slow death occur within organizations. Leaders in these situations must make changes to get to a new and better reality. […]
While every business is different, there are some basic business cultures that just about every company exhibits. Most companies will fit into at least one or two of the archetypes of business, whether those categories be control, collaborate, compete, or create. While some might think that one culture can be better than another, there’s actually a way to make any culture work. Just like personalities, company cultures are not static and there is a way to adjust any company culture […]