Poor Communication Skills in the Workplace is Costly
Poor Communication costs you, both professionally and personally. One source estimates employee misunderstandings cost organizations $37 billion per year.  “Misunderstandings” are defined as: actions or errors of omission by employees who were misinformed (or misunderstood) company policies, business processes, job functions or a combination of all three.  Additionally, communication barriers resulting in productivity losses had a cumulative cost of $26,041 per year per worker.  Leaders must make a conscious decision to improve. Eighty five percent of our success in life […]
Google and Yale Study Shows Experientially Diverse Teams Yield Productive Chaos
When we think of efficiency, we tend to picture something mechanical like a train–a well-tuned system that chugs along, each part working in unison, creating a beast of unusual power. And it is true that trains are very efficient, which is why when we create teams in our companies, we try to craft the most efficient possible group. Lots of time and money is spent figuring out which teams would have the smoothest dynamic. It turns out, though, that in […]
Dean Smith Shows Why Inclusive Leadership of Diverse Teams Fosters Creativity and Flexibility
Dean Smith began his long and historic coaching career at the University of North Carolina in 1961, at the tender age of 30, but already with a long history of compassion and inclusion behind him. As a high schooler in rural Kansas in the late 1940s, he pushed his school to integrate the basketball program, which at the time had separate teams for black and white players. He kept that activism up at UNC, where he signed the first African-American […]
Leading A Small But Effective Team
  We believe that great teamwork is essential to an organization. It enables businesses to achieve goals that an individual working alone cannot. Employees can achieve a higher level of contentment and becoming part of something greater is the very fuel for happiness. In order to create an effective team, we have identified four necessary attributes: Have The Purpose, Value or Charter In Writing If you are going to achieve success, you must start by identifying your purpose, values, or […]
The Rule of 44 For Hiring “A” Players
We believe that hiring “A” players is the most important job within an organization and it can be one of the biggest challenges. To get and keep your top performers, you have to engage both their current skill sets and their future aspirations while demonstrating a culture of trust and respect. Rather than trying to identify what the exact answer is for you in your industry, we like to use ‘The Rule of 44.’   In four areas, have four different […]
Equal To The Love You Make: Improve Your Company Culture With Charitable Giving
There is a new trend in the workplace. Since 2007, employer sponsored charitable programs have been rising steadily, with 20% of employers offering some kind of charitable options as of 2013[1.Halzak, Sarah. “Paid Time off for Volunteering Gains Traction as Way to Retain Employees.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2015. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/paid-time-off-for-volunteering-gains-traction-as-way-to-retain-employees/2013/08/09/86189774-fe95-11e2-96a8-d3b921c0924a_story.html]. Whether employers are offering their workers time off or matching contributions in their name, employers are learning that getting involved doesn’t just help […]
Emerging Business Trends For 2016
At this time of year we look at the trends emerging for next year and for a few years to come. Here are a few of our observations: We have seen that teams, organizations and leaders have become much more flexible and fluid to stabilize their structure and organizations. Leaders are paying more attention to millennials.  A purpose must be created and a value system understood with a clear sign of progress seen to attract, motivate and retain this group […]
React Quickly: Prevent Slow Death
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. […]
Diversity Is More Than Just a Buzzword: How to Cultivate a Workplace Culture That Celebrates — Not Stifles — Employee Diversity
Hiring for diversity is an especially hot topic in the world of HR right now. But diversity in the workplace is about so much more than filling hiring quotas; having a diverse workforce can position companies to succeed in places where a more homogenous group of employees might fail. Business leaders are increasingly concerned with fostering a workplace culture that values and encourages employee diversity — and great leaders understand how to use that diversity to a company’s advantage. Is […]