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 […]
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. […]
The boardroom of a company is often filled with a bevy of extroverts. That comes as no surprise; outgoing and authoritative, extroverts are natural leaders. Extroverted leaders prize communication, openness, and group work, and they get their energy through socialization—all of which makes an extrovert a great fit for the head of a company or an organization. In fact, according to the Harvard Business Review, 60% of senior-level managers identified as extroverts—and a full 65% said that introversion would be […]
The goal of a bonus program is to motivate employees to achieve results in valuable way for everyone. In other words, they should be designed to get everyone from the receptionist to management to leadership to owners all “rowing the boat in the same direction”. Sometimes though, bonus programs are poorly set up, measure the wrong results, set people against each other and/or do not communicate what is happening until after the fact Below is a brief history of bonus […]
Imagine bowling with your boss… You throw the ball down the lane, but your boss has a sheet between you and the pins. You hear something happening, lots of noise, but no idea of what actually happened. How many pins are left standing? Where are they? Was that perhaps a gutter ball? You then ask how you are doing and the response is, “don’t worry about it, I will tell you at the end of the year.” Imagine this happening […]