How to Make Your Company More Innovative: What Proctor & Gamble Teaches Us About Company Culture
Your company has a problem. You used to be small and innovative, but lately you’ve gotten too big. It used to be easy to implement big and exciting new changes to products and processes, but now it seems difficult. Projects balloon out of control, and seem to serve the company rather than the customers. How can you keep growing, but recapture the spirit of innovation that you’ve lost? Is it possible to innovate at all levels? It’s easy to despair […]
Giving Back: How Servant Leadership in Your Community Can Increase Your Talent Pool
Mike was the third-generation owner of a manufacturing facility located in rural North Carolina. He loved his town and the local culture, and he was proud to maintain a business there. In fact, he even wanted to add a line to his facility, but he had a problem—he’d tapped out the local market for qualified employees. While he offered excellent pay and benefits, he had trouble attracting applicants who didn’t already have roots in the community. His beloved small town […]
How to Increase Employee Engagement in the Workplace
We recently encountered a client with a problem. They wanted to build their business with an engaged, cooperative workforce—a common goal of so many of our clients. However, their company was extremely compartmentalized, so employees from different divisions hardly ever spoke to each other. This led to a great deal of disconnect between various departments. For instance, the sales team and the warehouse team viewed each other as adversaries, rather than as allies. Obviously, this was a roadblock on the […]
Use the Kolbe Index to Find the Best Work Styles for Your Millennial Employees
  Millennials make up a big portion of our workforce. The most recent Pew Research survey states that they make up the largest portion of our workforce. This new breed of worker has created a new breed of leader, and many of these leaders are changing up their styles in order to work with Millennials and give them the leadership they need. Despite all that, about 60% of Millennials will leave a new job within three years. So why isn’t […]
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 […]
Capabilities Required To Have Good Conflict Or Intense Fellowship
Do you remember talking about the “fight or flight” instinct in school? Have you seen it in action? During a team meeting recently, one person intended to “fight” and as the intensity of the interaction increased, it led to another team member to take “flight”. One was blaming, accusing and increasing the volume and intensity of their voice and the other person chose to stand up, walk out of the meeting, get in their vehicle and leave. While not optimal […]
Increasing Leadership Capabilities
  Join us January 12, 13, and 14, 2016, for a powerful and transformational course of inner awareness, maturation, skill development and focus on strategic results for high level leaders. Anyone with primary responsibility for the strategic direction of an organization and for leading and motivating others will benefit from attending. Be prepared to be challenged regarding your pre-conceived ideas, how you think and solve problems, and what actions will improve your ability to lead your organization forward. You will […]
Recognize and Avoid The Perils of Extroverted Leadership
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 […]