Most organizations give praise from the top down.  This puts employees in competition with each other to receive praise and rewards from their bosses.  It is almost akin to a feudal system where each employee begs for the attention of their king – er, I mean boss, in court – oops I mean workplace.  This type of competition brings about a great...

Happy New Year!  In an effort to join the chorus of blogs, posts, and tweets wishing you success and tips for planning for your resolutions, I am going to add a bit of twist.  When it comes to your business, especially when it comes to your business plans you should build into this New Year the concept of backwards planning. Backwards planning is a...

An article in the recent edition of the Harvard Business Review talks about the need to bring conflict into the workplace.  Picking a fight about the future direction for a brand, product, or company can be key in bringing out innovation and a stronger plan. The article gives you the tools you might need to set the conditions and manage the fight within the...

Somewhere it is written that it takes 21 days or more to change a habit or establish a new one.  (Although I am sure under the right pressures those days can be shortened.)  If it is really the case that it takes 21 days then you should use that number when establishing how many times you are going to speak with your customers/clients. First, you cannot...

The healthcare debate that has been raging in the United States since the beginning of the summer has been filled with claims and counter claims.  Truths, falsities, assaults, and mud filled attacks have been lobbied by both sides.  What seems to be lost in the details of the debate is a serious discussion of a third way. Currently both sides can agree...