Posts with the ‘Culture’ tag
“That’s not going to work.” Every time my most experienced people said this, I cringed. I had a team with eight veterans and four rookies. I soon realized that our team’s experience was killing innovation. Each time a veteran spoke, it hurt us or helped us. Experience kept us from moving forward into new territory. […]
What does good look like? That is what many companies do a poor job of defining when it comes to their core values. What follows is one company’s core value of Excellence. I was fortunate enough to help them develop all four of their core values: Excellence, Integrity, Teamwork and Service. The team that developed […]
Busy. Overwhelmed. Strapped for time. Barely keeping up. I have felt that way as a team leader. Those feelings seem to be more common than ever for leaders. Most leaders feel pushed to the limit, yet they all want to focus on building stronger teams. It is the tyranny of the urgent…the urgent day to […]
Most corporations claim to have core values. Most of the values that organizations claim are lousy. They stink. They have no meaning! Integrity – Lousy. Teamwork – Lousy. Service – Lousy. What does integrity mean? What does teamwork mean? What does service mean? A corporate value like integrity doesn’t work. It is just another word […]
I had a dream that I worked for a company that got rid of it’s Human Resources Department. There were no more HR manuals or HR classes. This was not a result of ineffective HR professionals. They just weren’t needed in that company. Was this heaven? No. It was a dream. But, after rereading John […]
My baby boy did not begin walking on his first try. He took a step and fell. He pulled himself up and tried again, and he fell. He repeated this over and over until he successfully navigated the family room. There was no fear in him then, just determination. Now he runs sprints at practice […]
I’ve been that guy. I wanted everything to run smoothly so I would do as Nancy Reagan did and “Just Say No.” Years later, in my rearview mirror, I realize by saying “No” too quickly, I damaged my team and the individuals on my team. I missed opportunities to develop better decision makers and therefore […]
The grizzled veteran manager proudly declared, “My top priority is to take care of my team.” It sounded like I found a kindred spirit. I believe the leader’s job should be centered on his people. But what I had discovered was a selfish, hard headed and insecure man. Over time, I learned he was not […]
“Troy. Believe it or not, I am glad we got snowed-in tonight in Buffalo. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you better.” “Me too, Rick. When I called my wife and said I was trapped in Buffalo with the boss, I was only half kidding. This has been great. Now it’s going to be even […]
Public Tests- “Everyone is watching what I will do.” In a nutshell: My decisions in these moments often determine the culture of my team. I couldn’t believe she said it! I know locker room talk. I know the stories soldiers tell while on deployment. But this woman just made me blush! She also made all […]
