Blog

If Your Boss Was a Cooked Egg…

June 28, 2018

While at my sister's house last week, I found myself watching Family Feud. The question that was asked is: “If your boss was a cooked egg, how would you describe him or her.” Here are the responses. Who wants to guess at what the last answer was?

Strategies for Developing a Career Path that Works

May 16, 2018

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs “The things to do are the things that need doing, that you see need to be done, and that no one else seems to be doing.” - Buckminster Fuller Maybe your job is not…

The Benefit in Benefits

May 1, 2018

“The greatest benefit is the one last remembered.” Barber’s Book of 1,000 Proverbs Research from Glassdoor found that more than half (57%) of people surveyed said benefits and perks are among their top considerations before accepting a job, and four in five workers say they would prefer…

Investigation and Lie Detection

April 12, 2018

“The liar was the hottest to defend his veracity, the coward his courage, the ill-bred his gentlemanliness, and the cad his honor.” ― Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind There is a great deal of literature available to help determine whether someone you are speaking with, perhaps during…

A Workplace Disability Accommodation Tool Kit from JAN

April 10, 2018

Managing disability accommodations can be a real challenge for both employer and employee. Of course, we want to do it gracefully, comply with the law and make sure the result is a productive employee. My friends at the Job Accommodation Network have released an awesome Workplace Disability Accommodation…

Why Every HR Problem Becomes a Sales Problem

April 3, 2018

Here’s a reality: half of your competitors hire better than the other half. Some are in the bottom 10%, and then there are those great companies in the top 10%. You can imagine how this variance impacts your bottom line, whether you have 5 or 5000 employees. The same could be said for your retention…

66 Powerful Strategies for Great HR

March 21, 2018

Great HR represents a competitive advantage for your company and career. It affects you whether you are in HR…or not. In the 66 POWERFUL STRATEGIES FOR GREAT HR e-book I discuss the reality that half of all HR managers are more effective than the other half. It’s also a fact the top 10% of HR managers…

The Truth About HR and You

March 15, 2018

Whether you are in HR …or not…this book can greatly benefit your company. If I was an HR executive I would take it to heart. If I managed an HR executive you will learn how to do that better. I cover both the hard stuff like knowing your numbers and how to communicate them, as well as the soft stuff…

Behavioral Interviewing

March 13, 2018

The goal of a behavioral interview is very simple: to see how somebody might behave under varying circumstances. The following is a partial list of circumstances that can show up. Add questions unique to your environment too. You can discuss the who, what, where, why and how of behaviors around: …

WHEN YOU KNOW YOU’RE RIGHT!

March 2, 2018

"In spinning a robe of your own righteousness, before the sun goes down you will find it all unraveled." - Curtis Hutson You know you are right….and yet they ignore you, ridicule you, argue nonsense to you or even try to sabotage you. Of course, they can’t be “right” too. John was one…

Supreme Court Reigns in Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Standard

February 26, 2018

In the case of DIGITAL REALTY TRUST, INC. v. SOMERS the US Supreme Court put the breaks on the broad whistleblower standard used by the 9th Circuit. Bottom line is the Court said to be protected under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), internal complaints…

Ideas that Should be Retired in Human Resources

February 24, 2018

I love the Freakonomics podcast, especially a recent one on ideas that should be retired in science. http://freakonomics.com/2015/03/05/this-idea-must-die-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/ Of course, this got me thinking about ideas that should be retired in HR. Here's my shot at it: 1. Data will…

Checklist for Consciously Managing a Workplace Problem

February 23, 2018

Life would be so easy if there weren’t other people …right? And, so boring too. One of the challenges we face is getting out of our heads when facing a “problem.” Here’s how to take a more conscious approach and eliminate the drama in the process. Recognize and admit that you have a responsibility…

Menage A Trois—Crystal, Me and You

February 22, 2018

In doing research on Job Security in the Techno Age, I stumbled upon a new technology known as Crystal. Crystal was just launched in its beta format and purports to give you a better way to communicate through email and other methods. Coincidentally, last week I came across a Note to Self podcast…

A Laundry List of Fun Ideas You Can Apply at Your Company

February 22, 2018

There are plenty of fun ways to make work enjoyable, reinforce your culture and increase retention, engagement, and productivity in the process. Here’s just a few. What fun things has your company done? Please do share! Bring your _______ to work day (dog, parent, kid, spouse, therapist). Celebrate…

Walking the Training Talk

February 21, 2018

I just finished reading my bi-monthly issue of Training Magazine. It highlighted the top 125 company training programs in the country. Some insights I gathered: 1. Most employees want at least two hours of training per month. If the employee desire is roughly 24 hours of training per year and they…

Tip on Having a Shark Tank Contest

February 20, 2018

"Make sure you pick good people to build your business with, as they'll determine 80 percent of your success" Barbara Corcoran Have a Company Shark Tank Contest I’m a big fan of Shark Tank. There is so much to be learned from watching that show whether you are and investor, entrepreneur or employee.…

Float Tanks – Where Nothing Happens

February 19, 2018

I've got a confession to make - I've been floating lately! Months ago one of the Vistage presenters, Dan Miller, talked about the psychological and wellness benefits of floating. Having already been intrigued by it, his conversation was a tipping point for me to try it. I invited my wife to join…

The Power of Peers

February 18, 2018

I have had the wonderful opportunity to present to over 350 Vistage CEO groups nationwide. I’ve had a firsthand opportunity to see the Power of Peers in action. Now I am a Chair for the first Vistage HR group in California. When looking to build any peer group the 5 part formula is: Select…

Leadership and Self-Deception

February 17, 2018

The book Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute was a wake-up call for me. The deception is this: because my self-talk is I care my actions show I care. Not so fast. When giving presentations I challenge leaders to give me an example of how they showed…