Career development consistently appears at the bottom of most organizations’ climate and engagement surveys. Employees routinely express their displeasure with the options, possibilities, and moves available to them… as well as the organization’s overall commitment to their growth. And managers are no happier. They lament the time they must find – generally deep into their…
Despite the fact that I wrote this a couple of years ago, the suggestions continue to hold up well. Wishing you a happy, healthy holiday season. ‘Tis the season… when leaders everywhere scramble to find the perfect holiday gift for their staffs. This year, will it be: The latest business title? A gift card for…
In their recent HBR blog post, Judith and Richard Glaser explore the neurochemistry of conversation. They explain that: “When we face criticism, rejection or fear, when we feel marginalized or minimized, our bodies produce higher levels of cortisol, a hormone that shuts down the thinking center of our brain [… causing us to] become more…
While most organizations expect great work, we don’t necessarily take the time to identify what actually contributes to it. In his book, Great Work, David Sturt has done that for us. Drawing on the research of O.C. Tanner and a Forbes Insight Study of over 1,000 individuals, five key skills or behaviors have emerged: Ask…
Last year, the Aberdeen Group conducted a research study exploring the business impact of building learning capability. Using three key performance criteria to distinguish best-in-class companies, it was found that: 83% of employees in these companies received performance ratings of ‘exceeds performance expectations’; 13% experienced year-over-year improvement to revenue per full-time equivalent; and 78% of…
Metrics and data are the name of the game today. Since what gets measured gets managed, organizations and the leaders running them are constantly searching for ways to quantify the impact of their initiatives and efforts. Some dimensions – like sales or customer service – are fairly easy to wrap numbers around. Others present real…