September 11th – On Track

September 11th – On Track

There are times when an employee will take a performance improvement conversation off track. They might blame the co-op, you, co-workers or themselves. They might avoid taking responsibility. They might cry. In all cases there are some important things for us as...
September 3rd – Curiosity Lane

September 3rd – Curiosity Lane

Many of you who have taken part in my workshops have heard of this place I call “Shouldlandia – The Land of Infinite Distractions”. It’s when we’re all caught up emotionally in thinking someone should be different. They’re doing...
August 27th – Cycles and Patterns

August 27th – Cycles and Patterns

Among our employees we have high level contributors. We also have those who are — consistent, reliable and meet expectations. Some who are a little shaky and can be worked with to improve. And then there are those who are pushing the limits. They waffle in and...
August 20th – A Bold Act

August 20th – A Bold Act

To assert that all customers are welcome and will be treated with hospitality and excellent service is a defining and bold act. It is more than just meeting some service metric. It is a high bar that calls for each of us to face our humanity and the humanity of those...
August 13th – Friends and Managers

August 13th – Friends and Managers

I guess the best way I can say it is that it’s a sobering moment when we realize that managers talk differently than friends talk. It’s really a bitter pill but once taken our lives as a managers can start to gain traction and wind can finally fill our...