Blog Posts

Over the last year, I asked and surveyed several thousand managers what questions were most meaningful to ask in one-on-one meetings with their direct reports.  Here are the results . . .     1. Is there anything new we should start doing as a team? This question is a great way to open a dialogue on what your employees want to start doing, but also will lead to learning what you should stop and start doing as their manager.  Using “as a team” depersonalizes the question and makes it more likely that the employee will share their personal preferences.   ...

Team Members cannot be expected to excel in their roles and responsibilities without proper guidance and knowledge. It has been said the strongest relationships are built on a foundation of communication.  As such, it should come as no surprise that myriad Research Institutes, including one of the three companies I founded, have found a strong positive correlation between communication and employee engagement. When managers establish a culture of open and honest dialogue among their team members, the percentage of Actively Engaged individuals rises.  Since engagement is overwhelmingly linked to positive business outcomes, it is important to utilize the ...

First, there was the “great resignation.”  But now, there is a new workplace trend rapidly spreading across the country:  quiet quitting.  In fact, the term is going viral on social media, particularly on Tik Tok, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Quiet quitting isn’t necessarily about resigning from your job altogether.  Instead, it is simply about just doing the bare minimum amount of work in your job.  Other related definitions of quiet quitting include: Just doing enough to get by and placing a pause on the idea of going above and beyond.  Managers are recognizing that employees are ...

The global pandemic changed how companies must function. Today, more than ever, the best companies are guided by leaders who promise and deliver an outstanding experience for their entire team. They put their employees first and understand that customers and revenue will follow. And so it is with the best books. The best books are those created by authors who focus on delivering a great reading experience trusting the revenues, word of mouth marketing, and the next book deal will follow. I've learned a great deal in my professional career, much of it during my time leading HR Solutions International, ...

Managing a first-time manager requires a different approach than leading experienced managers.  Their management role is entirely new to them, and naturally, they are excited but also a little nervous.  After all, managing a team is a great opportunity, but one that comes with considerable responsibilities.   First off, if you are managing first-time managers, it is imperative that you realize the impact their role has on the employees they manage, as well as other non-direct report employees.  Fully 76% of employees believe their manager is the one that impacts the culture most at work.1  At ...

There are many stereotypes about Human Resources that give HR departments a bad rap within their organizations.  These unfair allegations often prevent people from wanting to build a career in Human Resources.   Here are some of the most common myths about Human Resources, where they might originate, and the ultimate reality or truth:   1. HR Lacks Business And Data Knowledge    The stereotype:  Numerous people claim that HR does not understand how their organization makes money, let alone know how to make data-driven decisions.  This gross misconception originates from people having a limited understanding of what ...

Sometimes you reach a point in your career where you need a little extra motivation.  You might feel stuck in a rut, nervous about completing new job tasks, concerned about your job security, or just feeling a little lost. To provide inspiration for when you need it most, here are 10 quotes from entrepreneurs, athletes, intellectuals, artists, and visionaries to motivate you – no matter where you are in your career.   1. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.  If you have not found it yet, keep looking.  Don’t settle....

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.   Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!   Sláinte!!! ...

Last week was not only interesting, but probably one of the worst weeks of my life. My computer was on at my desk while I was eating lunch and watching the news on TV.  Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the cursor on my computer began moving around the computer screen, despite the fact that I was nowhere near the keyboard.  I immediately knew that somehow, I had been hacked, not initially knowing how sophisticated this hacker was.  Lesson one:  should you experience anything like this, immediately shut your computer off, which ...

Stop and smell the flowers.  Take the time to appreciate the wonderful and diverse wildlife.  Doing these things will help you live life to the fullest. I live on a lagoon here in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  The circumference of the lagoon is exactly ½ mile long which makes it easy to know how far I walk each day.  Yesterday I walked a total of 8 miles while taking in the awesome flora and fauna. The cormorant in the first photo gave me a flashback to one of my greatest overseas travel memories.  I was ...

Definition of Hobson's choice 1: an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative 2: the necessity of accepting one of two or more equally objectionable alternatives   Since moving to Florida, I quickly learned that parking your car under a tree helps prevent unbearable heat in the car since the tree provides natural shade.  Unfortunately, most of these Florida trees are full of birds that drop you-know-what on your car.  This presents a true Hobson’s Choice:  do I accept a much hotter car interior or bird crap on my car?   The origin for this interesting ...

"Every day the clock resets. Your wins don't matter. Your failures don't matter. Don't stress on what was, fight for what could be."  -Sean Higgins I turned 61-years-old on October 4th. I fielded and appreciated myriad “Happy Birthday” phone messages, emails, Facebook posts, etc. throughout the day. At 5 p.m., I suddenly realized that I had not yet heard from someone who was largely responsible for bringing me into this world, my Mom. So I sent her a message: “Hi Mom. Does 10/4 ring any bells with you?” She immediately recognized she had forgotten it ...

Are you ready to handle the current job surge?  Nearly half of the 22 million jobs that were eliminated in the early months of the pandemic have been recovered.1 A combination of the financial stimulus, the quick roll-out of vaccines, and increasingly positive jobs reports have caused hiring to be on the rise.  Thus, competition for talent has grown extremely intense.  In fact, 42% of companies report that they have job openings that they cannot fill.1 In addition, a 2021 Federal Census Survey reported that 6 million people did not seek work because of childcare ...