Tag: Blogging
-
Chicken Leader
I used to work for a boss who believed that the best way to find an employee’s capacity was to continue to pile on the work until they said “uncle”. I thought that it was pretty cruel and also not very smart as the overloaded employee was likely to make some mistakes that would need…
-
How to Create a Drama-Free Workplace
Most of us love a good drama at the movies, but not so much at work. Office drama can be draining. It’s hard enough to keep the plates spinning without the added pressure of drama. It seems like finding the right mix of folks is like a science experiment. Unfortunately, in a drama filled environment,…
-
Steering Through The Storm
Every year I tell myself that the construction business can’t get any harder. But every year it does…. It’s a crazy business. Added code requirements, crazy hoops to jump through to get approvals, complicated designs, unrealistic expectations, volatile material and labor costs and availability are just a few of the issues. Getting a…
-
Reaching Down
My grandfather was an avid golfer. He simply loved the game. I remember thinking when I was a young kid just how great it would be if my grandpa invited me to play golf with him. I actually visualized it often, but I knew that it would be a pain for him. I would be…
-
6 Ways to Build a Culture of Hard Work
I was picking up mulch that was on sale at Home Depot last weekend and a gray haired man approached my truck for my order. I told him forty bags and I asked him, “So where are the youngsters?” He was obviously older and generally they have a cadre of young men who load mulch…
-
Maybe A Smoke Screen?
John is a real charmer. He is good at getting what he wants. First it was a cookie from Mom. Then an extension on an assignment at school. Then a date with the homecoming queen. A promotion at work. You get the picture. He was attractive and engaging. He found it easy to win people…
-
5 Keys to Crisis Management- Send In The Wolf!
When people ask me what I actually do for a living, I sometimes ask them if they remember “The Cleaner” from the movie Pulp Fiction. In the movie, there is a bloody murder that occurs in a car and they call a guy called “The Wolf” (Harvey Keitel) who shows up in a tuxedo and…
-
5 Ways That Processes Protect You from Losing!
Years ago, I coached boys and girls middle school basketball. We would run structured offenses and defenses and set plays that we practiced for hours over and over again. Girls, for the most part, ran the offenses with surgical precision. Boys, on the other hand, typically were sloppier. It took time for me to get…
-
Smile Power
My daughter was born with a smile on her face. She was, and still is, always smiling. When she was a baby we would get comments about what a happy little girl she was. Her smile was contagious and helped her make friends quickly. When our kids were young we would frequently go camping and,…
Leading by Serving 