Did you know that Proctor & Gamble has a “Wall of Failure” in their internal museum? Or that Coca-Cola’s unfortunate New Coke misstep is a popular feature in their publicly-available archives? Or that, on a more positive note, Coca-Cola was able to plumb those archives for historical information about the 1918 influenza pandemic to glean ideas for how to handle …
Is individuality a problem?
Yes. And no. There, clear as mud, right? Let’s look at the opposing arguments. Yes, individuality is a problem… … when it takes over and squashes good management and leadership. There are too many instances of the Star Employee! who’s So Great! and responsible for So Much! that they Can’t Possibly Be Fired! Even though they’re bullies, undermining team morale …
Do you conversate?
It’s weird. As I said to someone this morning, we just assume we know “how to communicate” because we know how to talk and how to write. Dare I say – HA! And as I’ve said before, too much so-called “communication” is actually telling, and not communicating at all. It’s all top-down telling, whether from leaders to managers and employees or, …
Moss, trees, and root cause
Have you ever really looked at moss? Many years ago, my mother and I went to a botanical garden where all the “lawns” were moss. (How many years ago? Somewhere around here, I have the VHS video cassette from that garden, promoting the concept of moss lawns!) I could argue that moss wants more shade than most lawns, and that it’s …
Yes, you can’t anticipate the unexpected
Storms rolled through in the wee hours of Sunday morning. My husband had been up earlier, tracking the progress of tornadoes touching down only miles from us, ready to wake me, the dog, and the cat, and get us all down to the basement. He went back to sleep; I woke up a bit later when the power went out …
Do you “best practice”?
This may be somewhat controversial, but so-called “best practices” are often more like “somewhat effective ways of doing things.” And all too often, “best practice” is just another term for a blueprint or template. I am not a fan of blueprints and templates. (If you follow me on LinkedIn, you’ve probably noticed that.) I’m not saying that there aren’t better, and …
The power of Fuzzy Goals
Whether personally or professionally, we’re creating change all the time. Sometimes it’s on purpose. Sometimes it’s by default or by accident. Sometimes it’s because it’s been imposed upon us from outside of our control. But it’s happening all the time. There’s a lot (a lot!) we can do to get better at change, whether it’s a choice or it’s external. One …
What “change” is – really
Change is a reaction. Or perhaps I should say: the decision to change is a reaction. A reaction to … something. That “something” could be any number of things: significant economic or market factors, a leader’s insecurity and / or “shiny object syndrome,” a perception of new opportunities, unhealthy cultural shifts, and so on. On a personal level, it could be …
Who defines respect?
Respect is a key element of trust. It’s impossible to trust someone you don’t respect. (I’d argue it is possible to respect someone you don’t trust, but that’s a whole different conversation.) As leaders, we can say we respect our people – but – news flash – what we think or say doesn’t matter. What does matter is what they …
I don’t like change. (Wait. What?)
Was that a clickbait title? The thing is, I generally don’t like change. Just ask my husband; he’ll vouch for the truth of that statement. And that’s probably why I’ve studied change, learning how people react and / or respond to change, in order, in part at least, to understand my own reactions and manage them better. I look at …