It may seem like a cliché to say that employees are the most valuable asset in any organization, but if your organization has felt the pain of losing a MVP who failed to transfer their knowledge before leaving, then the cliché rings true. The need to develop a knowledge transfer strategy is not new, yet only a small percentage of CEOs report their organization has implemented an effective knowledge transfer program. And while the “war for talent” certainly is a cliché, the reality is that recruiters and headhunters are targeting your top talent heavily right now and they’re one phone … Read More
Saying No to the Pizza Party
It’s always in the darkest days that we learn the most valuable and memorable lessons. Years ago, I led a small sales team plagued by organizational inefficiencies. It was the end of Q2 and everyone was frustrated that the senior leadership team was still making adjustments to the sales goals and comp plans. This meant Q1 commissions hadn’t been paid out on schedule, and it was likely that Q2 commissions wouldn’t arrive on time either. On a leadership call, one sales director asked “how do you suggest I keep my team engaged and motivated when they don’t know what their … Read More
When to Worry About Your Culture
In the past few weeks, I’ve had an influx of conversations around organizational culture. In each case, the leaders were concerned about the possibility of their culture turning toxic. As I listened to the unique contributing factors for each organization, ranging from recent mergers to exponential growth and struggling financials, what I heard were managers worried that a scramble for resources and recognition would turn unhealthy. Certainly, that’s a valid concern, and one we should all proactively manage. It takes so little to turn an organization from an award-winning culture to Lord of the Flies.
Dealing with Colleagues Who Lack Self-Awareness
Creating a high performing team is part art and part science. First, you must combine the right mix of skills, knowledge, abilities, experience, and personalities. Then, you must ensure they’re all moving toward the same goal and motivated by the same vision. When one person struggles, it can drain the energy of the whole team and create a distraction that impacts performance. One of the most difficult issues to overcome is when one team member lacks self-awareness. In a team environment, when one person is unaware of the impact their have on the organization or their colleagues, correcting the issue … Read More
One Activity Managers Should Never Overlook
In pursuit of efficiency and energy preservation, managers are often in search of ways to do more with less. Working smarter, not harder is a universal goal, but the execution of that goal often involves cutting corners. While there’s a very necessary time and place for saying “no” to requests, there’s one activity that should never become a low priority. Onboarding new employees can be exhausting. From the complex tasks such as explaining layered strategies to time-consuming needs like giving access to key resources, it can be tempting to cut corners or delegate responsibility. However, the investment in time spent … Read More
8 Tips for Effective Meetings
In a culture where busyness has unfortunately become an indicator of importance, boasting about a completely packed calendar has become fashionable. Leaders run from one meeting to the next with barely enough time to grab coffee, let alone reflect and absorb any information from the last meeting. Then, once the day is done, they spend their evenings catching up on their “real” work and sacrifice any hope of work-life balance. It can be difficult to disrupt a corporate culture that relies on long meetings to communicate and collaborate, but the disruption is absolutely essential. Leaders should abandon the madness within … Read More