Are We Asking the Right Questions?

When we’ve been intentional about really listening to what our team members share with us, there’s generally no shortage of information to process. The key is often in sifting through it all to find the pieces that matter most; to them as individuals as well as for us to understand...

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Are We Really Listening?

OK, it’s time for complete transparency… How often have you asked someone how they’re doing and prayed their response was limited to just one word? So maybe you didn’t come to a complete stop and get done on one knee, but I’m guessing you’ve definitely had a...

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Listen to (and Watch) What Theyā€™re Telling You

If we’re interested in attracting the best of the best to be part of (and stick with) our team, it will most certainly not be (just) about the pay - regardless of what any internet troll says, who’d rather whine about what he’s owed instead earning it for himself. Just like you...

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We Canā€™t Treat Them All the Same

One of the things that Cindy and I enjoy most about customizing our Emerging Leader Development course for many of the bigger clients we work with has been providing them with the tools to communicate more effectively with each individual on their team. As we teach them how to quickly recognize...

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Pay + Purpose = Profit, and Even Better Pay

I remember the first time an engineer showed up at the press I was operating to perform a time study. I was terrified! I hadn’t been with the organization very long and had to work as hard as I possibly could just to hit my daily efficiency numbers. I was convinced that this spelled the end...

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Purpose Can Be Powerful, But It Wonā€™t Replace Pay

I hope I’ve done a reasonable job of making a case for why it ain’t (just) about the pay and how important it is for all of us to be a part of something that matters. A strong purpose is absolutely critical; for our organizations, for us as leaders, and for each member of our teams!...

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Being Part of Something that Matters

I can’t think of anyone I know who doesn’t want to be part of something that matters, something bigger than themselves. We can all think of folks who believe they’re owed something, and say they work harder just as soon as they’re paid what they deserve, but I’m...

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Great People Are Drawn to a Definite Purpose

Have you ever seen a professional sports team that’s absolutely stacked with talent but rarely, if ever, wins a championship? The older I get, the less I can tolerate the ever-increasing nonsense that’s seemed to have taken over professional sports so I can’t speak in much...

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Purpose Builds Great Teams, and Profitability!

After a lengthy conversation with a friend who produces high end marketing videos, and procrastinating much longer than I should have, I finally gave in and had some snippets cut from a few professionally produced videos of me and Cindy speaking and began posting them as “shorts” on...

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An Atmosphere Based on Purpose

Today, Cindy and I have the pleasure of working closely with several organizations where the leaders have created the kind of atmosphere in their respective teams where each member understands the purpose they’re working to achieve and how their daily responsibilities connect with their...

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Leaders Help Their Teams Embrace the Purpose

A Harvard Business Review article by former Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly called How to Connect Employees to Your Company’s Purpose opened like this:

When I ask CEOs in the new CEO workshop we run at Harvard Business School to rate the importance of having and living a great corporate purpose...

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Leaders Paint a Picture of Purpose

Since I’ve shared a few things I learned from Jeff Henderson here already, this seems like a great time to include one more. First though, let me provide some perspective. I often talk with business owners and executives who have grown a bit weary after painting a picture of their...

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