Non-profits often have the challenge we explored last week: constraints. Constraints include lower budgets, impact of economic downturns on funding and volunteer efforts, and cycles driven by major programs. For these reasons, they come up with creative ways to maintain success and engagement. Even if you don’t lead in a non-profit, many of their ideas … Read more
A common buzzword now is “disruption”. The idea that if we are to grow, we have to innovate, and the pace of change is so fast that innovation cannot be incremental. We need people who will “disrupt”. Diversity is a competitive advantage. We know this, too. If everyone on our team were the same, many … Read more
Leaders know that it’s important to show appreciation, maintain optimism, and attend to rituals and traditions. These can inspire and motivate. But consider the element of surprise and novelty. That works even better. While everyone appreciates “jeans on Friday”, there are more surprising ways to show some thanks. Consider playing against type: In a manufacturing, … Read more
Early in my career, I had a conversation with a colleague in which I proudly stated: “I will get so much repeat business, and positive word of mouth, because of my total commitment to customer satisfaction.” This sounded like a normal, yet worthy goal, right? My colleague snorted, and said “That’s not so special, Alan. … Read more
There are two activities I go to for team GTKEO (get to know each other). The Meeting Introductions Tool is one I learned from Manager Tools, and works quite well for lighter events. My newest, and favorite, go-to is Patrick Lencioni’s Family Histories Exercise. There are just three questions: Where did you grow up? How … Read more
Recently, I made a Facebook post that praised someone I think highly of, a journalist named John. I said: Something I appreciated watching you work today was the way you were relentless in the pursuit of great shots, but always aware and considerate of the audience and musicians. His response was delightfully humble. It read: … Read more
When I was a teacher, I didn’t get a lot of handwritten notes from my principals and superintendents. So when I did, it was pretty exciting! To think that my boss would make the time to write words of appreciation or encouragement when a pop-by or email might have sufficed, really made a major impression … Read more
Last week, we talked about rubrics in general as a tool to develop vision. This week, let’s take that further to talk about a way to make your passion more obvious to your team. Examine all your own projects, initiatives, to-do items, daily tasks, and responsibilities. Compare each of them to your organizational values. Consider … Read more
In an earlier post, we discussed the value of testimonials. What if you don’t have testimonials? Write your own! Think back on some of your greatest successes – the things that motivate you and your team to keep coming back. If your client or customer didn’t provide a testimonial, you can create your own. You … Read more
The marketing value of client or customer testimonials is clear, but let’s talk about other reasons to gather and share them: They help you spread your passion. They help you keep the members of your team fired up. They keep you and your team ever-mindful of their purpose. I had a great vet once who worked … Read more