by Triangle Performance Staff | Jun 27, 2009 | Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
OK, I’ll admit it. I didn’t graduate from an ivy league institution. Probably closer to coastal bermuda league, but that’s beside the point.
Harvard University has just announced severe cost reduction moves as its endowment loses another 30%.
Cue violins… no, wait, kill the fiddles, guys.
Lest we fall into alligator tears here, realize that this endowment is now worth a paltry $25B (yes, Billion) dollars. I used to work for a man, Jerome Robinson, who would say “well, isn’t that just a nice, round number??” He was talking about single-digit millions, of course, but the concept holds true. (more…)
by Triangle Performance Staff | Jun 26, 2009 | Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
Catchy title, eh?? Saving Your Way To Prosperity…
The bummer fact, of course, is it can’t be done, so stop trying.
“We have to accept what we all know to be elemental — that taking a defensive position can, at best, only limit losses. And we need gains.“ (emphasis added)
— Peter Drucker, HBR 1961
Written in 1961 — almost FIFTY years ago — by one of the most brilliant management minds of our time.
Ok, we’ve had some economy missteps; I get it. Financial markets continue to be unstable, at best; I get it. Uncertainty seems to be the order of the day for many; I get that too…
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by Triangle Performance Staff | Jun 16, 2009 | Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
I’m a Verizon customer. Have been since I got my first cell phone in 1992. They were GTE when I first signed on, I think.
Loyal? Hell no, just practical. They have the network that seems to support me best in my locale and travels. I’d dump ’em in a second if someone — ANYONE — came along with just a modicum of customer service or concern. I’m searching for the proverbial “iota” here…
I won’t give a litany of examples of my thoughts and opinions on Verizon’s poor customer service; after all, this is a blog, not a whine. I’ll just use the most recent…
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by Triangle Performance Staff | May 11, 2009 | Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
“That generation just doesn’t have a work ethic.”
“They always want things handed to them…”
Blah, blah, blah… we’ve all heard it, right?
All in all, I think the whole “work ethic” debate is a bunch of bunk.
In my experience, people really define “work ethic” as “works as hard as I do.” So, if someone has a “good” work ethic, then they meet my standard of effort; if they don’t, they don’t. This is easily exemplified when people will disagree over a particular coworker’s “work ethic.” (more…)
by Triangle Performance Staff | Apr 13, 2009 | Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
Well, is it??
A company needs human resources (people, talent, etc.) to survive. It does not, necessarily, need Human Resources (the department). The challenge for HR, then, is to become the real expert and leader in those things positively impacting the organization’s human capital — creating value, improving productivity, increasing returns, etc.
If HR’s sole claim to fame is compliance, they’ll generally be seen as a barrier, and can be replaced by a $50 CD. Equally, if they simply act as a broker of others’ efforts (vendors, consultants, outsourcers, etc.), this adds minimal value.
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