by Triangle Performance Staff | Apr 5, 2008 | Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
Have I mentioned that I travel a lot, and don’t particularly care for it??
If not, let me do so now. “I travel a lot, and don’t particularly care for it.”
The good news, however, is that traveling — the whole airport/airline/car rental and hotel experience provides unbelievable fodder for this lifelong student of leadership. Take the most recent example…
Who in heaven’s name runs these airline pilot unions?? The guy (assuming, since it’s the classic ‘good ol’-boys’ club’) must be a Darwin escapee. American Airlines — not my favorite, but they are the biggest — had their little “scheduling snafu” last week. These moronic pilots took out full-page ads in major publications (think WSJ, USA Today), lambasting the airline management as being inept, incompetent, and not thinking about passenger safety first. (more…)
by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Apr 3, 2008 | Brazen Leader, Executive Improvement, Kevin Berchelmann
Someone recently asked me, “What’s missing in leaders today?”
As I’ve said 1,000 times, “leadership ain’t rocket surgery.” Here’s what seems to be commonly lacking in unsuccessful leaders today. Any or all of these can impact a leader’s performance:
Courage — to make hard decisions; to stand behind them afterward, and to support the values and ethics of an organization even when grossly uncomfortable. To take measured risks.
True, even leaders need to feel “safe” to do these things, to some degree, but many cite some irrational, unproven fear of reprisal for their reason for cowardice in decision-making. The truth is, few — if any — can cite evidence that something really bad will happen to them. (more…)
by Triangle Performance Staff | Mar 31, 2008 | Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
This kills me.
A while back, I posted about the ridiculous notion of those absurd tip jars you see popping up at every service establishment. The saga continues.
Seems now, with the rise of debit card use (swipe and go), these purveyors of the $5 cup o’ java feel they are really being slighted now. Apparently, if you believe the article’s author and sources, people tip less when using a debit card.
My response? No, they don’t. They simply tip more accurately. (more…)
by Triangle Performance Staff | Mar 16, 2008 | Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
So, what’s up with Starbucks?
Sales are down, so they schedule a training day and whack the U.S. boss? I don’t get it.
Not that this “economy” stuff really keeps me up at night, but I would think that a $5 cup of joe could be at risk if household finances get snug… not sure that training all the servers and replacing the U.S. President (oops, my bad; she “resigned to spend more time with her family”) will change that.
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by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Mar 13, 2008 | Executive Improvement, Kevin Berchelmann
Don’t get me started on my latest “airport-TSA” story. I’m trying to block that out, and you really don’t want to hear it.
Back at the hotel, I ordered light room service, having worked well past lunch with a client. Here’s the telephone conversation:
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by Triangle Performance Staff | Mar 9, 2008 | Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
Forced ranking, as a methodology for managing and improving performance, is neither good nor bad… it’s just another method.
Used as part of an integrated process, it can be very powerful. The problems we see with things like this are contextual; we hear about some successful company — GE, Yahoo, Sun, EDS come to mind — using this, and ask, “Can we do that here?”
The answer, of course, is “Yes, provided you bring the entire process that makes it work.” It’s not just a couple of chapters in an airport business book — it’s the whole enchilada.
To implement forced rankings without the process and structure to support it — management development, career pathing, internal coaching & mentoring, multiple opportunities for assignments — is truly a recipe for failure. (more…)
