by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Oct 30, 2006 | Executive Improvement, Kevin Berchelmann
..and a hundred other pithy, nonsensical phrases and statements that clutter our day.
None more ridiculous and colossally undefined, however, as my personal favorite, and one I hear frequently as a consultant to senior leadership:
Take us to the next level.
What??
What level??
How do you/we know what’s next??
In the memorable words of Samuel Gompers (early union guy), when asked what workers really wanted, he replied, more. Is that all we’re talking about here? More?
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by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Sep 18, 2006 | Executive Improvement, Kevin Berchelmann
A couple of my writings — one, the blog post below about fairness, equity and equality, and one of the articles in my recent newsletter, on employee engagement — bear some additional explanation, lest someone believe I feel that these ideas have no utility whatsoever…
First, regarding fairness. Organizations (and their leaders) that manage to the “lowest common denominator” will forever be relegated to mediocrity; you cannot create & retain talented performers in the face of “identical treatment for all,” nor can you survive frequent, necessary change efforts within that self-limiting process.
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by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Sep 14, 2006 | Brazen Leader, Executive Improvement, Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
Real leaders “lead.” No, I’m not just stating a simpleton observation. I mean they truly “lead.” You know, from the front… not the middle or the rear.
Good employees want to be led. Great employees need to be led. Both need a leader in front for them to follow, not to be drug along as if a lead weight, nor pushed and prodded like a reluctant mule.
To lead, there’s no option – you must be out front.
I once worked with a Chairman/CEO who appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be a collaborative and participative leader with his senior staff. He would get them together frequently, solicit and facilitate their ideas, then act only on their consensus.
That’s not leading, it’s managing. Worse, it’s managing by committee, and we all know the perils there.
Let’s be clear; soliciting input, direction, and advice is critical for successful leaders to make decisions . But when all is said and done, the leader needs to make the decision, and then hold him or herself accountable for the results. Yes, we hold other managers and professionals accountable for their pieces of the decision’s outcome, but “group” accountability is tantamount to no accountability at all.
Don’t forget to really lead.
by Triangle Performance Staff | Sep 14, 2006 | Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
First, the fiasco in Chicago was averted — we should all stand and cheer.
For those living on Pluto (the new “non’-planet), Chicago attempted to vote in a “big box” minimum wage, a wage higher than what all other employers must pay, as a penalty for simply “being” a big box retailer.
Mayor Dailey vetoed the bill — his first such veto in his million years in office. Smart man.
Having said that, and against my personal beliefs and desires, minimum wage is going to change from its paltry $5.15 per hour. 10 states have enacted minimum wage laws in 2006 alone, making their state’s minimum wage some level above the Fed’s. That brings to 23 the total number of states with such legislation, and another 6 states have pending legislation awaiting November voting. (more…)
by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Sep 14, 2006 | Executive Improvement, Kevin Berchelmann
CNNMoney.com recently reported the results of a surprising survey: Year-to-date CEO departures are up almost 10% from 2005.
Up almost 10%. That’s a big increase.
Ford Motor Company, HP (God, what a mess!), Viacom… all these are high profile organziations with recent chief executive changes; the truth is, however, that many of the almost-1,000 CEOs that left their jobs this year were from companies much like yours. Not necessarily a newsworthy event to CNNMoney.com, but significant nonetheless.
Why are these CEOs leaving, I wonder? The CEO job is, purportedly, the pinnacle — the crowning achievement of a management professional. Why, then, the departures? Is it disappointment? Apathy? Lack of motivation? Excessive oversight?
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by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Sep 13, 2006 | Executive Improvement, Kevin Berchelmann
One thing I find myself telling newer managers (and almost all newer HR professionals) is this: It’s not about fairness or equality. It’s about equity.
In other words, we are under no compunction to treat each employee the same. In fact, I would strongly advise against anything that looked like “identical treatment for all.”
Why? Your “A” players would hate it, and your “mediocres” would love it. Whom would you prefer to satisfy??
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