What I’m Thinking About: Moving from “I Should” to “Who Could…?” Recently, Dan and I met with a client whose company is experiencing tremendous growth. The owner understands that implementing system, processes and structure will facilitate scalability and profitability. Warm, friendly, happy and positive, he started the meeting by saying “I should be better at creating systems and structures. But honestly, I hate it. I feel sick when I have to do that kind of work.” I quickly

What I’m Thinking About: Sick Culture, Sick Business “This place makes me ill.” “We have a toxic culture.” “This place is dead.” “We’re dying on the vine.” ‘Profits are in the toilet.” “People are sick of working here.” Heard these at work before? I have. I’ve even said some of them. If this is what employees are saying at work, imagine what they are saying outside of work! And what they’re posting on social media… Does this affect the market place? You bet. As a business cho

What I’m Thinking About: Laissez-Faire Leadership Style Laissez-Faire leadership comes from the French language, literally translated as “Let do”, meaning “let people do as they choose.” Does that sound like a recipe for chaos to you? Or an ideal work situation? Richard Semler, CEO and majority owner of Semco Partners in Brazil, is known for his power-sharing, participatory leadership style. Employees decide on their work hours, if they work from the office or home, colors of

What I’m Thinking About: Paternal Leadership Style In an organization led by a paternal leader, a “dominant male applies his organizational power to lead a group. The leader follows a fatherly managerial approach where he uses his position to control, guard, punish and reward his subordinates or followers, who are expected to remain faithful to him.” (Reference.com) Many organizations have a male in a leadership role whose style is paternalistic. A paternalistic leader may di

What I’m Thinking About: Negative Nellies Making Too Much Noise Ingratitude often sounds like “I don’t know why I have to do that. It’s so boring.” “We have a dress code. It’s so stupid.” “My computer is so old. It’s like 4 years old.” “We have to start work at 7:15 a.m. I’ve got to find another job.” “We wear the ugliest uniforms.” “I’m on call this weekend. I hate having to check in 3 times a day.” And on and on. And on. Grumbling drowns out the good that happens in the wor

What I’m Thinking About: The Left Hand Doesn’t Know What the Right Hand is Doing Frequently overheard from business leaders: “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do when employees… - are often late - don’t wear appropriate clothing - don’t turn in receipts - accept gifts from vendors - check social media or game on company time - don’t respond to customer requests quickly - are called for military leave - get jury duty - ask about benefits - want to work from home” Without guid