When I was first promoted to the role of President and CEO, I became very familiar with the phrase “It’s lonely at the top.” Anyone who has made the move from the role of a worker on the team, to be the one in charge of the team, knows it can be a challenging transition. … Read more
The movie Horrible Bosses was released in 2011. It was rather crude, but also pretty funny. It made me realize things could be a whole lot worse in the workplace. That said, I still have a few good stories of some of my own horrible bosses. Very early in my career I had a boss … Read more
I was promoted to the management level very early in my career. I was all of 20-something, when I was promoted to manager, and I thought I was a pretty big deal. I had the title, responsibility and the authority. I quickly learned that I wasn’t as big a deal as I first thought. Operational … Read more
Last Spring, I was leading a roundtable discussion group of managers from various industries and we were talking about how to get the best performance from your people. One manager chimed in with “Hire slow, fire fast”. Most of the group acknowledged this comment with knowing head nods and “mm hmm” approvals. That really wasn’t … Read more
Over 30 years ago, when I started my career in retail as a sales associate at a JCPenney store, the opening screen on our CRT computers showed the company name and the tagline: “Customer Service is our #1 Priority”. I took that phrase to heart. I worked hard to learn what the company’s standards and … Read more
If you are a business owner or in a management position, chances are at some point in your work life you’ve thought to yourself “If I want something done right, I have to do it myself!” Ever think that? Be honest. I hate to admit it too, but I know I’ve had that thought cross … Read more