December 22, 2009

There are two laws I really like:  the first, Murphy’s Law says, If anything can go wrong, it will.  You can bank on that.  The other, Bardwick’s Law of Entitlement  says, What ever people get for free stops being a delight and very quickly becomes an entitlement. 

I recently had two experiences, one right after the other, in which people weren’t grateful for what they received for the simple reason they didn’t have the information that would make them appreciate what they were getting.

November 11, 2009

Continuing my interview with the famous literary critic, Robert Morris, here are my responses to his questions regarding (1) How to make employees feel appreciated, and (2) What to do if working for a toxic leader.

Morris: In all of the major research studies of which I am aware, employees rank feeling appreciated among what is most important to them at work. How can organizations do more, specifically, to make their people feel more appreciated than many of them now do?

October 20, 2008

The famous literary critic, Robert Morris, asked me some very interesting questions. I will post a blog with many of them. Here is an interesting one on having a balanced life.

Morris: In your opinion, is it possible to balance what is most important in one’s career with what is most important in one’s personal life? If so, what to do? What not to do?

July 28, 2009

July 7, 2009

The majority of middle managers believe their job is to hit the numbers.  But far fewer are comfortable with the idea that their job is to hit the numbers by keeping their people involved and enthused in bad times as well as good. 

June 16, 2009

Ever since Bernie Madoff ceased being the Philanthropic Saint and became Bernie Made-off-With-My-Money, I’ve been thinking about why so many of us gleefully race…to be conned.

That something is published does not make it true.

April 22, 2009

I’m not on anyone’s list to receive emails or blogs or even solicitations for money from extremely right wing, politically conservative organizations or their counterparts, organizations whose members hold equally passionate liberal views. But a few of my friends are very partisan and actively involved in politics. Lately several of these friends have sent me extremely conservative blogs.

March 10, 2009

The bad news keeps raining down, drowning us in unrelenting pessimism.  In this, the winter of many discontents we have not seen the sun for far too long and there’s no relief in sight. 

February 26, 2008

This blog is for people wanting and needing to work who see only dim possibilities to earn money doing the work they had been doing.  Some people will have the delightful surprise of landing just that opportunity but most probably won’t.  For the latter group I’d like to say things are probably not as bad as you think…especially if you are willing to change.

February 10, 2009

Like all Americans, I wish you the very best of outcomes as you create strategies and programs to solve the economic crises which define our country at this moment.