From the category archives:

Team Effectiveness

Employee Recognition: Why the Lighter Side of Business has Serious Results

September 14, 2011

I believe that employee recognition is a vastly underused tool in a leader’s toolkit. Recognition need not be expensive, elaborate or time-consuming—but that’s how many leaders see it.  Therefore, I’ve teamed up with the recognition specialists at Baudville. They’ve agreed to pass along some great advice to the readers of The People Equation on how to [...]

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Is Faulty Wiring Frying Your Gut-Check?

June 10, 2011

Even the most plugged-in leaders get it wrong sometimes. This fact was driven home to me the other day as I listened in on a phone conference led by a regional manager named Pete who manages a group of customer service teams spread across the northern half of the United States. My purpose in joining the [...]

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Teamwork. How Hard Can It Be?

April 21, 2011

To me, springtime means track meets. Back in the day, I used to run track for my high school’s girls 440 relay team. Even all these years later, I can close my eyes and feel it:  legs churning, heart pounding, as I round the curve, ready to pass the baton. I’m reaching my right hand [...]

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Rock Opera and Trust

November 9, 2010

Kevin Grossman at Glowan Consulting Group is hosting this week’s Carnival of HR and has declared it a “rock and roll” carnival. This theme opened the door for me to write this post, which admittedly, I was having a hard time reconciling with The People Equation’s theme of workplace dynamics. Now it fits perfectly. Thanks, [...]

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Leaders Help People Connect the Dots

November 5, 2010

 It was a typical day for Pete, a division manager who oversees the work of 1200 employees for a large multi-national enterprise. Like many others, the day was full of meetings, deadlines and urgent tasks, when one issue rose above the rest: rumors had surfaced that the company was planning on selling off one of [...]

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The Perfect Corporate Culture Doesn’t Exist

July 14, 2010

Have you ever noticed how pervasive “perfection” is in our language? The phrase “perfect storm” is used to describe a “rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically”. Last month, ump Jim Joyce ruined a “perfect” game for Detroit Tiger pitcher Armando Galarraga. Recently, corporate success coach Ann Farrell ruminated on striving for the [...]

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4 Ways to Gain Team Input

April 30, 2010

So I’m sitting at a large round table, talking with a team of eight senior-level leaders who work for a large corporation.  These are smart, sophisticated people, who have both street cred as field operatives and many years’ experience leading various types and sizes of work groups.  We’re discussing how to ensure that our communications [...]

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Coaching the Reluctant Retail Associate

April 7, 2010

I was out early this morning snapping up some bargains at one of my favorite mass-merchandise retailers. In what appears to be a developing theme with me, I overheard another conversation with Human Resources implications. (See my other HR eavesdropping observation here.)  Overheard:  Employee: “Do I really need to take two breaks and a lunch [...]

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Beyond Diversity Training

March 21, 2010

Ways to encourage diversity on your team beyond race, religion or sexual orientation.  Several weeks ago, I got an unexpected Skype call.  It was from my long-time client Pete. He was calling from Germany to say “hi” and let me know he’d just landed a new job as Director of Operational Excellence for a large [...]

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Employees Can’t Get No Satisfaction

January 14, 2010

With a clumsy nod to the Rolling Stones’ classic tune, it appears to be true: since 1987, workers have become steadily less satisfied with their work.  This is according to research results released last week by The Conference Board.  What’s more, it’s not a generational thing: satisfaction is decreasing amongst all ages groups.  While the [...]

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