For those of you not yet familiar with Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Oscar the Grouch and the rest of the Sesame Street gang, read no further. For those of you already familiar with those children's characters that have a lot to teach adults, let me introduce you to "Oscar the Guard". My morning travels take me through a security check point that is...
Closely held and growing businesses have typically left the task of job design to natural forces. The personalities of the employees and the normal course of events have generally shaped the development of the organization as well as the content of most of the jobs. The work content of individual jobs and the structure of the organization tend to...
Think back to the last time that you had a job for a period of time that you weren't doing well. You probably weren't enjoying it much and the prospects for positive change in the future were slim. Who was the first person that recognized that this wasn't the right job for you? Probably you, although you may not have admitted it to others. Who...
"You are doing a great job, but ......." That's a standard opening line to something called "constructive criticism". With nothing but the best of intentions, "constructive criticism" is regularly administered to friends, family and employees. While it is willingly administered, it is rarely well received. "Constructive criticism" is an oxymoron....
I had observed the young lady going about her business for about a half hour. She appeared to have administrative responsibility for the activities surrounding the lock box department at the small bank where I was attending a meeting.. I was waiting outside of the bank's conference room with a client. As I waited, I watched the various comings...
The everyday operating concerns of your business, the people, the problems, the planning, and the pursuit of profits are the matters that occupy us daily. Dealing with these issues in straight forward, common sense manner is a worthwhile objective for us all. This is the second anniversary of "It's Your Business". I know that we share common view...
"Our employees are our greatest asset." Many companies say it but there is more involved in treating employees as assets than just lip service. Major corporations are constantly running expensive goodwill ads showcasing their employees and telling us how important they are. If you spoke to the employees to find out if the daily operating...