Dr. Evans Baiya, HR.com, November 2020
In my work, I hear a lot of reasons why people don’t engage in innovation: “That’s not part of my job description.” “I’m not and idea person.” “Innovation doesn’t really apply to my industry.” “We don’t need innovation right now. Our company is doing just fine.” “Our workforce is already well trained.” “The CEO is the one who comes up with new ideas.
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By Dr. Francis Eberle
Imagine you’ve just settled into your office for the morning, coffee in hand, desktop firing up, when two employees blow through the door. Each has a strong, yet opposing, viewpoint about the next steps for a project. And before you know it, you are drawn into playing referee or decision-maker.
This scenario is much like the Chinese finger trap. You are probably familiar with this child’s toy. You put your finger in one end and a friend puts their finger in the other end. The goal for both players is to get their fingers out. As each tries to pull their fingers out, the trap tightens—the more you pull, the tighter the trap gets, increasing the pressure on your finger.
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By Dr. Evans Baiya
When planning or navigating a pivot, how do you know if you are pivoting in the right direction? Answer simple questions to validate your pivot and execute on four actions to help create speed-to-market.
We are hearing the word “pivot” a lot these days. The idea is that business conditions have changed dramatically and, therefore, we need to change course. Companies are finding that they must shift business and adjust the game plan in order to survive or thrive. What we often fail to do is ask ourselves what we are changing the plan to. What, how, who and where are vital questions that need to be answered for a successful pivot. Simply assuming you will find your answers along the way creates complexity and can lead an organization to adopt what is easy, not what is strategic and value-creating.
By Tanja Yardley
I have a bias to confess to. The phrase “we are in this boat together” sparks an almost irrational irritability. While we are in this pandemic storm together, we are most certainly not in the same boat. As leaders, we know instinctively that some of our team members are flailing around in a dinghy with multiple holes, barely holding themselves above the water line and bailing continuously. Others are zooming around in a motorboat, enjoying the sea breeze and checking on all the other boats. Some are lucky enough to be cruising in a well-appointed yacht, enjoying umbrella drinks with loved ones and hoping that this quality time doesn’t end too quickly. Times like these expose the gaps, the rocks, and the choppy seas, as well as the skill and resiliency of the sailors.
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By Dr. Evans Baiya
It has been said, the best way to find your way around a new location quickly is to ask for ideas. As many of us are working from “new locations,” ideas are more important than ever. What is the best way to manage those ideas? How do you continue to engage your employees so they give you the best ideas?
Ideas are critical for survival, especially during crisis. The goal is to survive smartly and position yourself for growth. One of the most important actions a company can take during times like this is to ask for ideas from all stakeholders, in order to make timely and impactful decisions.
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A Case Study of The Brooks Group
By Dr. Lisa Aldisert,
Organizational culture is a topic that baffles many executives because culture seems like a soft and squishy topic. After all, you don’t go out and buy a how-to manual on creating corporate culture! Although the topic may seem soft, hard, tangible results can ensue when your people are aligned with your culture.
An organizational culture is a set of shared values and beliefs that are disseminated and understood at every level of a company. It’s an easy concept to understand, but not necessarily easy to implement. Everyone should be able to answer the question, “What is important to your company?”
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Featuring Ron Price, Business Credit, March 2020
Taking the journey to become a better credit leader can begin at any stage in a creditor’s career, regardless of whether a position of authority is held. Leadership in the credit department takes many different forms and can be approached from several perspectives—emerging from places like employee retention and self reflection.
By Dr. Francis Eberle
I have heard some version of this many times from clients over the years. Leaders often tell me that a team isn’t as effective as they once were, team members don’t want to participate, or they need more cooperation so they can move faster.
Many leaders forget that teams are fluid. What I mean is they change over time due to variable factors. These can be things like someone joining or leaving the team, projects changing dramatically, tasks becoming routine, fear about job safety due to changing market forces, or more. All of these dynamics impact the people on a team and their performance.
Teams are more important now than they have been in the past, partly because problems are more complex than they have been in the past. Solving them requires multiple perspectives and experiences.
By Dr. Francis Eberle
One of my clients recently asked for help improving the effectiveness of his team. He reported that the team was not readily sharing information, not treating each other with respect, and not pitching in when one member was unable to complete his or her work.
These concerns probably sound familiar. I see them, or some version of them, often in the companies I work with. So how can you overcome issues like this and create an effective team?
The ADP Research Institute recently completed a study of teams, and discovered that the key to increased engagement is not in the perks, but in people. Data continues to report that effective teams have several things in common: a clear sense of purpose, a commonly held notion of what’s important, feelings of psychological safety, and confidence about the future (The Power Hidden Teams, Harvard Business Review 2019).
By Francis Eberle
How difficult is it to cross silos, departments or even organizations to accomplish a goal? I think I know your answer.
What if you were able to foresee how using expertise from another person, department or organization could create a product that was 50 times better than if you did it alone? Would you do it?
I am not a gambling person, but I did have an opportunity to do just this. Without going into the details, the result was indeed 50 times better than if my organization had pursued it alone.
This type of success happens through what is called reciprocal leadership. The skills needed include creating vision, building relationships and influencing others. These will help you move from the methods (extrinsic) to strategy and beliefs (the intrinsic). You will then garner commitment to ideas before tasks. Read More