The old “Theory X and Theory Y” concept has been with us since 1960 when Douglas McGregor wrote his best seller The Human Side of Enterprise in which he proposed two theories by which to view employee motivation. In the spirit of our “Generational Gems,” we offer the following anecdote for your consideration. You may…
Everyone seems to enjoy and appreciate learning how well-known people from all walks of life have overcome obstacles to achieve their current level of success. Over the years, I’ve compiled a number of short anecdotes that have provided inspiration and motivation in times of need. I shared a few of these narratives in the newsletter…
I received an unusual phone call today from a free lance writer in New York City who provides articles to a number of national magazines. She had apparently visited our blog and, as a result, wanted to chat with me about an article she’s writing on the subject of workaholics, control-freaks, and those who simply…
Here’s a classic that seems to appear more and more realistic with every newspaper I read or television newscast I see. I first saw this definitive narrative on a poster hanging on the wall in the office of a CEO we were working with. You may want to read this one twice, share it with…
Some people have an uncanny knack for good timing, and Lee Iacocca certainly falls into that category. I’ve reviewed his latest best seller, Where Have All the Leaders Gone?, on our web site and shared a few excerpts from those pages here on our blog. I think his choice of a title has really seized…
As you know, we’ve been providing “classic” lessons, anecdotes, allegories, parables, and narratives from past generations in the hope of providing inspiration and encouragement to those “future leaders” in today’s business world. The more I review these “generational gems,” the more I believe we should be sharing them with our children and grandchildren as well….
We’ve all had good customer service, and we’ve all had bad customer service. But those moments of exceptional customer service are few and far between. Since it’s Halloween, I’m reminded of an incident a few years back. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. I was at dinner at a local restaurant toward the end of October…
As I mentioned when we started this series of generational gems, these stories have been around forever. However, considering the level of service we find in today’s marketplace—regardless of the industry—this is an analogy that should be retold again and again within many organizations. As a result, EXPECTATIONS can be given, ACCOUNTABILITY established, and CONSEQUENCES…
As I look back over the decades we’ve been consulting, training and keynoting, it becomes more and more difficult to remember all of the clients we’ve had the pleasure to work with. It’s somewhat of a challenge to identify an industry we haven’t served, which means our client list is indeed diverse. Of course, those clients…