November 2011

How to Put the Thanks in Thanksgiving

There’s no argument that this is an extremely busy time of year. Between travelling, relatives invading, cooking and shopping, it’s a wonder anyone has time to actually “work”.  And if you’re trying to clear your desk to take a few extra days, you are at max stress level.  But this is exactly the time you need to look around and take the time to sincerely thank the people who have worked hard all year. You’re not the only one stressing out. Here’s a few tips to make the holidays more enjoyable everyone:

3 Keys to Empowering your Employees

Most of us were promoted to management because we did our job pretty well. Which is why empowering others is one of the hardest things to do as a manager. Let’s be honest, does anyone really do things as well as you do? Empowerment can mean many things to many people. For the workplace, the best definition is found in the business dictionary, because it actually includes the phrase “sharing information, reward and power.  The key to moving from simple delegation to full empowerment is..

Why Personal Courage is Missing in the Workplace

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. " A. Redmoon

The Penn State story is on everyone’s mind. How did everyone involved fail to do the right thing?  In Alexandra Petri’s recent Washington Post blog , she defines this failure as the bystander effect.  While the outcome is significantly less egregious than Penn State’s, workers often standby and say nothing when they witness favoritism and bias, unethical behavior, or blatantly bad decisions implemented.  Few people have the personal courage to speak up. Why is that and how can we turn the tide?