Monday Mornings with Madison

Monthly Archives:
December 2018

Why Resolutions Fail 90% of the Time, Part 1

It’s that time again. As the fiscal year ends, people think about what they want to improve in 2019. It’s a smorgasbord of good intentions. There is desire do better… turn over a new leaf… wipe the slate clean. Resolutions abound. Lists are made. In fact, drafting a list of resolutions is so ingrained in U.S. culture that even the government has a list of the top resolutions and provides resources for achieving them. Yet, in no time at all, 90% of all resolutions are discarded or forgotten. Why? Understanding why resolutions fail might help you keep yours. Continue reading

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When Failure Is and Is Not Okay

All failures are not created equal. It’s one thing for an employee to try a new idea, process or project and, on occasion, get it wrong. It’s another for an employee to regularly get tasks wrong due to inability or ineptitude. It’s the difference between innovation failure and incompetence failure. When is ‘getting it wrong’ okay and when is it cause for dismissal? How can managers tell the difference? And how should they manage for that? Continue reading

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The Highest and Best Use of Your Team, Part 2

People are an organization’s single greatest asset and resource. Every leader should know and leverage the most valuable skills of each employee they manage. A key part of translating those abilities into action for the success of the organization depends on the employee’s ongoing growth and level of engagement. Not only should tasks that each employee performs for a company involve the most valuable skills they possess, managers are responsible to help employees flourish and manage the factors that influence individual and team performance. So what are the factors that affect performance and maximize utility? Continue reading

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The Highest and Best Use of Your Team, Part 1

‘Highest and best use’ — a phrase initially used by the real estate industry – communicates how the highest value for a property is based on what a property’s highest and best use can be, regardless of its actual current use. It looks at the idea of utility. But, can ‘highest and best use’ be applied to human resources as well? Ideally, all employees should work on tasks that are the highest and best use of their time based on their talents. Can a leader or manager make that happen all the time with every employee? Continue reading

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Finding Success in Stillness, Part 2

Dealing with life’s every day demands seems to require a constant output of energy. This constant outpouring of energy can cause a feeling of exhaustion, stress, fatigue and/or lack of focus. The way to overcome this involves creating a buffer to filter out the external ‘noise’. It is achieved by doing the exact opposite: being still. There are a number of major career and health benefits that come from stillness. Here are five benefits of stillness that will stop you in your tracks! Continue reading

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