Most mid-sized and large companies offer employees training in a multitude of hard and soft skills.  Some of the topics commonly offered in corporate America training programs today include:  401(k)s; Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); Attendance; Avoiding lawsuits: training managers on what not to say; Coaching vs. mentoring; Cross-training; Stress in the workplace; Diversity; Ethics; Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); Financial wellness; Internet use; Online security; Performance problems; Public/private partnerships; Sexual harassment in the workplace; Violence and Toxicity in the workplace; Wellness; Whistleblowing; and Workers’ Compensation. Continue reading →

Employees are always seeking professional happiness.  Competitive pay and good benefits factor into an employee’s decision to join and stay at a company, but there are many other overlooked desires that are more important than a paycheck.  The 2018 Global Talent Trends study by Mercer revealed what truly makes employees feel fulfilled and happy at work.  The study took a multi-perspective approach and collected input from 800 business executives and 1,800 HR leaders, as well as 5,000-plus employees across 21 industries and 44 countries around the world. They analyzed how employees are reimagining the future of work as it relates to their own satisfaction.  Among the findings, three factors were found to have a deep impact on employee happiness:  permanent workplace flexibility, a commitment to health and well-being and working with a purpose.  But it also requires approaching work with the right attitude.  Here are 10 tips for how to achieve that. Continue reading →

Being a constructive contrarian is less about going against the grain just to be difficult and more about being an independent thinker who chooses to ‘do right’ and ‘do good’ irrespective of what everyone else is doing, thinking or saying.  Taking an opposing view is not the goal.  It is the means to an end.  It is about constantly evaluating each situation and allowing the decision-making process to flow without undue influence by the crowd in order to get at the best possible results.  From that standpoint, being a constructive contrarian is a quality that all businesses need and few businesses can afford to do without. Continue reading →

Being a contrarian might seem like a flaw — a behavior that causes nothing but trouble, conflict and strife within a group or community.  However, there are times when it is not just okay to be a contrarian, but it is actually a desirable quality.  In business, there are situations that call for going against the grain and speaking out against a prevailing point of view.  At companies, group think can not only stifle creativity and innovation, it can stop people from voicing concerns when there are issues and stop anyone from going above and beyond if no one else is.  In a business environment, it is good for employees to have different points of view when there is a reason and purpose… not just for the sake of arguing or being difficult.  Let’s call this behavior a “constructive contrarian”. Continue reading →

Any businessperson who thinks LinkedIn is a waste of time, think again.  Now owned by Microsoft, LinkedIn generated $8.05 Billion in revenue in 2020.  The company, based in Sunnyvale, CA, employs over 16,000 people and has over 756 million users worldwide, including 196 million in North America, 198 Million in Europe, 206 Million in Asia/Pacific and another 114 Million in Latin America.  Of those, about 310 million are active monthly users.  It is not only the platform where professionals go to interact and network, it features a huge job board with over 15 million open jobs.  Continue reading →

The standard definition of leadership is “the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common objective.”  However, former First Lady Rosalyn Carter once said that “a great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”  Although not the common definition used by scholars, it is an apt description for what leadership essentially is and does.   A leader guides a group toward the place where they need to be even if they don’t realize, understand or embrace it.  We associate a multitude of exalted traits to leadership.  Leaders are:  intelligent, trustworthy, humble, accountable, communicative, articulate, empathic, honest, ethical, self-controlled, confident, fair, decisive, organized, hard-working, likeable, sympathetic, courageous, visionary, principled, dedicated, creative, inspired passionate and, of course, influential.  This multitude of attributes associated with leadership make leaders sound elevated, exalted and exceptional. Continue reading →

Brand love may sound like marketing hogwash to old school business traditionalists.  But one need only look at hard line numbers to know that brand love is not only real, but in today’s world, it enhances the bottom line far more than cutting expenses, adjusting pricing, improving operational efficiencies, streamlining ergonomics and economies of motion, or outsourcing complex business processes.  Whereas once upon a time, companies might have seen marketing efforts as a waste of time and money, today everything a company does is inextricably intertwined with marketing.  Brand is everything and marketing’s focus is on finding ways to garner brand love.  In that regard, everyone in every company should be a part of the effort to generate brand love. Continue reading →

What do these companies have in common?  Lego.  Harley Davidson.  Disney.  Coca-Cola.  Apple.  YouTube.  Amazon Prime.  Google. Target.  Salesforce.  They are in different industries.  Some sell products and others provide a service.  Some are very old and others are fairly new.  But they have two things in common.  Besides being incredibly successful companies, the other big thing they share is that their customers love them.  They have “brand love.”  And the word love is not being used loosely, as in “I love coffee”.   These are brands that people use loyally and regularly, handing over their hard-earned money, month after month, year after year.  These are companies that customers rave and gush about to whomever will listen.  They willingly join brand fan clubs and loyalty programs… and support and defend their brand unfailingly to others.  They are willing to pay more for those products and services.  And customers won’t even think about abandoning a brand they “love” for a competitor.  They exhibit the kind of unwavering, faithful regard that is typically used to describe a dog’s besotted devotion to its owner.  These brands are so beloved that they become a part of their customers’ lives and identity.  Each brand has a kind of bond with its customer base that is usually afforded only to people in one’s inner circle. Continue reading →

Brand identity has slowly emerged as an integral part of business.    Most business leaders have come to understand that a company’s brand is about much more than a company’s logo, slogan, or other recognizable mark used to promote goods and services.  Brand and company are nearly synonymous.  Seth Godin described a brand as “the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”  And, Scott Cook said, “A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is—it is what consumers tell each other it is.”  It can even apply to an individual if that individual is tied to the delivery of a product or service, as is the case with motivational speaker Tony Robbins.  And, for businesses, brand can be one of its most important assets, if the brand is carefully crafted and nurtured with intentionality.  Brand is why Nike can charge five times as much for a pair of sneakers over unknown brands manufacturing similar sneakers. Continue reading →

It took time and money for businesses to shift all of their employees to remote work.  Now employees don’t want to shift back.  They don’t want to return to the hassles of ‘going to work’ and ‘being at work’.  Workplace attire.  Commuting.  Child care.  Parking.  Rigid schedules.   Going to work and being at work is far more taxing, demanding and expensive for employees than WFH.  Remote work saves employees time and money and affords much more flexibility.

Employers, however, view WFH through a different lens.  There are several challenges that arise with WFH. Continue reading →