Leadership
The EFCA Challenge
Submitted by webadmin on December 15, 2009 - 10:29pm
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The EFCA Challenge
You may have read the headline of the Gallup Poll released on March 17 which read: Majority Of Americans Support Employee Free Choice Act.In Matt Bandyk's blog (U.S. New & World Report), critics of this Gallup Poll point out that the polling question did not specifically mention the Employee Free Choice Act. From the question asked, a more accurate summary of the poll would be: "53% of Americans think joining a union, in general, should be easier to do." Finally, buried deep in the same poll is the fact that the slim minority (less than 15%) who had familiarity with the specific EFCA legislation now in Congress were over 60% against it. Thus the right headline would be "Americans support the idea of unions, but think the EFCA is the wrong way to accomplish that goal."
Had the question been "Should the EFCA be passed, which includes a provision to eliminate the rights of workers to insist upon secret ballot elections" the results would have been different.
Self-Esteem and Self-Sufficiency
Submitted by webadmin on December 15, 2009 - 10:28pm
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Self-Esteem and Self-Sufficiency Are Urgent Economic Needs
Once in a while you have to clean out your files. That is the mood I was in last week when I ran on a newspaper article I clipped several years ago by John Rosemond. The article was titled: Keeping a child happy can destroy self-esteem. I was intrigued a second time.
Rosemond, a family psychologist in Charlotte, North Carolina, stated that it is easy to keep a child happy by giving it everything it wants (like the keys to a new car) and that usually works until the child is 18 and ready to leave home.
Sam Allman
Submitted by webadmin on December 15, 2009 - 10:25pm
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The Corner Office:
Comments from Colleagues
Guest Columnist
Sam Allman, President
Allman Consulting
www.AllmanConsulting.com
Become a People Builder
What kind of leader produces winners among his or her followers? Rick Pitino once said, "I learned a long time ago as a coach that you can expect great things from people who feel good about themselves. They can push themselves. They can set long-term goals. They have dreams that every one expects to be fulfilled. People with high self-esteem are risk takers, but more important, they are achievers."
Basketball for Dummies
Submitted by webadmin on December 15, 2009 - 10:23pm
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He walked into the gym to coach the 8th grade boys basketball team with a "Basketball for Dummies" book in his hand. He barked out commands while his eyes scanned the pages. When game time came, he insisted on designating who would take the shot as the team raced down the floor. When losing, he yelled furiously that they just didn't want to win bad enough. He looked official with clipboard in hand, yet he had not taught the boys how to play defense. The clipboard of diagrams for plays was empty. He wondered what went wrong when his record was 0 and 12.
Basketball for Dummies?
Have you had a coach that just yelled at you, without having anything tangible to tell you to improve? Or have you ever had a person try to coach you who didn't have the depth of knowledge needed to impact your performance?
Rock Solid Performance
Submitted by webadmin on December 15, 2009 - 10:19pm
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Rock Solid Performance Amid Cutthroat Competition
High heat plus intense pressure turns carbon into diamond. I know, you thought diamonds were rocks you wear on your fingers.
However, I'm sure God put diamonds on the earth to do work -- not just to cement relationships -- because diamond is the hardest material on the earth. Diamond is 4 times harder than the next hardest substance, corundum from which rubies and sapphires are mined. On the Knoop hardness scale for minerals, corundum rates 400 and diamond a whopping 1600! Diamond tip saw blades can cut through almost anything.
However, I'm sure God put diamonds on the earth to do work -- not just to cement relationships -- because diamond is the hardest material on the earth. Diamond is 4 times harder than the next hardest substance, corundum from which rubies and sapphires are mined. On the Knoop hardness scale for minerals, corundum rates 400 and diamond a whopping 1600! Diamond tip saw blades can cut through almost anything.
EFCA
Submitted by webadmin on December 15, 2009 - 10:17pm
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EFCA Still Simmering!
Even though the health care debate is the fire right now, EFCA is the simmering pot on the back burner. For employers who face the EFCA challenge, the best defense is a good offense.
Organized labor is energized by the reality that the passing of EFCA will swell their ranks. To protect your company's interests, candidly ask your management team if your company is ripe for union organizing. The recession has caused many organizations to be vulnerable to employees looking for better times and many employees may think that unionization will achieve an improved life for them.
The Corner Office - Coaching Skills for Managers and Supervors
Submitted by webadmin on December 15, 2009 - 10:16pm
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The Corner Office:
Comments from Colleagues
H. Stewart LacyGuest Columnist
President
Improving Human Capital, LLC
www.improvinghumancapital.com
Partner in the
Superior Relationships: The Differentiator program
Superior Relationships: The Differentiator program
Coaching Skills for Managers and Supervisors
Why should you as a leader be interested in the coaching skills of your managers and supervisors?
First, their daily impact on the bottom line. They along with your people are the primary differentiator you have to profitability and maintaining a culture that will remain profitable.
Why should you as a leader be interested in the coaching skills of your managers and supervisors?
First, their daily impact on the bottom line. They along with your people are the primary differentiator you have to profitability and maintaining a culture that will remain profitable.
Two Ears, One Mouth
Submitted by webadmin on December 15, 2009 - 10:07pm
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Two Ears, One Mouth
The good Lord gave you two ears and one mouth for a good reason when managing your employees. When you are conducting performance reviews, soliciting feedback, or looking for creative ideas from employees, use your two ears. Let the employees do 80% of the talking and you will learn not only what needs improving and what they don’t know or understand but more importantly, you’ll get fresh ideas on ‘why’ and ‘how’. 
Particularly in performance feedback sessions, instead of using your mouth and offering solutions, use your mouth to ask the employee what you can do to help them improve. Then let them talk. Let there be silence until they speak.
One manager I coached practiced this technique and found out after a few seconds of dead silence
