by Caroline | Sep 5, 2016 | Company Culture, conversations, Culture, Leadership, Management, teamwork, Training
Did you know that when your organization treats conflict as a bad thing, it can really cost the organization? It can cost money, productivity, opportunity. Take, for example, the large company we consulted with several years ago where employees were discouraged from...
by Caroline | Aug 29, 2016 | Company Culture, conversations, Culture, Leadership, Management, teamwork
One thing many managers may not appreciate about being a manager is the necessity of having icky conversations. What is an icky conversation? It might be telling the associate, driving with you to the sales call, that his breath could stop a rhinoceros in full charge....
by Caroline | Oct 14, 2015 | Assessments, Company Culture, Management, Non profit HR, rewards, teamwork
Last week I heard a TED talk by Margaret Heffernan about productivity and chickens. In a study mentioned in the talk, a researcher cultivated several generations of chickens, eventually culling the most productive into one coop and leaving the others in a different...
by Caroline | Feb 18, 2015 | Company Culture, Culture, Hiring, Non profit HR, teamwork
We all know what it’s like to be in a group of people you don’t trust. You spend a lot of time watching your words, making sure you don’t reveal anything vulnerable, measuring what can be used against you or twisted into something else. If you’re in an organization...
by Caroline | Jun 18, 2014 | Telecommuting, company culture, management
What a week for sports teams! Spurs win the NBA championship. USA bests Ghana with a stunning set of goals at the World Cup, beating the odds. The Texas Stars take the 2014 Calder Cup in American Hockey League. It’s the perfect week for me to write about teams. As we...