Understanding what drives you for success is the first step in the journey towards fulfilling your vision.

Not only was Oscar de la Renta a progressive fashion designer, he was also an insightful leader who recognized the importance of creating a succession plan.  Too many creatives allow their egos and sense of self worth stand in the way of creating an organization that can carry on in their absence.  Oscar de la Renta was unique in this regard.  We can all learn a lesson about just how fashionable succession planning can be from Oscar.

What really makes superman great is that he is a self-aware leader. He knows his strengths and he leverages them in his quest for peace. He is also fully aware that kryptonite is his weakness. Self-awareness is a strength that all great leaders have learned to leverage. Superman epitomizes a leader who knows how to leverage his strengths. Superman’s super power that very few talk about is his awareness of his own strengths and weakness.

Recognizing employees for a job well done is a key to being a great manager. Positive recognition brings out the best in people and it can be equally rewarding for the manager doing the recognizing.

Does your organization have a well developed talent acquisition strategy?  Have you considered your existing customers as a potential target audience for your open roles?  Are you sick of your current job?  

A paradox exists in most large companies.  The larger the organization the more risk averse it becomes.  This makes little sense, but it is commonplace.

A successful career must be built upon a solid foundation much like a building. A strong work ethic, determination and learning agility are keys to a successful career. Learning these skills and abilities begins with an individual’s first job. Whether that first job was mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, working retail or fast-food, those first job experiences helped build a foundation for future success.

Phone screens while helpful are not the most efficient way of determining if there is a match.  If the phone screen goes well it usually leads to a face-to-face interview.  My question is why not start with the face-to-face interview?  The simple answer is time and cost.  If a candidate is another city there is the travel expense and it can be difficult to schedule the face-to-face.  I agree that initial screenings
are important, but the approach could be improved.

Our best learnings occur when we push ourselves or we are pushed outside of our comfort zone.

5 interview questions regarding generational diversity that were posed to Brian Formato, CEO of Groove Management.

Workplace culture is like a living organism constantly evolving. The introduction of a new employee or the departure of an employee can change the dynamic of an office culture. Too often the leadership of companies overlooks the importance of culture to organizational performance. Work styles and personal preferences have been studied for ages. 

By providing a daily visual, the leaders could see that they were being measured against their colleagues.  This graphical view of response rates translated into a 97% response rate for one business unit and helped push the enterprise response rate over 90%.  

A new approach to talent management.  Forwardfill.

3 Keys to executive coaching success.  How to create a coaching relationship that drives results.

Learn about the 5 keys to success at work and to personal happiness.

An interview with Brian Formato from Groove Management about the changing requirements for success in the Human Resources field.

According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary Deadline is defined as “a date or time before which something must be done”.  While this is the dictionary definition, our company culture has made a slight but important edit to the interpretation of the definition.  We have swapped the word “by” for “before”. 

Keeping employees informed will go a long way towards keeping them engaged. Too much silence leads to rumor and speculation. Better to be transparent and tell it like it is, just keep the message focused on the positive and the future. Your employees will reward you by working harder and getting your organization through these tough times if you keep them focused on creating a brighter future.

Technology advances are great, but their success hinges upon user adoption.  Technology companies can do their part by creating a user experience that is intuitive and easy to use.  Replacing the virtual paperclip with the virtual link button seems like a good next step in the transition to the cloud.

Why do you resist adopting new technologies or new ways of using them.  We still tend to treat televisions as pieces of furniture because we are stuck in an old paragidm.  How many TVs are in your house that are used concurrently?