What does red tape cost your business? Think about the time wasted by cumbersome review processes. Individuals with new ideas first have to build a case for their recommendation, preparing a written proposal or presentation for management to review. Then, they must set up a meeting, often involving multiple individuals whose travel schedules have to… [Read More]
It’s Time for a New Style of Leadership
It’s time for a new style of leadership. Today’s employees wants to work for an organization that they can feel proud of: an organization that has values and viewpoints compatible with their own; an organization that is oriented toward the long haul, working toward the prevention of ills, not just curing the symptoms; an organization… [Read More]
Attention Leaders: We Need to Talk
To succeed in today’s competitive marketplace, organizations must give internal communication the priority that it deserves. They must view it as an avenue to release the creative genius of an organization, not as a bothersome chore. After all, communication acts as a powerful agent of change, a source of continuous improvement, and a catalyst for… [Read More]
Bureaucracy: Enough with the Paperwork Already
Enough with the paperwork. Bloated bureaucracies stifle creativity, suppress ingenuity, slow down responsiveness, and crush aspirations. In organizations that are heavily bureaucratic, procedures are designed to meet internal requirements rather than the needs of the customer; politics—who said what to whom, who is gaining power, and who gets the credit, who the blame—overshadows everything, from… [Read More]
The Costs of Poor Management
What are the costs of poor management? Plantation managers––now as in the days of the Old South––view people as disposable objects. To the plantation manager, there is nothing wrong with stealing talented people from well-managed companies rather than investing, nurturing, and training the company’s own employees. According to an article in Manage, it is not… [Read More]
Simplicity Wins. It’s That Simple.
Simplicity matters. It’s that simple. Measuring ideas by their complexity rather than their merit is inefficient and wastes time and money. According to Jim Harrington, author of Business Process Improvement, the virtue of clear and simple communication is evident in the complexity of the following documents: The Lord’s Prayer 57 words Ten Commandments 71 words… [Read More]
Company Politics Hurt More Than You’d Expect
How much time and effort is wasted due to company politics? How much time is frittered away grandstanding during meetings? How many e-mails do people write to cover their behinds? How much time is wasted trying to look busy? How much time is spent justifying yesterday’s actions rather than making today’s decisions? How much time… [Read More]
Reputation: You Can’t Run from Your Shadow
In a world where time is a precious resource, we often draw conclusions without examining all the information that’s available to us. We rely on shortcuts, such as someone’s reputation, to simplify the process. Did the job applicant have a good reference? What did my neighbor say about the contractor? How was the restaurant review?… [Read More]