I don’t do employee handbooks. Wait, I made an exception for a wonderful client and just finished up an employee handbook a few weeks ago. But I don’t do employee handbooks, or maybe the better thing to say is, I don’t like them. Here’s why: Most of the content in them these days implies that you can’t trust your employees. Most of the content in them these days implies that you think your employees don’t remember the lessons they learned in kindergarten. Most of the content in them these days is written for the exception rather than the rule. In
In the leadership classes I teach, I get more complaints about Generation Y’s communication skills than almost anything else in the class (other than possibly their apparent lack of motivation). Over the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about the 4 Cs that are a must have to employers, and communication is one of them. Apparently, the generation that has, for the most part, always had a cell or smart phone in their hand, is lacking in communication skills. We all are lacking in this area, but the smart phone is an easy scapegoat. A prime example of the shift in
THE LAW OF EFFECT LEARNED FROM DISCIPLINING A TWO YEAR OLD “Do you want to go to timeout?” “Do you want a spanking?” These are two things my husband and I find ourselves saying to our two year old more often than we’d like when he misbehaves. Of course he doesn’t want to go to timeout and of course he doesn’t want a spanking, but in our misdirected way of discipline, it seems to be the easiest way to try to get him to behave without actually having to follow through on a consequence. A dear friend and parent coach
Creativity is a must have in today’s workplace. Its one of the 4Cs all employers want. People who can think outside the box are in demand, and always will be. But I would take it a step further in that people who have the ability to redefine what the box is will always have a job, and many of them create that job for themselves. Fast Company featured the 100 Most Creative People in Business last month. The #1 person was Nate Silver (the Money Ballguy) who is a prime example of what it means to redefine the box. He
THE SHORTEST DISTANCE TO SOLVE A CONFLICT DOES NOT TAKE THE PATH OF A TRIANGLE. One of the best interview questions to ask, regardless of the position is, “Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with another person and how did you resolve it?” This question was asked in a recent interview panel I was a part of and I loved the applicant’s response. She started by stating, “I don’t practice triangular conflict resolution,” and then proceeded to describe a situation in which she went directly to the person the conflict was with in order to resolve