Have an Employee Bored as a Gourd? Not an ideal employment state!

What’s one thing that is extremely detrimental to both employers and employees? Boredom at work! I once worked with an adult client wanting to make a career change.  She was an extremely talented individual, and in talking with her about her then current employer she says she felt like she was just a “warm body”.  One of the main reasons she wanted a change was because she was bored as a gourd at work!  She worked for a government contractor (a waste of taxpayer money as she sat there bored) and none of her talents and skills were being utilized in

Is Your Training Program Legendary or Lackluster?

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin As I discussed in my recent post Five Elements of a Great Onboarding Experience, having a great new hire orientation can be critical to making a great first impression and getting a new hire successfully onboard with your organization. While many companies have worked hard to create that great first impression, they fall short on the long-term impression they give employees by failing to create a continuous training program. I’m currently working with a client to help them set goals for the coming year. In meeting with their leadership

Must Reads for 2019

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”  Harry Truman We always end the year with great book recommendations and these can spark your reading for an upcoming year. But if you’re like me, you like to consider what new books might be coming to look out for along with some recommendations from top thinkers and leaders.   Here’s who I follow to create my must-read lists: Reese Witherspoon’s Book Picks.  Obviously, famous as the girl-next-door-like, Southern actress, Reese has created quite a platform promoting women’s stories on screen and in print.  Her Book Club reiterates the same passion.

Change Management: Celebrating the Small Victories

Change is never easy. I remind myself of this daily as I navigate some major changes in my personal life. And my experience has been a great reminder of why change is often viewed so negatively. It’s the unknown. While they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, the thought of changing that pattern and not knowing what the result will be is often petrifying. I recently started working with a client who is experiencing a great deal of change in their organization and as a result, is seeing a

A Look Back On the Best Way to Thank Employees is to Make it Personal

In 2015, we worked with a client where one of the company’s core values was relationships.  The value they place on relationships, with their employees and their customers, leads to a competitive advantage for the company. But I don’t think they do it because it creates a competitive advantage. They do it because it is just the right thing to do. One thing I learned from them is how this value actually plays out in the way that they recognize and reward employees. As an outsider looking in they: Get to know their people as people, not just as workers