At a recent company meeting, one of the people on my team announced that she was “the most engaged at work” that she’s ever been. She’s worked on our team for several years, and this hasn’t been the easiest of them. Yet she is on fire. Imagine the impact her enthusiasm for work has on our
Have you ever been thoroughly excited about your ideas, only to see them shot down without any serious consideration at all? I still vividly remember the experience of presenting my exciting new idea to the senior leaders in our company years ago. Expecting enthusiasm, interest or at least alternative solutions, instead my carefully prepared plan was
Dale Carnegie recently surveyed 500 business leaders from 12 countries about where their organizations are focusing their innovation efforts. Among the top six areas of focus across all respondents was innovation related to the organization’s “culture of learning.” In many ways, this doesn’t come as a surprise. Given the rapid pace of global change, organizations
You don’t want to fall short of expectations. And you probably have to rely on other people to help you deliver on your expectations. If those people are different from you, they likely interpret standards and expectations differently. The bottom line: excellence requires consistent accountability for results, and fostering consistent accountability is challenging. A friend
What if you knew as much about immigration reform as you do about your job? What if you were as comfortable discussing the trade-offs of imposing economic sanctions on other countries as you were discussing your favorite sport? What if you had as much of a well-informed point of view about poverty alleviation as you
Gallup research shows that Minnesota has the lowest employee engagement levels of any state in the US. At the same time, according to recent data from CNBC, Minnesota ranks 15th overall in competitiveness for business and third for quality of life, after Hawaii and Vermont (who rank 50th and 32nd for competitiveness, respectively). As a
Engagement is a hot topic in organizations today, and with good reason. Recent Gallup research shows that organizations with high levels of engagement outperform all the others in just about every key measure of business. Organizations typically talk about the issue in terms of increasing employee engagement, but perhaps a more relevant way to describe
Last week at our Wednesday team dinner, I was reminded that I have a profound love for my co-workers. That’s not a statement I make lightly or as a dramatic platitude. Of course, we all disappoint, annoy or anger each other at times. Yet last week they moved me to tears because I care so
Your organization is made up of human beings. That’s not a radical thought, but sometimes we forget it, even though this basic truth gives us clear signals about how to strengthen our corporate cultures. People need to feel connected to each other and to a broader whole, particularly with so much uncertainty in the world.
Perhaps the key to accomplishing more… is doing less. Maybe “getting a lot done” is not the best measure of a work day. This is counter-cultural for those of us that hurry to do as much as possible each day. “Lucky…” (with this photo) was the text message from my wife after she drove a
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE