We have all had them – a day that starts bad and gets worse: The dog wouldn’t come in which made you late for work. In a hurry and fumbling for keys, you drop your phone on the driveway and crack the screen. Your boss/foreman/assistant looks like she’s in a sour mood as you walk by. Then lunch rolls around,
Six ways to attract “Cream of the Crop” Employees
A recurring topic in our CEO Roundtables is how to attract great employees. The labor pool has plenty of average candidates, but businesses who want the best must keep abreast of the latest hiring strategies. Brand your company as a great place to work. Your story is shared best by you and the people who work for you. Put video testimonials
How Will You Dent the Universe?
In high school I participated in speech competitions. One friend had a speech impediment which made it difficult to understand some of her words. I often wondered what made Carol brave enough at 16, to speak in front of an audience and panel of judges. At our class reunion last year, Carol shared that our English teacher, Mr. Meredith, tutored
Sacred Cows Make the Best Hamburger
On the Best Valley Dairy Farm, we milked Holsteins. We often had our “favorite” cows, but when the industry developed the capacity to measure the quantity and quality of each cow’s milk, we were shocked to realize our favorites were not necessarily the producers who kept our farm in business. Sadly, one of the few options was hamburger. According to
Is the Juice worth the Squeeze
I heard an interesting phrase last week: “The juice isn’t worth the squeeze.” It was in reference to deciding if making the effort to start a new project was wise. It caught my attention because it could be applied to many situations. We may have unlimited ideas, but not every great idea is worth our time and attention. Your work – Whether you own
Are you good or are you lucky?
Early in my career I worked for Arcon Construction. The owner, Dean Johnson, told me how he’d built the highway/heavy construction company from nothing to a multi-million-dollar business. Knowing little about entrepreneurship, I commented, “You sure were lucky.” Dean was offended and responded, “You know what luck is? Luck is sweat applied to an opportunity.” I have never forgotten that lesson. Lucky people
Are you good at ignoring elephants?
I am often struck by comments people make when they miss an opportunity to speak up. “She knows I don’t like to reprimand people, so she pushes the rules a hair past the limit, knowing I won’t call her on it.” “Why does Harriet keep telling stories about people who’ve died from cancer. It upsets me. Doesn’t she remember my
It’s all good.
It was late in the day; the store was packed. All around me unhappy people were complaining about long lines and slow cashiers. The young woman behind me had only two items and a little girl in her cart. My cart was full, so I invited her to go ahead. “Thank you,” she smiled, “We don’t mind waiting; Emily and
Limiting Beliefs
Mark Twain was fond of saying, “When a cat jumps on a hot stove, he’ll never jump on a hot stove again. He’ll also never jump on a cold stove.” Twain was pointing out something we humans do regularly. To save time and effort, we use one or a few “facts” to make a quick judgement. The tendency to overgeneralize is
Industrious
Before my father passed away, he cleaned out his shed and house and held an auction. My siblings and I helped him sift through a lifetime of tools, bolts, chainsaws, and lawnmowers to decide what to toss, what to keep, and what to sell. Mom had passed away several years earlier. We decided it was finally time to purge her