Strategy and Culture
July in the United States of America is best thought of as the month in which Independence Day is celebrated. Independence for the United States of America was born out of conflict. By its very nature, that conflict was won and independence declared because of a strategy based on solid information and knowledge of the area in which the conflict was being fought and an equally good working knowledge of the capacity and capabilities of the soldiers involved. However, George Washington would not have proven himself to be the great military leader and indeed the great President of the United States that he was, if he were not also ‘attuned’ to the culture within the military he led and as President, within the newly formed union of the United States of America.
Becoming a Better Leader
If you have been in one of my audiences as I spoke, read one of my books, or watched one of my videos, you may have heard one of my leadership philosophies: “We don’t lead out of our position; we lead out of our lives…”
Climate Change Imperatives Will Drive the Future of Transportation
Climate change demands lower carbon dependency in electricity generation and transportation, by far the two largest global economic sectors in terms of energy use. Clean power solutions already exist: Today 40% of U.S. power generation comes from non-fossil sources, and the electric power sector consumption of fossil fuels is at its lowest level since 1994—25 years of continuous progress. However, 95% of transportation energy comes from fossil fuels.
Information Governance Insights: Moving On Up!
It seems that everyone is moving to the cloud these days. A recent Gartner report stated that 75 percent of all databases will be deployed or migrated to the cloud by 2022, with just 5 percent ever considered for return to on-premise servers. Gartner goes on to say that this trend is mainly around analytics databases and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. That’s a lot of vital data moving out of on-premise server rooms and being handed over to third party vendors!
7 Benefits of Incentive Travel for Companies and Employees
Travel incentive programs have been used as a tool to motivate and engage employees since the 1970s. In recent years, experiential rewards such as travel have been growing in popularity.
Removing a stain on our healthcare system
On Thursday last week, May 9, I was watching one of the business TV channels to learn about the status of our trade war with China, and the anchor announced that President Trump was about to speak. I stayed on the channel to listen, and, surprise! The first sentences Trump pronounced had nothing to do with China, and everything to do with surprise medical bills: “This must end. We’re going to hold insurance companies and hospitals accountable…this will be something that will have a big impact…” the president said.
Wishing Upon Your Stars?
It makes sense that when an organization such as a Government agency is looking to create a ‘wonderful’ workplace, it needs more than just a ‘political’ restructure to make it happen. Some may even suggest that the notion of a Government agency being the most ‘wonderful’ place on earth to work, is the antithesis of the reality of working in a Government organization.
Six Questions You Should Never Ask
These questions are usually asked out of frustration, and they will not help you get the answers you seek. Such questions tend to be disrespectful and demeaning, especially as they are usually accompanied by a negative tone and motivation. Unfortunately, all of us have likely either asked or been asked these types of questions.
Reinforcing Desired Culture Requires Cultivating Good Habits
Changing daily practices is about creating new habits: clarifying desired practices, evaluating current practices, then closing any gaps. Research says that developing new habits requires demonstration of new behaviors for 21 days – and there’s no time like the present to start!
How to Craft a Customizable Resume Template for Government Jobs
Unemployment reached record lows in 2019, but the competition for government jobs is always fierce. Federal employees, for example, often don’t secure positions the first or even second time they apply for one.
How to Outsmart Decision Fatigue
Being in a leadership position carries a lot of responsibility and decision making. Most of the time, the shots you call effect many others down the line and sometimes for years to come. While it’s almost impossible to please everyone, there are some ways to guarantee you’re equipped to make the right decisions.
Here’s What Your Peers Are Doing to Strengthen Talent Acquisition
What’s that line, “change is inevitable,” right? Well that change has come to the recruiting world in a big way, and as recruiters, it’s up to you to work with these changes and keep the talent pipeline into your company open and flowing.
Information Governance Insights: Planning for Digital Transformation – The Strategic Storage Plan
So what did your organization do to observe Earth Day this year? Have a big awareness campaign for their recycling program? Turn off half the lights in the building to conserve energy? I’ve experienced all of these and they are all very admirable, but I’ve got a suggestion that will really make a difference for the long-term plan that every organization has as a strategic goal for this year: create a strategic storage plan!
7 Tips for Managing “Whitewater” Conversations
For 13 summers, I worked in the Grand Canyon as a whitewater guide to pay for my college education. Running the river was the highlight of my young life to that point in time. I loved the beauty of the canyon and river, as well as the excitement and changing nature of our experiences. In order to keep my passengers and me safe, I learned very quickly to be focused not only on what was happening right then, but to look ahead, have a plan, consider what could happen, and have a plan for managing those contingencies.
Success: It’s in Your Hands (and Mind)
Often people will work and work, then see others being promoted over them. They ask themselves: what have they got that I haven’t? Their typical solution – obviously I have to work harder! As a result, they buy into a dangerous narrative in which work dominates at the expense of everything else in life. The paradox, of course, is that the leaders who made the decision about your promotion have probably picked up on that.
Perfecting the 6 Parts of a Cover Letter
Many online job listings state that a cover letter is optional. Meanwhile, some employment writers have suggested that cover letters are obsolete. Neither is true. A well-written cover letter is still an essential job-seeking tool.
How to Use Stories to Convey Values
Are the stories being told within your organization today the kind of stories that clarify your desired culture? Storytelling is one of the most effective and impactful methods for communicating the desired culture of your organization to its members. For centuries, tribes of all kinds have utilized storytelling to support their desired culture. In man’s early history, those stories were told around the campfire each evening, with tribe members going to sleep with a clear image of preferred tribe behaviors, values, and norms in their minds.
How Recruiters Can Cope with a Changing Talent Landscape
What’s that line, “change is inevitable,” right? Well that change has come to the recruiting world in a big way, and as recruiters, it’s up to you to work with these changes and keep the talent pipeline into your company open and flowing.