Micromanaging One of life’s most difficult lessons is to come to grips with the fact that the tools that have taken you to where you are, are not the tools that are going to take you to the next level. For example, micromanaging, where you are constantly looking over other people’s shoulders, may work well…
Starbucks has long been known for doing the right thing for its employees. Early on, the company offered health care to its employees when competitors considered the practice a waste of money. Recently, it announced that it was investing $250 million to help at least 25, 000 employees graduate from college by 2025. While this…
I recently came across a blog post on Linkedin Pulse by Jeff Haden titled, “10 Habits of Genuinely Charming People.” As it turns out, we’re naturally attracted to charming people—“…individuals who are genuinely polite, modest, agreeable, kind.” Note, the watchword here is “genuinely,” you can’t fake this stuff. I have listed several of the 10…
I recently read a post on Brad Aronson’s Blog regarding how acts of kindness can change people’s lives. According to the post, in 1985, a man named Gabe Sonnier was the janitor at an elementary school in Louisiana. One day the principal told him that he should be “grading papers [rather than] picking them up.”…
The original of just about anything is always more highly prized than a copy or reproduction. The same holds true for people. That’s why it’s important for you to be yourself instead of trying to impress people by trying to be someone you’re not. Being yourself is what makes you authentic–an “original” if you will. …
QuikTrip is a convenience store chain located in the southwest United States that also sells gasoline. The company has about 600 stores and it is known for doing things right. Stacia Naquin recently wrote an article for The Arizona Republic which discussed a customer named Gary Whitman’s experience at a QuikTrip store not far from…
USA Today recently ran an article about 15 actors in Hollywood who are over 50 and still very much in demand. Meryl Streep, in particular, caught my attention because in spite of her tremendous success, she doesn’t take herself seriously. As the article put it, “Everyone adores La Streep, who has the most Oscar nominations…
Stacia Naquin wrote an article about a Phoenix area McDonald’s employee named Brandon Longeway which appeared in a recent issue of The Arizona Republic. Mr. Longeway has an interesting work-related goal: he wants every one of his customers to walk away with a smile. According to the article, Mr. Longeway greets is customers with a…
The Golden State Warriors team of the National Basketball Association is doing extremely well. They began the season with a league leading record of 41 wins against only nine losses. They have the No. 1 defense in the league and the No. 2 offense. Yes, they have good players and good coaches, but the thing…
Last week as I was walking toward my favorite coffee shop, I couldn’t help but overhear one end of a cell phone conversation. A woman was speaking to a friend and she was obviously frustrated because she was speaking loudly and directly. She said to her friend, “You’ll never be able to write the next…