Employee Relations
How to Solve That Pesky Sick Leave Problem
There’s been considerable discussion about mandated, paid sick-leave over the last few years. Proponents say providing paid sick leave is something businesses should do. Opponents say it’s too expensive.
The current situation with Covid has changed this discussion some, but at some point we’ll be back to talking about things like flu or a sick child. So, let’s examine the question from two points of view.
Employees want to be able to stay home when they are ill and not take a financial hit. That seems reasonable.
Employers don’t want to pay someone for not working. That too seems reasonable.
No Values? Really?
Have you ever heard, “That person has no values”? What that usually means is, “That person’s values are so different from mine that I don’t recognize them.”
How Did This Happen?
It’s common to do a deep post mortem when things go wrong or failure happens. How come we don’t put as much effort into learning from our successes?
Digging for Dhub Dhubs – What Leaders Don’t Know May Not Hurt Them
A dhub dhub is an odd looking creature that can be found in parts of the Middle East. Full grown they are about 2 – 3 feet long and look like a prehistoric cross between an alligator and a lizard with the beak of a snapping turtle. They aren’t particularly friendly, but aren’t aggressive either. They burrow into the ground and are content to just be left alone.
Apparently, unknown to me, several of the guys had found one of these dhub dhubs near the parking ramp and had adopted it.
What Customer Complaints May Really Mean
Customers complain. It’s a fact of business life. Sometimes they have a valid complaint, but often they’re just cranky, having a bad day, or upset because they can’t find what they’re looking for. Whatever has set them off, they are likely to take it out on an employee. But if… Read More »What Customer Complaints May Really Mean
Clothes Don’t Make the Team
“Bring your team together with these team shirts.” The commercial showed groups of happy, smiling people, all wearing the same shirts with the company logo. The narrator explained that teams would be more productive when they wore the same clothes because they would feel more like a real team. Nice… Read More »Clothes Don’t Make the Team
Introvert and Extrovert: Labels, Not Capabilities
Introvert or extrovert. Most psychological tests apply this label and in popular definitions, extroverts are seen as outgoing, fun-loving, and gregarious. Introverts are seen as inward-focused, quiet, and maybe even standoffish. The Daedalus Group uses the My HardWiredâ„¢ Leadership Styles Assessment and like most such instruments, it identifies introversion and… Read More »Introvert and Extrovert: Labels, Not Capabilities
A Word to the Recent Graduate’s New Leaders
Most of the graduation ceremonies and celebrations are over now. Young people, and some not so young, have rightly celebrated great achievements and are now looking forward to the start of the next phase of their lives. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of speakers have taken to stages around the nation to… Read More »A Word to the Recent Graduate’s New Leaders
A Difficult Subject
In a recent leadership workshop, we had deep discussion about diversity. Participants were looking for answers to an issue leaders face that seems to have no good answer. The conversation centered on two questions: how should a leader view diversity and why does this seem to be such an explosive… Read More »A Difficult Subject









