Several weeks ago I wrote about the results of a survey I conducted on the subject of sabbaticals (or leaves of absence).  The consultant I worked with on the research and I have now completed an even more thorough analysis of the implications, which I thought you would enjoy reading. INTRODUCTION Employee engagement is at...Read More

Many months ago I quoted IBM and McKinsey when I wrote about the influence personal behavior has on IT project success and direction.  Recalling those two quotes: According to an IBM study, only 40% of projects meet schedule, budget and quality goals.  Further, they found that the biggest barriers to success are people factors. McKinsey...Read More

Employee engagement is at its lowest point since WWII.  My guess is that this is due to several factors:  longer working hours, less internal and external mobility, ongoing organizational change, job insecurity, corporate rhetoric and reality not matching up, boomers stuck in positions awaiting retirement, and individuals not finding a purpose at work beyond just...Read More

I had the good fortune of hearing Daniel Goleman and Dan Siegel speak at a recent Institute of Coaching Professional Association conference in Boston.  Mr. Goleman popularized emotional intelligence for managers and Dan Siegel, MD, is a professor of psychiatry at UCLA’s School of Medicine.  Both of them talked about the brain, and I wanted...Read More

Every Sunday the New York Times interviews executives who have a special message about or insight into leadership and their personal techniques for success. In this blog, I’d like to cover the essential points about leadership as described by James P. Hackett, president and CEO of Steelcase, the office furniture company based in Grand Rapids,...Read More

Used to be that everyone thought the CIO was prey for the CFO.  But times have fortunately changed, with more collegial and valuable relationships being established between the two roles. In “So, You’re the Boss of the CIO.  Now What?” of March 1st in CFO.com, the author cites results of  a LinkedIn survey that asked...Read More

Jonathan Alter, a well-known author, recently wrote an article in August for Business Week entitled “A Checklist for Change.”  While Mr. Alter most often writes about politics, what could be more appropriate than his writing about management?  Politics and management are inextricably linked.  Committees are inescapable in both arenas. The premise of the article —...Read More

I came upon a new blog entirely by accident.  Normally I scan blogs and never view them again.  But this one was different.  It’s entitled Treasury Cafe and is written by David Waltz.  He has many important things to say and his style is simple and straightforward, which I think all lessons should be. His...Read More

The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School publishes straightforward and practical research articles across a broad spectrum of management topics.  In their latest, entitled Talent Builders: Lead the Way in Developing Your People, the three authors describe why ‘developing talent is a long-term investment that must be executed by line leaders in an organization.’...Read More

It’s not who you expect, according to James Krohe, Jr., in the summer edition of The Conference Board Review.  In an article entitled “Disconnect:  The Company You Think You’re Running is not the Company For Which Your People Work,” the author reveals the dichotomy between the company a CEO thinks he/she is running and the...Read More