It amazes me how many corporate cultures get in the way of employee engagement, morale, productivity and creativity. Such cultures are based on a foundation of numbers, logic, spreadsheets, analysis, strategic planning, ROI, rules and regulations, etc. and view their employees as Mr. Spock-like machines who lack emotion and don't have to time to engage in [...]
Dr. Evian Gordon, CEO of Brain Resource, has a brain model called "Brain 1-2-4". Its central premise is that: 1 - The brain's organizing principle is focused on "Minimize Danger - Maximize Reward". 2 - There are two modes of processing in the brain - nonconscious and conscious. 4 - The brain has four key [...]
It is estimated that 80% of training dollars are wasted every year by North American companies. The truth is that the majority of corporate work cultures are not conducive to best teaching and learning practices. These workplaces are fast-paced, stressful environments where employees' brains are overtaxed and in constant overload. This reality carries on to corporate [...]
Chris Hurn’s son was distraught. He had left his favorite stuffed giraffe “Joshie” in his hotel room during a recent stay at the Ritz-Carlton. Mr. Hurn, in an effort to placate his distressed son, assured him that Joshie had decided to stay a few extra days on vacation. Mr. Hurn then called the Ritz Carlton [...]
When recently trying to introduce Points of You to an accounting company, some partners stated, "We're an accounting company. We deal with numbers, data, spreadsheets and financial statements. Don't try to talk to us about all this right brain stuff concerning people, developing relationships, authentic conversations and trust." The VP of a software development company echoed [...]
I had the pleasure of reading John Medina's brilliant book "Brain Rules" over the holidays. Medina helps us better understand what goes on in our brains and offers ideas on how to make better use of this vitally important organ. "Brain Rules" is organized according to 12 well-researched brain principles: 1. Exercise boosts brain power. Exercise [...]
A plethora of studies indicate that the majority of training dollars is being wasted. Research by Dr. Brent Peterson of Columbia University suggests why this is true. Dr. Peterson compared the amount of time that is spent developing training and related activities and what actually contributes to learning effectiveness. According to Dr. Peterson: Pre-learning event activities [...]
Is there anything more threatening and uninviting than the typical performance review process? Rebecca Knight wrote a blog on the Harvard Business Review Best Practices Blog Network (November, 2011) that "For many employees, a face-to-face performance review is the most stressful conversation they'll have all year." She continued by writing that the annual performance review forces [...]
The introduction of Points of You PRO into the marketplace has been a fascinating experience for me. It has been highly satisfying and fulfilling as I have watched both individuals and teams develop new perspectives and open up to each other in an authentic manner. It was the use of Points of You and its [...]
The team is the essential decision-making vehicle in any organization and yet, despite the thousands of books that exist related to effective teamwork, most teams never reach the high performing stage. Many remain stuck in the storming stage for months and even years while some teams make it to the norming stage but seldom move on [...]
