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 [...]
Business revolves around trust. Without it, it is impossible to sustain a growing company for any length of time. Trust is the foundation of companies that have exhibited consistently above-average market returns year-after-year. Without it, whole organizations put their very survival on the line - just witness Enron, WorldCom, Arthur Andersen, Lehman, BP, AIG, etc. With good [...]
Charles Duhigg, in his brilliant book "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" explains how habits are critical to human survival but, at the same time, can be destructive to personal careers and to organizations. Duhigg describes a part of the brain called the basal ganglia that stores [...]
As every CEO knows, it can be very lonely at the top. The problems faced by senior executives in organizations are very complex and beyond the capability of any one individual or team to solve them. A CEO needs his/her entire organization working collaboratively to use its collective brainpower to overcome tough challenges to win [...]
In the year 2013 there is still a crisis in management. This dates back 100 years and can be traced to the days of the Ford Motor Company. When Henry Ford was producing black Model T cars, a man by the name of Frederick Taylor invented what is known today as scientific management. Managing employees [...]
