The call came in just after 8am Eastern Time:
“Don’t worry, we are rowing in [to work].”
“You are doing what?”
“Houston is completely flooded.”
“I know, but is it safe? We can…”
“We are fine. Don’t worry. We’ll make it in and we’ll be operational.”
If ever there was a million dollar question, this is it.
How do I motivate my people?
Clearly we all wish that all the people working for us were energetically and diligently figuring out how to do better every day, both on the job and off the job. We want 110% put forth with the best interests of the company on the top of everyone’s mind.
So you must get out there and “motivate your people to do more, better!”

Then I discovered it was absolutely the wrong thing to do. It was a big mistake.
I knew this because after I stopped – and instead began listening and responding to the complaints, suggestions, and questions of my people – performance shot up!
(more…)
“Trust in the workplace is like lube oil. Without it, nothing runs.” – Ben
The thing about trust is that it is totally under your control, as the boss. You have the power to cultivate it and ensure its existence and you have the power to create an environment of distrust.
To say a team or organization can’t run without trust, is an understatement. How do you develop trust in the workplace? (more…)
Everyone knows that the sports team with the highest morale wins. Dejected athletes can’t beat their opponent, heads hanging low isn’t in the coach’s playbook.
Certainly some teams pull off the win, but they are rightfully considered lucky — the other team was not performing well. They know that next time this will not work.
And indeed, every manager in a company wants the same thing – a team with high morale – super charged up to do great things every single day. High morale is required to obtain and sustain peak performance. But the deck is stacked against us as managers. (more…)