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Top Companies Rally Behind a Strong Mission Statement

Posted by: Jared Brox | Comments (0)

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

Part two of a three part series on developing a strong company culture. Read part one here.

If you met someone in an elevator and they asked what your company does, could you accurately explain it before you reach your floor? If you’re like many people, you’d probably give a quick three to five word description like “we do software development” or “we’re a small chain of coffee shops.” Yes, you’re answering the question, but with only the bare minimum of information. The elevator doors open, and all your new acquaintance really knows is you do something with computers. Or you sell coffee. Information that will be tucked away or completely forgotten as they move on with their day.

So, how do you share the who, what, and why of your company without breaking out flow charts and annual reports? It may be as simple as developing a solid mission statement. Read More→

Categories : Executive Insights, Inability to Innovate, Inspiration, Leadership, Losing Your Competitive Advantage, Poor Leadership and Communication, Regulatory Nightmares, Workplace

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Core Values are the Building Blocks of Company Culture

Posted by: Jared Brox | Comments (2)

Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013

Part One of a Three Part Series on Developing a Strong Company Culture

Why do companies like Southwest Airlines, Apple®, Zappos.com, Whole Foods Market, and Google always top the lists of the best places to work? Is it because of their competitive compensation packages? Or an emphasis on open communication and teamwork? Maybe it’s the way their leadership teams strive to ensure each employee knows they are indispensable to the company’s overall success?

The answer is that it’s all of that … and much more.

Culture Begins with Core Values
Ultimately, what defines a company culture is the collective behavior of the people in the organization. The driving force behind that behavior is the basic building block of a company’s culture – its core values. Core values are personal, ethical, and ideological guidelines that set the standard for every aspect of business operations, from hiring to decision making to strategic planning.

Let’s break it down even further: Read More→

Categories : Executive Insights, High Costs of Reckless Hiring, Inability to Innovate, Inspiration, Leadership, Losing Your Competitive Advantage, Management, Poor Leadership and Communication, Productivity, Regulatory Nightmares, Workplace

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Engaged Employees Know Their Hard Work Is Appreciated

Posted by: James C. Price | Comments (0)

Thursday, March 14th, 2013

We all want to feel appreciated. It’s an innate desire to know that what we do affects others in a positive way. As leaders, we have the ability to impart mood-altering, encouraging words to our own team members. Appreciation can be the difference in motivating a team to new heights and creating a revolving door of turnover at your organization.

Although most people understand its importance, appreciation through words or actions is often hard to come by in an office setting. According to a survey by the John Templeton Foundation of West Conshohocken, Pa., a nonprofit research organization, 10% of workers express gratitude to a colleague daily, while only 7% show appreciation to bosses. There is a disconnect between the amount of times appreciation is shown with the knowledge of its impact. According to Society for Human Resource Management, about half of human-resource managers say showing appreciation to employees helps reduce turnover and increase profit. Productivity and engagement is obviously directly connected to how employees understand their impact and influence in the overall company picture.

So to ensure high moral and better employee participation, consider these quick tips to show appreciation to your workforce! Read More→

Categories : Inability to Innovate, Leadership, Losing Your Competitive Advantage, Motivation, Poor Leadership and Communication, Productivity, Quick Tips

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The CIA’s Best Kept Secret – Employee Retention?

Posted by: Refresh Leadership | Comments (0)

Monday, March 11th, 2013

Though it may not be the right fit for everyone and the actual daily routine may pale in comparison to the way it’s portrayed in Hollywood, the men and women who work at the CIA aren’t in any rush to leave. Check out this article by former undercover CIA officer, J.C. Carleson, on fastcompany.com for some insight into what the CIA can teach us about employee retention.

How the CIA Keeps Employees Happy

Do you employ any of the CIA’s “clandestine” tactics in your workplace? Let us know in the comments section below. Read More→

Categories : Executive Insights, High Costs of Reckless Hiring, Losing Your Competitive Advantage, Poor Leadership and Communication

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Working From Home? Not at Yahoo.

Posted by: Refresh Leadership | Comments (1)

Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

Business blogs, publications, and news outlets everywhere were all abuzz after Yahoo’s new CEO, Marissa Mayer, announced that she was calling back all of the company’s remote workers. Many consider it an odd move considering the momentum of business has been moving toward a greater ability to work from the home. And Mayer, at age 37, is definitely part of the generation leading that charge. So, what’s the driving force behind her decision? Check out this interview from Forbes.com with Roman Stanek, CEO and founder of GoodData, for some insight into why bringing the troops back to the office might not be that bad of an idea for Yahoo:

Marissa’s Manifesto: Good or Bad for Tech?

Do your employees work from home? If so, how has the arragement affected productivity? Let us know in the comments section below. Read More→

Categories : Executive Insights, Inability to Innovate, Losing Your Competitive Advantage, Poor Leadership and Communication, Productivity, Workplace

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Would Your Company Continue to Thrive If Your Leader Stepped Away?

Posted by: Refresh Leadership | Comments (0)

Wednesday, February 27th, 2013

Many businesses don’t realize how vital a key leader is to success until they are gone. Steve Jobs and his role in putting Apple back on track is perhaps one of the most clear-cut examples in the past couple decades. How would your company fare if you lost your “Steve Jobs.” Check out this article from Businessweek.com for a little insight into what can happen when a leader takes a break.

When It Pays for the Founder to Take a Break

Have you ever lost a key player in your business? How did you fill the void or compensate for the loss? Let us know in the comments section below. Read More→

Categories : Emerging Leaders, Executive Insights, Losing Your Competitive Advantage, Poor Leadership and Communication

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How Do You Retain Your Top Talent?

Posted by: Refresh Leadership | Comments (0)

Monday, February 25th, 2013

What do employees really want? Are you prepared to give it? These are the two questions that are at the heart of the retention challenge. From flexible hours to increased pay, skilled workers are looking for a reason to stay. And in the new economic environment, the ball is often in their court.

Check out this article from Tim Gould of HRMorning.com, a source for human resource news and insights, for a closer look at what employees really want:

Retention in 2013: What do employees really want?

How do you retain your top talent? Let us know in the comments section below. Read More→

Categories : Executive Insights, High Costs of Reckless Hiring, Inability to Innovate, Losing Your Competitive Advantage, Poor Leadership and Communication

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Award-Winning Leadership: Decoding the Oscars

Posted by: James C. Price | Comments (0)

Thursday, February 21st, 2013

Every year, millions of people across the world plant themselves in front of the tube on a Sunday night to watch one of cinema’s most prestigious award ceremonies – The Academy Awards. People on both sides of the fourth wall will be squirming in their seats wondering who will take home a coveted golden statue. But with so many categories, it can be confusing to understand how the nomination process goes. So, we’re going to decode the Oscars for you – of course, from a leadership standpoint.

Best Picture
This is the big one. The best picture award goes to the film with all around cinematic, writing, and aesthetic supremacy. Movies like Gone with the Wind, Ben-Hur, and Braveheart have been honored with this title. In business, companies are constantly fighting for competitive advantage. To remain innovative and on the leading edge, your organization needs to focus on the overall picture. Sure the little things are important, but you need to know the overall vision of what you want to accomplish. All of the aspects of a good movie make the total impact powerful. It’s the same with a brand. Read More→

Categories : High Costs of Reckless Hiring, Losing Your Competitive Advantage, Poor Leadership and Communication

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The New Face of Entry Level

Posted by: James C. Price | Comments (0)

Tuesday, February 12th, 2013

A change is coming. You can feel it in the air. See it in people’s eyes. Hear it in the footsteps marching down the halls. Though many choose to ignore it, the tide is turning. The workforce is changing.

With every new generation entering the workforce, change is bound to occur. However, this difference that has manifested as of late is drastically different than when any other generation turned in their school books for a punch card. For the most part, older generations tended to accept certain expectations as “just the way it is,” from wearing a suit in the office to working 8-5 to work life outbalancing home life. And in some instances, these traits were even strengthened by Baby Boomers and Gen Xers.

Enter the Millennial. Determined. Focused. Optimistic. As the largest generation since the Baby Boomers, these workers are bent on making a difference in the world. They are eager to prove themselves and want meaning over monotony. Read More→

Categories : Executive Insights, High Costs of Reckless Hiring, Inability to Innovate, Losing Your Competitive Advantage, Poor Leadership and Communication, Workplace

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The Lost Art of Mentoring: Part III

Posted by: James C. Price | Comments (0)

Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

This is the third and final installment in a series on mentoring. Read Part One and Part Two.

If you were to explain your deepest passion and purpose in life, how would you go about it? For most people, everything boils down to success. Not monetary success, but succeeding in one’s goals for life, love, business, and relationships with others. True, success isn’t driven by bottom lines – but the bottom line is affected by achieving success. An organization is only as strong as the sum of its parts, and with employees making up the bulk of a company’s voice, it is important to understand the impact in not just investing in capital, but in your workforce as well. Your team is your key to innovation and maintaining a competitive advantage. While many realize this, there is still a disconnect between leadership and team members. The most effective way to create a culture-shift in making employees realize their worth within an organization is openly communicating and imparting knowledge through an age-old, venerable art – mentoring.

In the first article on mentorship, we established the importance mentoring has in business today; and in the second, we outlined how trust is crucial in developing a strong mentor-mentee relationship. Being in a leadership position, you have accrued valuable knowledge through experience and from other leaders throughout your life. Investing time and energy by imparting these qualities in your staff is the best way to engage your workers, develop their talent, and set a foundation for success. Before we go into the details of best practices for creating this culture, it is important to define some of the types of mentoring available to you. Read More→