When I hear from leaders, staffing is almost always at or near the top of the biggest issues they are facing. It seems we are constantly asking ourselves, Do we have enough staff? This question usually centers on the number of staff. If we are fortunate enough to have...

I spend a lot of time inside organizations. A common thread I see is that there are many people who are either new to the organization or, if they’ve been there for a while, are in a new position. Both situations can be daunting. Then add the fact that organizations...

Most of us have growing pains, or experiences that can be uncomfortable. Yet, when we look back on some of these pains, we can see they created our greatest learning gains. One of my growing pains was when I was told my job was not about how hard I was working or the...

Is it doable? That is the question. As regular readers know, I have been able to get back into healthcare. However, at times, I still work with non-healthcare companies and also communities based on the ideas in my book Building a Vibrant Community: How...

A learning that has proved so helpful to me is to “pause to learn more.” What do I mean? There is great value in pausing and taking time to learn more prior to taking action. I’ve found that taking time to ask a few questions and do some digging usually proves very...

There are many items involved in running a financially sustainable company/organization. The intent of this column is to point out three that have a large impact on all operations. They are selection, development of...

A main role in my career is creating ways to build and sustain high performance. By “high performance” I mean the organization’s key success metrics. “Sustainability” is performing at a high level over time.   A few of the items I’ve focused on over the...

This is the tale of two perceptions. One (held by the leader) is “I don’t want to overwhelm them.” The other (held by the employee) is “I am not getting the opportunity to develop. My leader holds on to things I could do or would like to do instead. Maybe my leader...

When an organization holds learning events for your leaders, are they leadership development or leadership awareness or both?   My experience is that awareness is part of development; however, it is not everything. Many organizations with great intentions...

We know when we feel we belong somewhere. For years I have shared that most people appreciate a work environment where they believe the work they are doing fills a purpose, is worthwhile, and makes a difference. Today, I feel it takes much more than that. A person can...