Management

Empowerment or Micromanaging?

2022-03-28T14:26:44-05:00March 2nd, 2022|Tags: , , |

While interviewing a new job applicant, I invited our team to join the interview. Later in the interview our applicant had some questions of her own.   She specifically wanted to know if we would be “micromanaging” her. A couple of our staff members chuckled at her question.   One team member told her, “We hire good people then let them do ...

Abusive Customers

2022-03-21T11:30:13-05:00February 22nd, 2022|Tags: , , |

There’s an adage that “the customer is always right.” Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Sometimes customers are just mean and unreasonable. This year we have seen an unprecedented number of assaults on airlines as tensions seem to skyrocket. Many flight attendants have been cursed and even assaulted for trying to do their jobs, especially their legal requirement to enforce ...

The Source of Strife

2022-03-19T18:11:37-05:00February 16th, 2022|Tags: , , |

My son lives in a residential home with five young men who all have some form of special needs. The young men get along great most of the time, but occasionally, the parents are a different story. For a while there was a parent who constantly complained and gossiped about the staff or other parents. It made for an unhealthy ...

Be Forewarned

2022-01-01T15:19:44-06:00November 8th, 2021|Tags: , , , |

Years ago, our son’s psychiatrist forewarned us that Jeremy would likely struggle during Daylight Savings Time. Jeremy, like many young adults with autism, struggles emotionally in the fall with time changes and allergies. By being forewarned, it was easier for us to be patient and to help Jeremy navigate the oncoming fall season. In our workplaces, it’s likely that we ...

Creative Care

2021-10-06T13:19:15-05:00October 1st, 2021|Tags: , , , |

With significant worker shortages throughout the country, many employees are being asked to work double shifts and are now showing signs of exhaustion. Bojangles Famous Chicken restaurants decided to make a bold move to do something about their employee’s exhaustion. Bojangles closed all company owned stores on two different Mondays and made those paid days of rest for their staff! ...

Five Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs: Balanced Diligence

2021-10-18T14:50:50-05:00September 9th, 2021|Tags: , , , |

In this series, we are looking at five traits common to successful entrepreneurs and how unconventional business leaders should approach each. Today’s trait is Balanced Diligence. Entrepreneurship is hard work. Successful founders work long, hard hours to bring their plans to fruition, and many entrepreneurs push their teams almost to the breaking point in pursuit of success. But throughout the ...

Stakeholder Capitalism

2021-10-20T14:21:43-05:00August 30th, 2021|Tags: , , , |

“Stakeholder capitalism” encourages companies to be run for the benefit of all stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, employees, investors and communities. But what is a CEO to do when different stakeholders have different priorities? In today’s world, different stakeholders demand attention for the environment, racial injustice, and political issues, while expecting you to still run a profitable company. For Biblically grounded ...

Orderly Processes

2021-10-20T14:28:24-05:00August 27th, 2021|Tags: , , , |

Recently, Kathy and I had the opportunity to tour the facilities of Vermeer Corporation in Pella, Iowa. One of the more impressive parts of the tour was witnessing the thought given to developing efficient processes in all parts of this enormous plant. Vermeer’s pursuit of continuous improvement has no bounds. They even chose to analyze the processes around their company ...

Bridging the Wealth Gap

2022-05-08T15:41:03-05:00April 20th, 2021|Tags: , , , |

According to the Wall Street Journal, Pete Stavros, an executive with KKR & Co., has spent much of his career promoting the idea of awarding stock to factory workers and other hourly employees. He believes stock ownership builds wealth for all employees and strengthens the culture. Stavros implemented his concept with a KKR company, called Gardner Denver. In a few ...

The Minimum Wage Debate, Part IV

2022-05-09T12:41:35-05:00April 8th, 2021|Tags: , , , |

Even if you agree with the merits of doubling the minimum wage to $15 per hour, in my opinion, the timing of this mandate should be seriously considered. The industry that uses the most minimum wage labor is the leisure and hospitality industry. The most devastated industry by the pandemic is also the leisure and hospitality industry. If we dramatically ...

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