MIT Sloan Management Review published “Why Every Leader Needs to Worry About Toxic Culture.” It includes the Toxic Five Culture Attributes–worth a read and a gut check. When I started working in the car business, my father reminded me that there was a hiring culture of, “Throw them up against the wall and see who sticks.” Nowadays, there is probably …
A clean, well-lighted metaverse
More information continues to come to light on what our employees and customers think about the metaverse. I am, of course, talking about middle-aged people paying off home mortgages from talking raccoons. I owe Tom Nook, like, 90,000 Bells If you’re not familiar, Animal Crossing is a game where you (or, I should say, your cute avatar) arrive at an …
Podcast 104 (our two-year special!): The magic of Coach Wooden–an interview with his disciple
We’ve produced two years of weekly podcasts! To celebrate, here’s a fascinating conversation with a mentor of our mentor–who was mentored by the Wizard of Westwood himself. Lynn Guerin is CEO of the John R. Wooden Course. He partnered with Coach Wooden to create the course, sharing Wooden’s legacy of “timeless wisdom for personal and team success.” In our interview, …
Your employees and customers want to “BeReal”
I’ve discussed how the punk ethos grew out of a “thirst for reality” (in the words of Television’s Richard Hell). That punk concept illuminates a path to employee engagement. In a related vein, I’ve discussed how a company’s content creation must be “authentic.” If you need more proof that your marketing must reflect that, see BeReal. I believe the link …
“Heroic in how we do business”
I’m still reading Alexis de Tocqueville. And I’m still blown away by how accurately his “Democracy in America” calls out what makes America great–and what someday might be our Achilles heel. Today’s post is just to remind Americans that we have some distinct qualities, things that rightly make us proud. Such as: cutting costs. Stay with me! There is no …
Podcast 103: Accountability is a two-way street.
Our fourth and final statement for building a culture that has both results and relationship: Accountability is a two-way street. Managers are expected to hold their people accountable. But notice there is an expectation for you, the manager, built into that statement! We would love your questions and comments for future episodes: Email Mike and Mark. …
Do customers see you as Ringling Bros. or Cirque du Soleil?
I don’t care which you prefer: One of them went out of business. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closed up shop in 2017. I’ve had a note to myself since then to write an article about it. Since I procrastinated, here’s a well-written one from the Detroit Free Press. “As consumer preferences shifted, the circus stood still.” This …
Collaborating … or just meeting? Empowering … or just coaching?
You know how we all joke about talking about something and having it show up as an ad on our phones? It’s creepy how it feels like we’re being watched. (Just kidding, you’re great Mr. Zuckerburg and Mr. Bezos!) Anyway, I had that feeling with email today. Two articles hit my inbox that are replies to conversations I’m having with …
Podcast 102: Clarity is kindness.
Our third statement on building a culture that honors results and relationship: Clarity is kindness. It unlocks productivity. It is at the core of behavioral change programs. It’s biblical. Easy to understand, hard to do! We would love your questions and comments for future episodes: Email Mike and Mark. Listen here … subscribe on Spotify, Amazon or Apple … or view …
What is your company’s Edge?
I’m still re-devouring William Gibson novels. At some point during the lockdowns, I realized we were living in his universe: corporate monopolies, pandemics, communities-in-cyberspace, alienation-via-technology … things he covered 30 years ago. (Not David Howell Evans) Here’s one item that, I hope, he got at least a little bit wrong: the Edge. In his short story “New Rose Hotel,” Fox, …