“I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree.” Joyce Kilmer published this in 1913. Born in New Jersey, he was considered by many to be the leading American Catholic poet of the era. He later was killed by a snipers bullet in 1918. What does his poetry mean? What […]
Non-Compliance Podcast
This podcast is meant to add consideration to the blog posts. It highlights two specific ways to look at non-compliance.
How far is non-compliance?
What if the team member was non-compliant, then ok and then was non-compliant again? I love, love, love this debate. It is so classic and at the same time (at least in my workshops) completely divides a room. Here is the context for our moment. Todd has had two times he has been late. For […]
Non-Compliance
Skippy is late today. It is about fifteen minutes after his scheduled time. Mary is only five minutes the next week and she is your best employee. Andrea is your assistant manager and she is having issues with her boyfriend. Because of that, the day after Mary, she is 30 minutes late and apologizes profusely. […]
You can’t save me
Maybe you should start with watching the You Tube video of The Fray “How to save a life” first. No, seriously – watch that first. Can you save an employee? What if you have someone who is flat lining? To what extent or at what point do you say ” I can still fix them?” […]
Know it all
What if someone you are managing says they know it already? Do they? “Yeah boss, I know this. This was a good refresher. This reinforced what I know already.” If I hear that one more time, I may in fact want to rip my own arm off and strike that person. I realize that may […]
Mean what you say
Seriously, grow a pair. Let’s analyze that statement. You could call it chauvinistic or misogynistic. You could say I am being insensitive with those who may not have the ability or resources to act. Maybe they are who they are due to the circumstances that have just been. They want to be in a different […]
I am tired
What if I am just a little bit tired? Tired is relative. I am tired today. I got about 6 hours of sleep and feel like the world is closing in around me. Am I tired or am I anxious? As a manager, you would love to have everyone working full strength and with everything […]
Buddy versus Boss
So you are the boss? And now your best friend is someone you have to “manage”? What if they challenge your authority by doing something against the rules? What do you do? More importantly, whatever you do, who sees that? Perhaps the biggest or more directly the most difficult thing a manager must do is […]
What if starts off
Yeah, what if this happens? That is the name of this blog. The idea is simple. I am the manager and now I have to manage and this happens. Or perhaps there is something that is slightly different than what I expect. Think about that for just a moment. “What if this thing happens?” “I […]
Management & Leadership Series: Reflection
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. The last installment, Part 52: Reflection (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Joy
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 51: Joy (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Service
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 50: Service (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Grace & Truth
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 49: Grace & Truth (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Awareness
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 48: Awareness (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Respect
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 47: Respect (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Gratitude
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 46: Gratitude (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Honesty
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 45: Honesty (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Courage
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 44: Courage (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Empowerment
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 43: Empowerment (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Coaching Awareness; a 4-Part chat from 2012
This series proceeds the Coaching Steps podcast. Consider this a moment or two to contemplate coaching and what is behind it.
Coaching Steps; a 5-Part chat from 2012
Coaching can be defined in so many different ways. Is it a sit down or on the fly? Is it challenging, enabling, encouraging, sharing or modeling? Is it training? This is a five part series tales a simple look to see at the what, why, how and to what extent.
Sales & Service; a 4-Part Chat from 2012
Don’t over-complicate the sales and service reality in the retail environment. Keep it simple.
Prioritization
This podcast explores how an idea moves from realization to doing-ness. This is a first of a series of ad lib discussions.
Non-Compliance Podcast
This podcast is meant to add consideration to the blog posts. It highlights two specific ways to look at non-compliance.
Intro to Communication in Retail
This podcast introduces the upcoming blog series on communication in retail. It will look first at what precedes communication. The subsequent postings will cover aspects and tactics within the act of communication, especially with your team and the customer.
Managing Retail during the Holidays; Part Two
This represents our second glance into managing, leading and executing in the retail environment during a very busy time of year. This part looks at how you work with you team.
Managing Retail during the Holidays; Part One
Are you a new retail manager? Do you know what you do not know? The goal of this podcast series is to look at three aspects of managing retail during the crazy time of year. Each part will share insight from a different lens.
Motivation & Generations; Part Two
This moves from the generational environment to the individual choice machine. You decide your own motivation and as manager the best you can do is influence another motivation.
Motivation & Generations; Part One
This podcast is part one of a series meant to look at motivation. Generations matter in the workplace and this is the starting point to better manage how people make decisions.