My wife, Kathy, had a disappointing experience with a restaurant server recently. Our server was very pleasant, but he made several significant mistakes. Significant enough that Kathy discussed the issues with him and with his manager. Some managers are rash enough to terminate someone immediately, especially if they’re having a bad day themselves. It made me ponder the best way […]

When I was a young professional, a peer I’ll call Sally began a smear campaign of lies about our boss. Sally’s stated goal was to get our boss fired so that she could replace him. Our boss’ supervisor researched the claims and concluded that Sally had malicious intent and couldn’t be trusted. He concluded that the punishment Sally deserved should […]

One of the challenges we had as an organization during the Covid shutdowns is the impact on our processes. In the office, we had our filing systems and processes readily available. Suddenly, our regular disciplines and routines met a significant distraction when we all began working remotely. It became harder to pass items to the next person in the process. […]

In 1882, the first Labor Day parade was organized by the Central Labor Union. Laborers in that era were forced to work seven days a week for 60 hours or more! Many laborers felt like they were being worked as essential laborers but treated as nonessential. Due to Covid, the government this year declared some workers as essential while others […]

Fortune magazine suggests, “As the coronavirus pandemic reveals or heightens awareness of social fractures, business will be expected to be part of finding long-term solutions.” In an age of “social fractures,” businesses have, once again, an opportunity like never before. Businesses around the world can use the talent and skill and passion to step into the fracture and become a […]

Years ago, I listened as a bank customer became loud and verbally abusive to one of our personal bankers. He said hateful things that crushed her spirit and had her in tears. Greg, our bank president, heard what was going on and intervened. He rebuked the customer, handed the customer a check for the balance in his account, and told […]

When there is pressure to generate cash, businesses can sometimes grab an expedient solution without enough consideration of long-term implications. For instance, the pandemic has created great pressure on many businesses to find ways to survive. Borrowing as much money as possible, or taking on an unrelated business service, are both possible solutions, but those solutions can have dramatic long-term […]

In her book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou said one should be “hoping for the best, prepared for the worst and unsurprised by anything in-between.” In most business environments, positive thinking and hoping for the best are talked about, as is being prepared for the future. But being unsurprised is seldom talked about. The concept of […]

A recent article from the US Chamber of Commerce suggests, “Many businesses are asking for customers to help mitigate the cost of keeping their staff (and patrons) safe. Sometimes it’s in the form of a clearly stated COVID-19 surcharge, often between 3% and 5%, to cover the cost of things like masks and gloves.” No doubt the costs to reopen […]

Bob’s family owns a gunpowder company. While purchasing a competitor, they became aware that although the plant met current safety standards, the employees were at more risk than Bob’s family was comfortable. Although it wasn’t required, they invested the necessary money to retool the plant to minimize any risk of death from a gunpowder explosion. The safety of their team […]