Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Dan Oswald, CEO of Simplify Compliance, writes about management, leadership, and the workplace. Occasional guest articles are written by other leaders and C-Suite executives from BLR.
Frequently I’m asked, “What is the one thing that sets really great employees apart from the rest?” It’s an interesting question. I’m always surprised that people would assume that there might be a single common thread that ties all the best employees together. The questioners assume there is a single trait shared by the best […]
Roy Williams, men’s head basketball coach at the University of North Carolina, recently won his 600th game, becoming only the 33rd coach in NCAA Division I history to win that many games. When asked about the milestone Williams replied, “Six hundred wins means I’ve been very lucky. It’s a lot of great players and great […]
I recently handed a newspaper column written by Financial Times columnist Luke Johnson to my 18-year old son for him to read. I knew that my son would like Mr. Johnson’s message. The column topic was the “clash of generations under way at the top of so many organizations.” His premise was that we are […]
A colleague recently passed along a column written by Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly, which first appeared in the airline’s “Spirit Magazine.” The title of the piece was “Culture Done Differently.” In it, Mr. Kelly explains that at Southwest they try to keep their culture “supportive, active and fun.” If you’ve ever flown on Southwest, […]
Sometimes it’s easy to overlook all the things that bless our lives. I mean, we’re suffering through the worst recession in decades. Unemployment has reached double digits. And we have troops abroad fighting a war. All of these things have either affected you directly or indirectly. Maybe you or someone close to you is currently unemployed. It […]
Do you have a passion for your work? I mean, do you really love what you do? I was at a conference recently and one of the speakers really grabbed my attention. What he had to say was interesting but not earth-shattering. His presentation and speaking style were strong, but that’s still not what caught my […]
It’s hard to believe but 2009 is coming to an end. For many, 2009 can’t be over soon enough. For most businesses, it has been a challenging year. And while we’ve seen a rebound in the stock market, most companies are reporting earnings that, while they beat analysts’ estimates, are still significantly less than they […]
As I write this, I’m sitting in a hotel room in Las Vegas. I must admit that I’m not a big fan of Las Vegas. It’s nothing against the city, it’s just that I typically spend less than 72 hours in Las Vegas at any one time and never get outside the hotel. So all […]
Clear directions are a critical element in the successful execution of any task. To bake a batch of mouth-watering cookies, you need a recipe that clearly lists the ingredients and how they need to be combined in order to deliver the final result you’re looking for. If you need to travel from point A to […]
Earlier this week I was meeting with the CEO and owner of a company when the topic of corporate culture came up. I was interested to learn what the culture at his company was like. As he described his company’s culture, it was evident that many of the company’s traits mirrored that of the owner […]