Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Dan Oswald It’s October, which means it’s time for the baseball playoffs. Usually at this time of year, I watch with casual interest as the best teams in the game eliminate one another until the World Series champion is crowned. But not this year. This year, my beloved Chicago Cubs are in the playoffs. […]
by Dan Oswald Have you ever seen a sign that says something like “lack of planning on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency on mine” hanging in someone’s office or retail establishment? If you think about it for a minute, it’s surprising how often an unplanned or unanticipated event for one person turns into an […]
by Dan Oswald Does your team know what the ultimate objective is for each project they work on? Do they know what the purpose is—what they’re trying to achieve? Are you confident that you consistently communicate exactly what the goal is for each and every project? Knowing what you, their leader, want to ultimately achieve […]
by Dan Oswald Fall is my favorite time of year. The weather cools, the leaves turn a beautiful array of colors, and the holiday season is here. This week we celebrate Thanksgiving, gathering with friends and family to give thanks for all the blessings in our lives. It’s more than just turkey and football or […]
by Dan Oswald In a recent conversation with an organizational psychologist, I was asked, “What are the top three things you look for in the members of your management team?” That’s a big and important question. Yet I was able to answer it quickly and easily: “Trustworthiness, compatibility, and talent.” The next sentence I uttered […]
by Dan Oswald My youngest son came home from school the other day with a packet of information from one of his coaches. Included in the packet was a sheet of paper titled “The Leadership Continuum.” It outlines five levels of leadership and what is necessary to demonstrate each. I hadn’t seen this before, but […]
by Dan Oswald Over the weekend, I was watching a piece on legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi. The documentary chronicled Lombardi’s life growing up in Brooklyn through his storied years as a championship coach with the Packers. As a Packers fan, I’ve read biographies on Lombardi and other books that have discussed the […]
by Dan Oswald While watching the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics, I was struck by the many similarities between a country’s Olympic team and a company’s employees. It might seem odd to draw that particular comparison, but let me explain and see if you also notice the correlation between the two. At the […]
by Dan Oswald The other day my 19-year-old daughter told me, “It takes teamwork to make the dream work.” I’m sure she didn’t come up with that on her own, but it was new to me. Teamwork is defined as a “cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together […]
by Dan Oswald The other night I walked in the door to find my youngest son watching the movie Remember the Titans. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you know I consider the movie one of my favorites. Of course, I sat down and watched the last 30 minutes of the film with […]