The end of the year is drawing near again and it’s time once again to begin thinking about those dreaded year-end employee performance evaluations. These meetings, usually accompanied by some kind of documentation, are a kind of report card for employees—a chance for managers to assess the performance of their workforce, and a chance for […]
Last week, at the International Spa Association annual conference, the spa industry got a good immersion in what positive leadership looks like. The first day’s keynote speaker was Bert Jacobs, the CEO (Chief Executive Optimist) of Life is Good. In case you aren’t already familiar with the Life is Good brand, it is a clothing […]
This week, I am at the International Spa Association annual conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. I’ve been excited about this year’s conference because Tony Hsieh will be the keynote speaker on Wednesday. I’ve been a fan of Tony’s for a while (see “Why Zappos is the Workplace Utopia of the 21st Century” and my article on […]
Most employers understand their relationship with their employees as being based on a simple employment contract. The employee is provided with a compensation package including a living wage and a certain amount of benefits and in return they are expected to fulfill certain functions of the job, usually outlined in an employee handbook and/or a […]
This weeks article comes from a reader, Allison Gamble, who read my article on “What’s Good About Work?” and felt I was only telling half the story. Allison has been a curious student of psychology since high school. Her perspective on making the most of time “between jobs” is inspring and an important reminder for […]
Research by Amy Wrzesniewski while at the University of Michigan showed that people see their work in one of three very different ways: As a job (a means to earn money for survival or lifestyle,) as a career (an opportunity to learn and grow,) or as a calling (an avenue for personal fulfillment and making […]
Let’s face it, most of us hate our jobs, and if you ask us what we hate about them, we’d be happy to tell you the stories of lazy coworkers, miserable conditions and asshole bosses. Gallup researchers suggest that “presenteeism” (the act of showing up to work but not truly contributing to the productivity of […]
I previously wrote about the U.S. Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program: the army’s step towards developing a fighting force that is as psychologically strong as it is physically. The program gets some heat from critics, for a variety of reasons, but I see it as a step towards taking better care of the men and […]
To be successful as the CEO of a large company, you have to have skills that few other people have. You have to simultaneously be a disciplined organizer and a creative innovator. You have to drive the economics of your business while motivating and engaging the people in your workforce. You have to drive a […]
“Encantado” is the common greeting to someone you’ve just met in Mexico. In France, it’s “enchanté”. These words are awkward for a native English speaker to use, (as I can tell you as an American who has been studying both languages.) We just aren’t as easily “enchanted” as our more passionate international counterparts. In English, […]
