Who will take their place?  This is a question that’s frequently asked when someone resigns from a management position. Even in the best of times, an organization has at most 30 days until the person who resigned leaves. This can be especially challenging in small departments and organizations, as there may be no one currently working who can step into the leadership role. For mid-size and larger companies, that is not the situation. There are…

When he returned to lead Apple, the late Steve Jobs shared with employees that the goal was to make much of what they do obsolete—not the mission of Apple, but the tools and techniques. His belief was that each person and every organization benefits by always being in the mode of continuous improvement. Twenty years ago, I wrote the book Hardwiring Excellence: Purpose, Worthwhile Work, Making a Difference. The Wiktionary dictionary defines hardwire this way: “to connect components…

I was reading an article that stated that when you get a new boss, you get a new job. The point was that when a new boss shows up, things change. I experienced this in one of my jobs. A new boss came in with his own agenda and his own way of doing things. At times, a big change may be what is needed (for example, if the organization is under-performing). However, in most…

When I started writing this weekly column in 2016, I felt it would be short lived—not due to my desire but because I felt I would run out of material. This turned out not to be so. You, the readers, are so helpful with suggestions on topics and questions. I also benefit from being out and about. Just in these last couple of weeks, I have been fortunate enough to be in Camden, New Jersey;…

Consistency. That is what people are looking for everywhere, from the customer service they’re given to the work environment their company creates. As leaders, we all know how great it is to hear feedback from a customer on an employee who is exceptional. What if all employees could make that type of impact? Yes, consistency is the goal, and it is extremely hard to achieve. Those organizations that do achieve consistency benefit from it in so…