What we permit, we promote. I learned this phrase from speaker and author Liz Jazwiec. If new ideas and challenges are permitted and celebrated, more of each will take place. On the less positive side, permitting can reinforce actions that are not good. For example: A person regularly shows up late, and nothing happens…a leader repeatedly misses goals, and nothing happens…a person gossips, and nothing happens. The results are lateness, missed goals, and increased gossip. This…

“We need to eat our own cooking.” This is a statement that resonates with me. I write and speak about customer service, employee engagement, creating cultures of high performance, and building foundations of trust. I feel it’s important to practice what I advise others to do. This includes measuring how we’re doing in these areas. When I was at Holy Cross Hospital in Chicago, we became well known for having excellent patient experience. I spoke at…

Why does a good decision or action end up not going well? Was it the decision itself or how the action was taken…or was it a communication issue? My experience is that leaders put a lot of time into making thoughtful decisions. The “miss” occurs due to how things are communicated during the rollout. Micromanagement can get a bad rap. Yes, there are certain actions in which it makes sense: making sure a recipe is correct,…

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” This quote is most often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. It comes up in conversations with groups to which I am presenting. In these conversations, I often share that research shows that when a person receives three compliments for every one criticism, they feel more positive about the sender. Two compliments per criticism creates a neutral feeling about the sender, and a one-to-one ratio creates a…

We all know those people who uplift others. This past week, I was with a group and mentioned Norm Adams. If you have read my work over the years, this name will be familiar to you. If not, let me explain. Norm is no longer with us physically, but like many, his legacy lives on through others. I met Norm in July of 1996. I had just moved to the Pensacola area. While waiting to…