Some years ago, I was hired for an executive position in a healthcare organization, and it was strongly suggested to me that I “get rid” of one of my … Read more
What If Your Company Put Good First?
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the sweeping changes to the workplace that came with it, organizational systems and processes were bent, cracking, … Read more
Empathy Is Not a Soft Skill
This year dawned like any other. For many of us, especially those fortunate enough to work in the HR space, things seemed downright rosy. The economy was … Read more
The Myth of Authenticity: When a Best Practice Is Anything But
“To be a great leader, you have to genuinely care about your people.” My former boss at Prudential told me that years ago. She was wrong. And so is … Read more
Diversity & Inclusion Is Failing Us…Because We’re Failing at Diversity and Inclusion
How many years have we been doing diversity and inclusion work? In the mid-1960s, Xerox CEO Joseph Wilson created the Xerox National Black Employees … Read more
Take the “Work” Out of Teamwork to Build It Remotely
If somebody had asked me before this all started — and we know what “this” is — how I’d stay connected to my work family while sheltering in place during a … Read more
An HR Book for Children? Or a Children’s Book for HR?
What happens when a child discovers that adults at her parent’s workplace can sometimes treat each other unkindly? Welcome to the real world, little girl. … Read more
Stay Remote: 5 Alternative Approaches to Return-to-Work Planning
When the current pandemic started impacting how we work, the internet was plagued with every tip, trick, and article about how to work remotely. Two months … Read more
4 Mistakes Organizations that Want to Be Values Driven Make
In the six years since the first edition of The 31 Practices book was published, the topic of values has caught the imagination of people all over the … Read more
The Dark Side of Organizational Culture
The credibility of corporate mission, vision and value statements as an accurate depiction of culture is under the collective microscope. As employees … Read more
Building Trust With 12 Principles
In a conversation with the CEO of a public company, one of my colleagues inquired about the role trust plays in his organization. His response mirrored … Read more
As Your Company Evolves, So Should Your Values
There’s no way around it – change is a cornerstone of business. As your company evolves, so should its values. A 2005 survey of large employers found 90% … Read more
Do Your Values Just Hang On a Wall?
“I suggest you take another look at your core values as they are not being delivered.” The words were uttered at an exit review by an employee on his way … Read more
How to Take Corporate Values and Make Them Local
Note: This article was written and originally published in advance of Starbucks’ half-day closure last week for anti-bias training. Wasn’t there a … Read more
4 Steps to Recruiting With Purpose
Every business enters the battle for top talent, whether you are fighting to recruit recent grads or top senior management. It’s not easy for anyone when … Read more
Recognition Can Help Connect People to Your Values and Mission
When it comes to mission and values, there are two ends of the spectrum. On one hand, you might be thinking: “Of course I care about my company’s mission … Read more
Reduce Stress By Focusing On the Basics
Stress has the ability to destroy even the best company culture. No matter how hard you’ve worked to foster a positive workplace environment, when … Read more
When Tuxera Updated Its Values, They Came From the Bottom Up
Traditionally, when companies set out to create or refresh their values, the process is top-down. Management or the HR team typically defines the values, … Read more
HR Roundtable: Making Values Real
Steve was particularly excited about the October Cincinnati HR Roundtable because the topic was trying to take a look at how companies can get company … Read more
Leadership’s Secret Sauce: Take Care of the People Who Take Care of the People
When the door opened a young man walked in buried into his phone. He did not look up, which I thought strange because in the outer office there were 3 … Read more