Our Blog Posts
In today’s business climate you need to be informed. My HR Department works to provide you with information to help your business stay on top.
The Feedback Sandwich--No
March 27, 2019
Yesterday, I was again in a training event where I was told how great the feedback sandwich is. For those who don’t know what a feedback sandwich is, it is a method used to address performance issues with employees that ostensibly saves their feelings and helps performance.
Philosophizing
February 21, 2019
This week more than most, I have had time to talk to companies about their philosophy toward employees and the role of HR. So I thought I would take a minute to share the basics of my own.
.
HR Metrics Are Meaningless
February 3, 2019
I came across another article this week on HR metrics. Based on the title, “Which HR Metrics Will Matter in 2019?”, I thought, “Great!” But once again, I was severely disappointed.
Why Do We Have to Make Things Hard?
July 19, 2018
It seems HR, like many professions, has to make relatively straightforward concepts as difficult as possible to prove we’re professionals.
Mediocrity vs. High Performance
July 24, 2017
I came across the title of an article today that was contrary to what I seem to teach in my leadership courses, ‘Collaboration’ Creates Mediocrity, Not Excellence, Says Science. So of course, I had to read it.
Don't Ask The Question If You Don't Want to Deal With the Answer
June 13, 2017
I’m a consultant. Business owners come to me for advice. They don’t always like the answer I give them. But it’s their company–they don’t have to use that advice. And that’s OK. I reserve the right to do the same in my own company.
Winning the War for Profit
June 6, 2017
Warning! This post contains shameless self-promotion, as well as a modicum of useful information.
In an earlier post, I talked about leadership training as often pursued by companies, versus leadership training that actually works.
Trust and Face-Time
June 2, 2017
I was speaking at an HR conference last week on the subject of managing change. In that talk, I talked about the importance of trust in getting employees to adopt change.
Retaining and Propagating Knowledge
May 10, 2017
Have you noticed it is a never-ending battle to keep yourself proficient? Things are changing every day. You are never done learning. And neither are your employees. No one can be expert in everything you do.
Let's Talk Systems
April 17, 2017
I am a big proponent for setting up systems. For many reasons.
Leadership Training Doesn't Work, Does It?
April 12, 2017
I was reading another article this week arguing that leadership training doesn’t work. I agree, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work.
Value People
February 23, 2016
I have talked about this before in my short diatribe against the term “human capital.” But that has been a while, so after hearing John Maxwell speak last week, it is once again top of mind.
Penny's Top 7 Best Practices
February 15, 2016
In the last blog post, I talked about the Top 10 employment law mistakes. That blog was focused on compliance. Compliance is not my favorite thing about HR. You do compliance because you have to. It is a cost avoidance/risk management strategy. But compliance doesn’t make you money. In fact, it costs you money–you just hope it is less than you would have lost without it.
Penny's Top 10 Employment Law Mistakes
February 8, 2016
First off, Penny is not a lawyer. So why am I talking about employment law mistakes? It doesn’t take a lawyer to see what types of things repeatedly get companies into trouble. All you have to do it watch the news.
Whining or Winning?
January 21, 2016
There is a oft-cited quote about customer service that says, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” (Bill Gates) Most of us believe that. We dissect customer complaints; we do customer surveys. We try to figure out what our customers want, and we change processes, products and services to meet their expectations.