Blog

Steve

Enduring strategies for workforce talent

With the fall approaching, many organizations will be analyzing employee attitudes using some version of culture, opinion, or engagement survey. The best organizations will leverage this insight to improve employees’ working experience, which in turn affects customers’ experience. During my career, I’ve been blessed to work with some of the

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Steve

Books reward readers (and listeners)

Having read or listened to hundreds of books across genres over the years, I believe readers can benefit from each new title they purchase. Here’s how: Books offer value. If you’re reading for pleasure, books can provide hours of entertainment as you follow characters through the twists and turns of

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Steve

The cost of convenience

During a recent visit to FedEx Office, I asked the counter rep to photocopy and staple 35 copies of a 4-page document. She instantly produced a test copy to verify that it met expectations. It did. She then said, “If I print the other 34 copies now, there will be

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Steve

Enforcement versus enrollment

On his podcast, Seth Godin, makes a brilliant distinction between the use of enforcement and enrollment to bring about desired behavior. Enforcement: the act of compelling observance of or compliance with a law, rule, or obligation Enrollment: the act of enrolling or signing up Godin posits that if those in

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Steve

How principles, purpose, and core values link to culture

Stephen Covey used to tell a story comparing principles to lighthouses. The moral of the story was that you don’t break principles. You break yourself against them. Principles are timeless, natural laws that cannot be broken. They exist whether you choose to recognize them or not. Principles are guidelines for

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Steve

Do more than check boxes

Cynics might say, “Does it really matter whether a supervisor, manager, or leader can recall the organization’s mission, vision, or purpose statement or core values?” “What’s the big deal? Suppose she’s a solid manager—great with people and technically proficient. Who cares if she can recite the guiding statement or values?

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The Revelation Conversation
Steve

The 3 Ps of purpose-driven customer service (Part 2)

Last week, I presented Part 1 of an activity that will enable supervisors, managers, and leaders to produce fresh suggestions for how the team can consistently deliver purpose-driven customer service. Part 1 introduced terms to distinguish between actions and behaviors, job knowledge and job skills, job functions and job essence,

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The Revelation Conversation
Steve

The 3 Ps of purpose-driven customer service (Part 1)

Last month, I presented to a group of hotel general managers. These were the presentation’s three main objectives: Reveal the totality of employees’ job roles. Connect daily work activities to the higher purpose of the job role. Inspire greater employee engagement. Studies confirm that learning retention evaporates quickly without reinforcement.

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Steve

Hire for cultural fit

A company’s culture is the byproduct of the collective actions, behaviors, and decision-making of its employees. And employees’ actions, behaviors, and decisions are informed by the organization’s guiding statements and core values. To sustain a desired culture, even as employee turnover introduces a constant stream of new faces, it’s imperative

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The Revelation Conversation

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