Have you ever lost your cool? Have you ever let you emotions run wild? We’ve been reading Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves. It’s a follow up on several prior books on the topic of Emotional Intelligence and serves as a practical guide with specific strategies on how we can heighten our […]
What is advice? Is it coaching, mentoring, teaching, support or criticism? How is it best given and how is it best received? Dina Gerdeman’s article called Advice on Advice, references the writings and research of David Garvin and Joshua Margolis which explore the topic in depth. Many of us believe that the ability to give […]
The time to start planning for succession is not on the way home from the funeral. According to a recent article in Forbes, early planning bodes well for succession of family businesses. As the article points out, it’s more than gifting or selling equity to the next generation. It’s about helping the next gen understand […]
Articles on the negative aspects of “feedback” are appearing with increased popularity. Some argue that feedback doesn’t assure improved performance, others argue that it’s demoralizing. We were recently asked to perform a 3600 appraisal on a CEO, including his self-appraisal. Both the CEO and the chairman of the company’s compensation committee requested it. And, therein […]
The cost of employee turnover may be the greatest unbudgeted expense businesses can incur. Steven Pearlstein, columnist for The Washington Post writes, “According to a survey conducted by Arlington-based Corporate Executive Board, nearly a quarter of all new hires leave within a year, while Gallup reports that half of those who do stay reported being […]
In his recent blog, Walter Chen challenges the theory of motivation presented 70 years ago by Abraham Maslow in his book, Hierarchy of Needs. Chen writes about autonomy, empowerment, the need for belonging, and the importance of positive reinforcement, citing research that shows how Maslow’s theory is incorrect. This makes us reflect on writings from […]
Several years ago, a cousin of mine who was founder and president of The Philanthropic Initiative, presented a program for a university based group that I ran for family members in business together. The title was THE BURDEN OF WEALTH: An Insurmountable Opportunity. With a wonderfully provocative title, the event was chock full of stories […]