Core Value

3 Steps to Defeat the Initiative Dilemma

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When organizations promote “initiative” as a core value, they often encounter the “initiative dilemma.” How can you encourage initiative and avoid the typical pitfalls that prevent action? Encouraging initiative energizes employees to make improvements, solve problems, deal with change, and provide customers with exceptional service.  When executives were recently polled about the most productive way for employees to advance, 82% responded with: “Ask for more work and responsibility.” When employees are asked why they are …

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3 Reasons Why Integrity Produces Profit

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We celebrated Memorial Day this week, and it caused me to reflect on, and be thankful for, those among us who are so committed to what they value that they are willing to risk their lives in defense of the rest of us. In the business world, there’s a core value that more than any other, compels individuals to deeply commit on a personal level. Whether your values include exceptional customer service, initiative, quality, innovation …

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When Your People Don’t Get It, It’s Not Them!

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Look First to Yourself When I answered my phone, my friend began venting his frustration about his staff.  As CEO of a mid-size manufacturing company who prides himself on his communication skills, he just couldn’t understand why his team was not reacting more proactively to his latest appeal for more initiative. “They sit there, some staring at me and some looking down, but none of them proposes an idea.  They know the competitive pressure we’re …

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