The Carpet People

The other day I had the opportunity to hear a manager give a 15-minute presentation about things their company was doing to improve productivity, morale and communication. The manager got my attention instantly when he said his employees were always complaining about the “CARPET PEOPLE.”

Bottom of the Basket

It’s just a simple purchase … a basket of peaches at the local farmers’ market. The peaches on the top, and even in the middle are all beautiful …but the farmer’s character is revealed with the fruit they placed on the bottom of the basket. The fruit on the bottom should be just as good as the fruit on top, but a farmer of weak character will put the bruised (damaged) fruit on the bottom.

Accountable is a Requirement

So, you want to be a leader; not only a leader, but a great one at that? Then you need to fully understand that you are “ACCOUNTABLE” for everything. Being accountable not only means being responsible for something, but ultimately being answerable for your actions and the actions of your team. .

We’re All Vulnerable

I’m preparing to deliver a program next week, and the CEO of the company I’m speaking to, identified several topics he wanted me to discuss, placing particular emphasis on one issue. He said, “Rob, we can’t rest on our laurels. We have been very successful, and I don’t want our employees to think we are invulnerable. Can you make sure they understand we have to fight every day to maintain our success?”

Frictionless

The most successful companies today are doing everything they can to satisfy their customers. So, the global consulting management firm, Bain & Company, did a study on how those top companies were REALLY doing in satisfying their customers. They found out 80% of the companies thought their service level set them apart from their competition. But when Bain & Company queried their customers, they found an alarming fact … only 8% of the customers believed the company actually exhibited a higher level of service than their competitor. OUCH!

Soft Skills are in High Demand

The #1 skill lacking in the U.S. workforce is Interpersonal Skills, also known as People Skills, Soft Skills or Emotional Intelligence Skills; all are related to the way we communicate and interact with others. Strong Interpersonal Skills are essential for succeeding in today's workplace. The only problem is they are difficult to find in employees. In a recent survey conducted by LinkedIn of 291 hiring managers in the U.S., it was revealed that 59% of managers believe that soft skills are the most difficult to find.