Strategic Discipline Blog

Why are some people able to muster more will power than others?

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Topics: Decision-Making, employee performance, priorities, habits, The Power of Habit, Execution, routine, rockefeller habits 4-3-2-1 growth formula

When founder and former CEO Howard Schultz returned to Starbuck after an eight year absence in 2008 the company rebounded. What happened and how did he manage to turn around a company that had lost its focus on the customer?

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Topics: customer service, employee performance, habits, The Power of Habit, Education & Training, routine, Alcoa, Paul O'Neill, Starbucks

Ever since reading Bringing Out the Best in People by Aubrey Daniels I’ve been a big fan of his techniques for improving work performance.  A recent blog by Aubrey Daniels,  6 Things To Do Instead of Performance Appraisals, offers his insights why performance appraisals are a poor investment for improving business performance.

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Topics: employee engagement, employee performance, People, People Decisions, Aubrey Daniels, performance

I’m on vacation this week so I’m reposting a couple of blogs that contain messages that warrant repeating.  Pearson’s Law, originally written 12-15-08, exemplifies the importance of metrics and Positioning Systems Strategic Discipline formula. It’s largely reprinted with a few minor additions. Do you want to see dramatic improvement in your people’s performance?  Read further.

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Topics: employee engagement, Accountability, employee performance, Business Dashboards, Pearsons Law

On my laptop that I frequently take to client meetings is a picture of my family including my wife, Michelle.  Occasionally I get compliments on how attractive she and my family is.  I often relay this to her and I frequently tell her how attractive she is.

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Topics: Employee Feedback, Employee Recognition, employee performance, People, positive reinforcement, best practices of growth companies, human behavior, How to Motivate Employees, human behavior performance

In our Rockefeller Habits recommend weekly meetings agenda there is a specific time focused on accountabilities.  We discussed previously the value of peer pressure in these meetings in Accountability - Three Reasons Group Meetings Produce Better. Check it out to discover the three reasons group meetings do better at accountability. 

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Topics: Accountability, weekly meetings, employee performance, Best Business Practices, reponsibility

Let me ask you a question: Are you the problem?

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Topics: Bringing Out the Best In People, Employee Recognition, employee performance, positive reinforcement, human behavior performance

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Topics: quarterly meetings, Employee Recognition, Accountability, employee performance, success criteria, Meetings a Cadence of Accountability

What makes people hate their jobs? What makes them non-productive, complaint-happy zombies? 

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Topics: Employee Feedback, employee engagement, weekly meetings, collective intelligence, employee performance, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits

Almost two years ago I sat in a hospital room with my wife, my oldest son, and Dr Zenk.  Dr. Zenk gave me the news that I had Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  He was as direct as he could possibly be.  He explained that I would need chemotherapy treatment and if successful a bone marrow transplant.  He noted that typically patients who undergo this type of treatment are out of work a year or more.   He didn’t need to explain that treatment would be expensive. The thought of being out of work for a year, as the sole wage earner for my family, set me back.  How would my family survive?  How would I feel knowing the impossible challenge I’d just put my family in? I was devastated! I cannot recall ever feeling so low. 

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Topics: Acute Myeloid Luekemia, employee engagement, employee performance, Core Purpose, Bone Marrow Transplant, The Power of Full Engagement, Michelle Wick