Productive Plan for 99ers

I happened to catch the Platform to Employment segment on 60 Minutes this week and couldn’t help but applaud!  Now this is a productive plan. This non-profit has gone well above and beyond…

Why Wall Street Won’t Ever Change Their Spending Ways

I’m going to get right to the point.  I have little faith that Wall Street will ever get smarter about how they spend their money. The reality is they have too much of other people’s money and…

How to Kick Start Your Career

There is no better way to start out the New Year than to be invited to CNN. I had the pleasure of sharing some tips for kick starting your career for the New Year.  Whether you are looking…

There They go Again: National Ban on Texting While Driving

There is no question that if no one used cell phones while driving, lives would be saved but so would not eating while driving or drinking a Coke or looking at GPS or talking to a passenger or…

Why Some Managers Fail at Getting Effective and Efficient Performance

To succeed in business today, everything must constantly be scrutinized. As such, leaders and managers are forced to evaluate and reevaluate performance; specifically the performance of their people…

The Key to Understanding At Risk Behavior

Drs. Judy Agnew and Aubrey Daniels tackle the issue of reporting and acting on unsafe behavior in this latest video blog.  Watch as they discuss why management must not only listen but act,…

Just do it!

Guest post by Christina Simms Understanding why we procrastinate and how to beat it. Having trouble whittling down your To-Do list? Do you find yourself saying (albeit with confidence) “I’ll get to…

Why Incentives and Safety Don’t Mix!

In our latest video blog, Dr. Judy Agnew and Dr. Aubrey Daniels challenge commonly used safety incentives.  Who doesn’t like a good challenge or contest, right?  True, but safety incentives…

My Boss Doesn’t Hear Me When I Speak

Understanding your boss’ behavior could be the difference maker.  “Listening is teaching and talking is learning.” Think about it. When we actively listen, we are really shaping behavior; in…

NFL Kick-Off: Can the Pats Write a New Ending to the Haynesworth and Ochocinco Sagas?

It’s that time of the year again, when diehard football fans anxiously await the start of the new NFL season.  This off season has been particularly interesting. Yes, because of the lockout but…

Parenting and Behavior: Examples From Real Parents

I want to start by saying ‘thank you’ to those who sent me stories of how you applied the tools and principles of behavioral science to your parenting challenges.  I wish I could recall all of…

Safe For What? Why Most of Us Are Focusing on the Wrong Things When it Comes to Safety

Who doesn’t want to be safe?  But, more times than not, organizations focus on safety for safety-sake instead of as the gateway to quality, cost and production. In this latest video blog, Dr.…

My 30 Day Plan to Create Jobs

How long do you think it will take the government to figure out the jobs dilemma?  I am sure that Congress and the President are busy working on this in the middle of their vacations.  I…

Schools and Our Children: Administrations and the U.S. Education System Get a Failing Grade

School bells may be ringing across the country but I am convinced now more than ever that we are not prepared to provide the best education possible for our kids. I was disheartened to learn of the…

Parenting and Behavior: We Want to Hear From You!

Most of my blog posts are dedicated to how behavior shows up in the workplace. But many of you who come to understand and learn about the science of behavior know how effective the science can be in…

Lean: The Missing Piece is Behavior

For many years the lean champions who have been through our Performance Management classes have all said the same thing, “This is the missing piece.”  Most of them had experienced the same…

Horrible Boss? Kill Them With Kindness...or More Specifically, Positive Reinforcement!

With all of the hype surrounding the new movie release “Horrible Bosses,” it forces those of us that have had a horrible boss in the past to relive our own experiences. In an article I read this week…

A Reversal of Fortunes: Who is Really Appraised By the Performance Appraisal Process?

Now, I know I’ve said this before but, just because something is printed in HBR doesn’t necessarily make it true or valuable. I was reminded recently of an article in HBR that provides tips for how…