Not Another Survey

ADI regularly incorporates perception surveys into our work. Surveys are cost-effective and have several applications such as assessing organizational culture, doing a pulse check on the reliability…

The Should vs. Is Leadership Error

This is the first in a new blog series from Bryan Shelton. Check in on the first Tuesday of every month for new blogs in the series. Our brains are designed to learn and adapt quickly to our…

Productivity Theater

Productivity is a big concern for managers who have people working remotely. Will they actually work as hard as they would in an office? This fear has been called “productivity paranoia.” I recently…

Errorless Leadership: Helping Others Be Successful

“People learn more from their mistakes” is an old saying that should be put out to pasture. Not only is this statement untrue from a learning standpoint, but relying on people to make mistakes to…

Quelling Quiet Quitting

Quiet Quitting is trending—on TikTok, in articles and blogs. Definitions vary but tend to include things like (1) worker disengagement, (2) a refusal to go “above and beyond,” and (3) a re-set of…

Pandemic Resentment on the Front Line

The pandemic created a lot of divisions between people. At many organizations one such division is between those who had to continue to go to the workplace and those who were able to work from home.…

Be Mindful of Your Messaging

The messages and communications that leaders send to employees, particularly those on the frontline, are critical. A well put message can boost morale, inspire engagement, and improve relationships…

Who Cares? Relationships Do Matter in Business

Tonight, in MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's press conference regarding the end of the MLB lockout, he stated that relationships are important in business and that he would do better at that in the…

Improvement Discontinued

The signs of an impressive continuous improvement (CI) culture were plentiful. Walls of the common areas were adorned with A3 problem solving papers and visual management boards were scattered across…

Thanksgiving Resolutions

At Thanksgiving dinner my family does what many families do—we go around the table and share what we are thankful for. Not surprisingly, on the top of our lists are people. Family and friends support…

How To Adapt in “The Great Resignation”

What companies do in the near-term to improve the employee experience will have a significant impact on their future success. “The Great Resignation” is causing a disruptive change in how companies…

Shifting from Evaluating to Coaching

How many times a day does this scenario happen in your organization? A Manager walks into the office and asks one of his direct reports, “Did you review progress against the quarterly goals in your…

Leadership During Uncertainty: Two Actions You Can Take

I’m guessing that many of you have begun to settle into a rhythm while working and leading remotely as we navigate a work world turned upside down by the pandemic. Even as we are adjusting to the…

The Rising: Staying Focused and Hopeful

One of my favorite songs over the past several years is “The Rising” by Bruce Springsteen.  A song from the depths of despair that speaks of rebirth, resurrection, and forgiveness. During this time…

Want to Build Discretionary Effort? Focus on Building Rapport

Think of discretionary effort as the more in the “I got more” GEICO commercials.  Discretionary Effort is defined as performance that is above and beyond the minimum requirements of a job. More…

Telling People What to Do Rarely Works!

“I told you to do it this way.” “Weren’t you in the training where we learned how to do this correctly?” “Why do you keep doing this?” “I thought I was clear about how I wanted this done.” Anyone…

Another Failed Change Initiative: 3 Roadblocks to Successful Change and How to Remove Them

A failed change initiative is costly—wasted time and money on failed implementation, lost ROI on the projected results of the change, and decreased trust from employees in leadership’s ability to…

Culture Change is Continuous

Once upon a time, organizations treated culture change like any number of other corporate initiatives:  There were project plans, timelines, communication strategies, and roll-outs.  Leaders were…