Secrets of a Successful Organization: Looking for the Answer

This article looks at the results of our research and identifies five factors that the top 25% of businesses have in common. We will examine each of those five factors and we will show you how to use them to your advantage in your business. Our research set out to find the answer to one question: Which factors have the biggest impact on success in small to mid-sized organizations? Before we get to the answer, let’s first take a look at the background research and what prompted it. General

A Discussion About Baldrige with Casey Mackert

I had the opportunity to have coffee with Casey Mackert, our Director of Baldrige Services, to discuss her work with the Baldrige Framework and why organizations should consider embarking on a Baldrige journey.  With more than 20 years of experience in the Baldrige community, having served as the CEO of The Partnership for Excellence; as a national examiner, team leader and case study author; as a state-level examiner, judge, board member and facilitator; and as a coach to scores of

Building Team Performance – Your Plans Require Your Attention

“Plans are everything, planning is nothing” – Dwight D. Eisenhower In my experience, there are two types of organizations. Those that plan and those that do not.   Unfortunately, the ones that do plan tend to lean toward a once-a-year frenetic, got to get it done approach with nothing to back it up once the plan is done.  It becomes a “check the box item”.  So then we have a plan but no specifics as to how the plan will come to fruition or how to deliver the goods.  It is not a criticism but

Execution - Doing the hard work to achieve the results!

If it was easy everyone would be doing it. Let’s face it, for most organizations executing the planned strategy is the biggest challenge in goal achievement.  It all sounds good on paper but when it comes to translating a plan into action most organizations fall flat. Here are some fun facts. Over 90% of well-formulated strategies fail due to poor execution. Only 5% of employees understand their corporate strategy. More than 75% of business improvement (change) initiatives fail due to lack

When CEOs Fail to Implement Change - and What To Do About It

Change starts at the top. However, as the CEO or leader of your organization, introducing change – any type of change – is never easy. A myriad of things can go wrong: the idea is flawed, the timing’s not right, people won’t buy into it, they’re afraid of change, there’s no inherent sense of urgency, etc. Based on our research and field testing, we find that many CEOs are simply spending too much time “running the business” vs. “changing the business”. They’re focused on the operational and

Setting Up and Managing Expectations from the Next Generation!

What is the first thought that crosses your mind when you hear the word, “Millennial”? What about Millennials in the Workplace? We’ve all heard it. Conventional wisdom considers the Millennial generation to be self-absorbed, distracted and unlikely to stay in the same job for a long period of time. I’ve had numerous discussions with clients, some who even consider Millennials to be a threat. The concern they have is that they invest resources and time to helping develop these individuals who