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Haunting Thoughts from the Ghost of Giftings Past (from a gift ghostbuster) Whenever I turn the calendar page to August, a chill runs up my spine. Although we’re three months shy of the busiest gifting season of the year—Thanksgiving through New Year’s—a detailed mental image of me standing in a well-respected supplier’s office continues to

Ron Popeil’s “Set It and Forget It” No Longer Works It was a “kinder, gentler” time when Ron Popeil, an American inventor and TV personality, popularized the phrase “set it and forget it” to promote many of his easy-to-use products. But in today’s world, with change moving at blurring speed, such advice no longer works.

Make Them Feel Like They REALLY Matter I wish I could tell you that making people who matter feel like they matter is a no-brainer and that such a noble goal simply happens naturally. If only that really were true. Well, in our experience, companies that subscribe to this ‘natural’ approach actually are more likely

Making Each Generation Feel Like They Matter A couple of months ago, I discussed how generational diversity creates a healthy workplace positioned for reaching diverse target markets as well as the challenges it poses for creating engagement. In addition to providing some tactics for ensuring that a variety of voices are heard in a meaningful

Prevent the Silent Client Escape Customer Dis-Service, Failure to Deliver Feeling pretty great about how much your customers love you and your company? Well, here’s a bubble-buster: Even when customers would kill for your brand, they will walk away after a couple of bad experiences. The kicker is that in most cases, they won’t even

Unlock Generational Codes to Attract, Engage & Retain a Successful Workforce Not all of us are fortunate to work in a “sexy” industry that resonates with prospective recruits and energizes employees. Most organizations have to work at recruiting talent and engaging employees. If your employee engagement and retention efforts aren’t looking great, you could be

As I began to write this article, “The Times They are a Changin’” was playing in my head (don’t miss “A Complete Unknown”). Why? Because I’m on a mission to change how branded products are regarded. If you think they are mere stakeholder gifts that convey fleeting expressions of appreciation and recognition, hop aboard a

Avoid the EX Gap Trap I often hear business leaders confidently express that their practices are “dialed in” to their employees and that their team is connected, motivated, engaged, and committed to the work they are doing. However, in many of these cases, I’ve learned that good intentions and a rosy outlook are no substitute

The things that matter most in life aren’t meaningfully measured on a bottom line or in dollars and cents. What truly matters is the emotional currency that bonds people to people. Actions that demonstrate care and nurture the soul speak louder than words and can have a long-lasting impact on how we live our lives.

My September article discussed the challenges that uncertainty presents to business leaders’ ability to lead as well as the toll unpredictability inflicts on all of us as—low morale, diminished motivation, and disengagement. Leading through disruption and volatility calls for a different set of leadership skills. In addition to providing some tactics that help manage those