Have you ever wondered what makes the Millennials tick? So did we, so in the fall of 2011, we interviewed Millennials and their managers to learn more about this generation. Because many of our clients struggle with how to best integrate Millennials into the workplace, we interviewed Millennials and their managers through face to face and telephone interviews. The people we interviewed came from a variety of organizations a...

One of the biggest challenges for businesses today is integrating the Millennials twenty-somethings into a Baby Boomer culture. They are the newest generation to enter the labor market, arriving with their distinct ideas about what they expect from their jobs. They are our future leaders and our next generation of revenue-generators. So who are the Millennials and how do we manage their expectations while maintaining high p...

Over 53 charges of sexual harassment are filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission every business day. What have you done to prevent sexual harassment in your workplace?Sexual harassment is unwanted sexual or gender based behavior that occurs when one person has formal or informal power over the other. Federal law recognizes two different sets of legal grounds for claiming sexual harassment. The first is quid p...

As you look around your office, is everyone just like you? Probably not. The demographics of the American workforce have changed dramatically over the last 50 years. In the 1950s, more than 60% of the American workforce consisted of white males. They were typically the sole breadwinners in the household, expected to retire by age 65 and spend their retirement years in leisure activities. Today, the American workforce is a b...

The current economy has kept me busy doing career coaching for people who have lost their jobs. So last week, when I heard a radio segment on letters of recommendation, I listened. Researchers from Rice University analyzed over 600 letters of recommendation. The letters of recommendation for both women and men used positive words; however, traditionally feminine attributes such as “nurturing”, “kind” and “agreeable” were us...

Sexual harassment isn’t fun. One man’s – or woman’s – idea of a compliment or joke can start a mess of trouble that can cost companies big money. On January 9, 2006, the largest sexual harassment lawsuit ever, at $1 billion dollars, was filed in New York against Dresdner Klienwort Wasserstein. In 2008, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received 13,867 charges of sexual harassment; 15.9% of the complaints were file...

Lois J. Zachary, Ed.D., President, Leadership Development Services, LLC, Phoenix, Arizona, is one of my mentors. I met Lois in 1997 and from the first time I met her she has encouraged me to think big and do more. One of my favorite quotes, which I learned from Lois, is how I sum up our relationship … “Most people don’t know that there are angels whose only job is to make sure that you don’t get too comfortable, and fall as...

I am a member of my local school board and at each board retreat our superintendent asks us the question, “What legacy do you want to leave?” Before I tell you my answer, let me tell you a story about the stranger and the ginger nuts. It goes like this:At the airport after a tiring business trip, a lady’s return flight was delayed. She went to the airport shop, bought a book, a coffee and a small packet containing five ging...

According to the American Society for Training and Development, over 75% of executives target mentoring as one of the key factors in their business success. As one mentor put it, “Powerful things happen when a respected, experienced person shows interest in and goes out of his or her way to help another individual develop, especially when that individual is open to being influenced.”Most Programs FailBut if mentoring progra...

Published in OD/Leadership News, ASTD, May 2006Recently, the literature in medical economics has caught up with conventional wisdom in terms of medical malpractice lawsuits. What has become apparent is that people are less likely to sue doctors whom they believe have acted in their best interest and who communicate with them clearly and kindly. In plain English, doctors have discovered that good bedside manner is good busin...