Does it pay to be one of the companies featured in Fortune magazine’s annual list of the 100 Best Companies To Work For in America? According to Alex Edmans, finance professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the answer is a definite “YES.” Professor Edmans found that the stock returns of companies cited as good places [...]

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When I’ve shared my vision of a world without yearly performance appraisals with colleagues, especially those in HR, they have looked at me like I was from a different planet. In my utopian corporate world, the annual performance review wouldn’t be necessary because everyone would ask for and receive feedback on a daily basis. And, [...]

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Does your manager sometimes remind you of the pointy-haired boss in the Dilbert comic strip? According to a survey by KeepEm.com, bad bosses belittle people in front of others, lie, demean, and micromanage. Not surprisingly, bad bosses can drive good people away, wrecking havoc on employee retention rates.

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Over the recent holidays I was travelling by plane back to Atlanta from Texas. Seated across the aisle from me was a frazzled-looking mother and three small children – a baby and two preschoolers. Two thoughts/feelings immediately entered my mind. One was for my own welfare and desire for a peaceful trip and the other [...]

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The vast majority of people begin a new job filled with enthusiasm, excited anticipation, and a strong desire to do a good job and ‘go the extra mile.’ Before too long, many of those same people will lose their enthusiasm when confronted time and again with reality. They become disillusioned and decide to quit in [...]

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A couple of the publications that I read ran articles this month about a recent survey conducted by the consulting firm BlessingWhite. About 700 mid-level employees were asked to evaluate the effect of the coaching they received from their manager on their performance and overall job satisfaction. Fewer than a quarter of the employees surveyed [...]

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It seems like you can’t turn around these days without reading something about the impending talent shortage in corporate America and how companies can attract and manage Gen Y (AKA the millennials). Case in point — the cover story in the September 24th issue of Business Week magazine. The article lists the top 50 companies [...]

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What is the most challenging life event you’ve had to face? When 785 business leaders were asked that question in a recent poll conducted by Development Dimensions International, almost one in five managers ranked getting a promotion at the top of the list. When I first read this, I was shocked until I recalled my [...]

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Shortly before dawn on January 2, 2006, the peace and quiet of a small community in West Virginia was shattered by an explosion deep inside the earth. A section of the Sago coal mine collapsed, trapping 13 men in a small, confined area.

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According to an article published in the July 2005 issue of CIO magazine, the primary cause of leadership failure in technical organizations is poor interpersonal skills. Talented technicians are often promoted into leadership positions because of their technical skills, but many of these managers fail to reach their career potential because of underdeveloped soft skills.

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