If we are wise, we give people opportunities to “earn” respect as well as extend the courtesy of “owed” respect. What’s an environment where you “earn” respect look like? Our annual survey gives us a bunch of clues: We make expectations clear.  When people know what is expected, they have targets for which to aim.  […]

Three things that matter: Do you feel your thoughts and ideas matter at work? Are you committed to quality work? Are you growing because of your involvement with our company? Our leadership training every year focuses on creating an environment where those three things can happen. All of us are smarter than each of us.  […]

Elite teams work on getting better.  The teams do it on their own accord.  They find the motivation from within to stretch their ability and results. In our operations, we have hundreds of small teams.  We believe our company works better when each small team creates an agenda for improvement. There are five areas that […]

I’m reading a book called:   The Excellence Dividend by Tom Peters. Peters is a famous management guru who touts “excellence” as the only way to conduct life. I’ve found his thoughts on this subject to be practical and profound. He has several classic books through the years. He’s an author who is worth a read […]