A Memorable Quest for Excellence MomentOngoing learning is a key to employee motivation and engagement
Tue, 03/24/2015 - 11:10
Before you read further, get your tissues out. I’ve had many memorable moments over the years at Quest for Excellence conferences. And I’ve never left an annual conference without some immediate action items and feeling inspired that excellence is… Are Change Management, Continuous Improvement, and Innovation the Same?No, but all three should harness the minds and energy of employees
Mon, 01/19/2015 - 16:38
Call it semantics, but I think there is benefit in distinguishing among change management, continuous improvement, and innovation. By understanding the purpose of each, as well as management’s responsibilities for them, organizations have a richer… Write to LearnCounterintuitive but true
Thu, 10/23/2014 - 14:19
Intuition would say (at least to me) that I should read, listen, question, and maybe read or listen again to learn. So, I was caught by surprise when I recently read a Washington Post article by Barry Ritholtz in which he said, “Writing is a good… It’s the Baldrige F-Word SeasonThat’s ‘feedback,’ of course
Tue, 09/30/2014 - 14:59
I am of course talking about feedback; you needn’t admit that you were thinking a different word.
Soon the first set of feedback reports will be sent to 2014 Baldrige Award applicants. So I thought this might be a good time to reflect on Baldrige… It’s Time to Focus on Stratovation Innovation efforts need to feed organizational strategy
Tue, 09/09/2014 - 11:20
I have always been fascinated by new words. A few years ago Larry Potterfield, the Founder and CEO of Baldrige Award recipient MidwayUSA, shared one of his “words”: voluntold. “Voluntold” is helping people understand the wisdom of doing something… Change Is Easy...When it comes from a vending machine
Tue, 08/19/2014 - 16:49
‘It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage, than the creation of a new system.” This quote is not taken from the words of a modern-day CEO, although he or she might… Can We Ignore Climate Change?A compelling case for including more about climate change in 2015–2016 Baldrige revisions
Wed, 06/11/2014 - 16:14
Last month the quadrennial U.S. National Climate Assessment was issued. Although the report is 840 pages long, the conclusion is clear. It is stated in the very first sentence: “Climate change, once considered an issue for a distant future, has… How Does Your Workplace Stack Up?Baldrige winners score high in senior leadership
Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:38
The results are in for the annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government. The overall survey results are not surprising based on history, the current environment, and where many organizations—both government and business—have been challenged… Not All Results Are Created EqualThat’s why the wording of the Baldrige Criteria is intentional
Tue, 12/17/2013 - 17:34
The words used in the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence have been selected by design, i.e., in general there is a deliberate intent behind the words used and the order in which they are presented. Although that intent is clear to the… We Knew It All AlongWorkforce satisfaction does not equal workforce engagement
Wed, 12/04/2013 - 16:06
Recently, I read a blog post about the “Myths of Motivation.” The point of the post is that motivating employees takes some time and energy and is not formulaic; one size does not fit all. The author then discusses four misconceptions about…
