I think one of the biggest problems organizations face are “lukewarm employees.”  These are the employees that show up on time, put in some hours, push some papers, and punch the clock at 5. They don’t do anything wrong. But they don’t really do anything exceptional either. They just exist, taking up space, and getting just enough done to make sure they don’t lose their job.  Unfortunately when we have lukewarm employees, we become a lukewarm company.  And in a world where people have nearly limitless choices, that’s a death ...

According to Bronnie Ware there are 5 things that people regret the most when they are on their death bed.  What struck me the most were #1 and #2 on the list: #1 - I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. #2 - I wish I didn't work so hard. (For a full list see her website.) Not surprisingly people die every day after having lived unfulfilling lives.  We can lie to ourselves when things are ...

Last week I wondered on the Meaning To Work Facebook page, how a journal article could be written by 6 different people, yet I could  barely get through the thing because of the terrible writing.  And it’s had me thinking the last few days – why is that? Why are so many journal articles terribly written? I’d like to think that people are just poor writers.  I’d like to think that the 6 researchers are scientists first and writers second (or in this case, 101st).  Brilliance in science ...

Sometimes the way to solve a problem isn’t what you’d expect.  In today’s culture, we’re often told that the solution to conflict is to focus on what the other person wants – and then to do that.  It’s all about listening to someone’s feelings (which, we’re told, are just as valid as yours.) If you can just empathize enough, if you can put yourself in their shoes, then you can fix the problem. And while there’s certainly a place for that type of thinking and action, conflict is ...

We’ve covered two principles of “how not to run a website.”  The first was “don’t make things unnecessarily hard on the customer.”  And the second was, “don’t try to trap the customer.” Today’s principal is “if you’re going to go technical, make sure the details are on the website.” The challenge I had with WebHostingPad.com (see last week for more details) is that they tried to claim I needed to let them know 30 days in advance I wanted to ...

I’m not a person who believes the “customer is always right.”  Actually I think the customer is wrong a lot.  Sometimes the customer may even be an idiot.  On the other hand, I do believe that companies should work to develop relationships.  To make the lives of both customers and employees more productive and more fulfilling.  It was for these reasons I started a series called “how not to run a website.” I don’t actually like writing these types of columns.  Who wants to talk about ...

I was watching MacGyver on Netflix with my wife and I learned two things I never knew before.  The first is that MacGyver heavily influenced my generation.  As a kid of the 1980’s, MacGyver represents a cultural force.  But unlike leg warmers or Big Hair, it was a lasting force.  MacGyver inspired me to want to own my very own chemistry set.  (I later discovered chemistry wasn’t nearly as much fun as it ...

This month we’ve looked at ways to improve productivity.  Today we end that series by taking a look at ways not simply to stop your own procrastination, but what happens when the procrastination comes from our employees, co-workers, or peers.  There are few things more frustrating than laying out a business plan and having it derailed by someone who lacks a sense of urgency. How do you solve a problem like that? One approach might be to rant and rave.  To jump up and down and yell ...

In today’s always connected world, rest often seems like the furthest thing from our minds.  But we just aren’t built to run indefinitely.  We need to take time to rest and recover.  Not only does rest and recovery give us the ability to produce higher quality work, it helps us not be such an emotional drain on our coworkers. People have a limited amount of psychological resources to withstand stress, uncertainty and to produce creative and unique works.  In other words, if you keep going back to the ...

Procrastination.  My own personal form of kryptonite.  Of course I’m not alone in that.  It’s the bane of college students, employees, and organizations around the world.  It seems to be part of the human condition.  Something that’s a fundamental experience we all share.  Regardless of our culture. I’ve tried everything to stop procrastinating.  But it always seems like I’m waiting until the last minute to get it done.  Of course over the years I’ve had to learn to procrastinate less.  I’ve learned that what worked in college doesn’t ...