Last night I tried to explain to my daughter that I am a scientist. She laughed – way too hard. Her reply was “You are not a scientist, you are a business professor.” That’s true; however I’ve always thought of myself as a scientist that teaches. In reality I am increasingly more of a teacher [...]
The fall semester starts today. I am teaching my regular organizational behavior class to MBA students, and for the first time ever I’m teaching a version of that same course entirely online in our new Executive MBA program. I’m also teaching my first semester long course in personal branding to undergraduate students (I’ve been teaching [...]
I’ve never lived in a world, or worked in an organization, that was void of rules. Rules can be a drag, but they can also serve as a very functional guide to productive behavior. Rules should always be purposeful, behavioral, very specific, and kept to an absolute minimum. Rules should always represent minimum, reasonable standards [...]
Is meekness a desirable quality in a leader? I’m trying to wrap my brain around that question, and the hard part is defining what meekness is and what it is not. This question is void of meaning unless you recognize leadership as an influence relationship. Leadership arises from the dynamic interaction of two or more [...]
Welcome to my blog! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section of my posts. I publish all constructive, non-anonymous comments.
I am speaking this morning to a group of leaders at Truckee Meadows Community College. It’s not often that I get a chance to speak to colleagues in education about leadership so I am looking forward to it. These folks have been participating in leadership development and my talk will be the final session. I [...]
Crappy Systems – The Reason Why Good Service Is So Elusive
Why is it so hard to get good service in a coffee shop in Reno at 7:30 am on a Friday morning? Last week I had an unacceptable service encounter at Starbucks. This morning I once again was near that same Starbucks, and instead of going for the convenient experience, I drove out of my [...]
