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John Grubbs Articles

Written by: John Grubbs

"The Fatal 10 - Powerful Trends in Mediocre Organizations" - Click To Read Article
In the world of business, there are more clones than you might imagine. It is the rare organization that steps out of the herd to become remarkable. This illusion of safety creates apathy and mediocrity in most organizations while the leaders struggle to find excellence amidst the decay of the ordinary. As a student of organizational leadership, I analyze the similarities and special characteristics that differentiate one company from another. What makes one organization shine while others seem so content with remaining average? The most likely answer is fear. But the answer is, of course, much more complex. Fear of failure transcends the spectrum of our awareness. There is comfort and even safety in the mediocrity of our existence. Therefore, what it takes to leave the comfort of the pack becomes very rare.

Dear Hiring Manager - Click To Read Article
Dear Hiring Manager, I am confused about your frequent complaints regarding the availability of talented people for your organization. You complain that good workers are difficult to find. Help me to understand your position and perspective because I just cannot understand your logic. Currently, there are people on your team that do not perform, do not show up, and do not appreciate the job they are asked to complete. Yet, you cannot seem to find the desire or ability to remove them from your team. What gives?

The Situation - Click To Read Article
Preston is already late for work and feeling stressed by the fresh Monday morning that is upon him. He decides to stop for coffee anyway. The five mile drive to his office seems more like fifty. He is in his seventh month as production supervisor and it feels like seven years. "How did it get this bad so fast?" he thinks to himself. He used to love his job and his life. He is twenty nine years old with a three year old baby boy at home. His relationship with his wife Cindy is very good. And yet, he is so miserable. That faint, yet undeniable sick feeling is coming back and he ponders whether he needs to vomit again today.

The Freedom of Naked - Click To Read Article
As a parent of two boys, I have a perspective that does not include that of a father of little girls. And while the same behavior may be normal, I have no experience from which to make the same judgment. What is it about little boys and dancing naked? This supposedly common behavior that some may consider unspeakable is not limited to my own two little human examples, is it? There is something revealing about this behavior and the pun is definitely intended. This lack of restriction and confinement must be somewhat liberating to the normal single digit age human boy. The common after bath ritual must promote some feeling of euphoria that I have long forgotten but should probably try to remember.

The Wiggler, The Stickler, and The Hermit - Click To Read Article
Understanding the tendencies of managers can be very entertaining and humorous. Learning to identify the common challenges faced by many managers can enlighten us to the point that we improve our own performance. Labels can help us identify both the success and failure we all experience when assuming a leadership position within an organization. As you read this, I encourage you to examine these labels for both intrinsic and extrinsic value. In other words, do you sometimes exhibit behavior that can be indentified with each label? Have you worked with others that fit these descriptions?

The Toxic Manager - Click To Read Article
Most managers are not comfortable with a simple truism that the current condition of any organization is direct reflection of leadership. In other words, managers are accountable for the current success or failure of the team. This epiphany is a rude awakening for some and a sad reality for others. The challenge faced by most aspiring leaders is the brutal accountability that accompanies autonomy. In other words, team performance is directly related to "who" is on the team and "how" they are managed. The wrong people certainly influence performance and this quantification of talent is the primary measure of success and failure.

Is the Baby Ugly? - Click To Read Article
Well of course all babies are beautiful and there are very few things more precious than a new life in this world. Yet the analogy of a baby to our work is very interesting to consider. It is difficult, if not impossible, to not see extreme beauty in what we helped create. When we work hard on a project or invest a significant amount of time on anything, we become blinded by the emotional investment we have already made. We lose our objectivity and in some cases "fall in love" with the ugly baby we have created.

Zero Tolerance Means Zero Leadership - Click To Read Article
We have all heard the horror stories regarding zero tolerance policies in the past. Stories about a teenager being expelled for having a Tylenol in her purse or a five year old removed from the classroom for bringing a toy gun to school are recent examples that have generated buzz in the press. Most of us laugh at the ridiculousness of such examples and consider them to be the exception rather than the rule for today's society. Why do such policies exist and what purpose do these extreme measures provide the organization? Do such extreme positions provide any benefit? How does such a policy reflect on the leadership within these organizations? And finally, what might be the cost for an organization that must act upon the violation of such a policy?

Does the Younger Generation Think We are the Idiots? - Click To Read Article
We have all had an idiot for a boss at some point in our lives. For some of us that pain is a present reality and for others it is a painful memory. And, for others the experience is yet to come. And if you ask the younger workers today, the disease is more prevalent in the workplace than we like to admit. The new worker of today's high-technology work force seems to resist being led by many of the traditional, short-term focused managers and supervisors in the workplace today.

Be Coached to Coach - Click To Read Article
It is lonely at the top unless we have an executive coach to share the struggles and challenges we face as leaders. Gone are the days of the lonely executive with none among them to trust and confide the challenges and insecurities that exist in us all. In today's medicated, Prozac era, more and more business leaders are finding (and sometimes being required to utilize) great success from the services of a business or executive coach. Past perceptions of the word "coaching" and the negative stigma associated with a last chance effort to save a faltering manager are fading fast. Today's high-speed and information intoxicated business climate screams for more and more business coaches to listen to and offer advice for an overloaded, oversaturated and often overwhelmed executive.

A Little Boy and His Empty Bag - Click To Read Article
I recently accompanied my mother on a routine medical appointment with her new physician. This morning appointment and the literal change was more out of necessity than choice since her physician of over twenty years finally threw in the towel and retired. While completing the enormous mounds of paperwork required by a new medical provider in today's contradictory electronic world, I noticed a young mother walk into the waiting area with two small children. The mother was probably in her early twenties and the children, one girl and one boy, looked to be four and three respectively. She was flanked on both sides by these extremely well kept and well behaved young children. The boy more noticeably was on her right hand and closest to me as they passed by in order to check in with the receptionist and eventually find a place to sit.

The Secret to Business Happiness - Click To Read Article
A recent study revealed that the key to human happiness is the ability to live in the moment and place less emphasis on both the future and the past. This unique tendency of the human animal and our obsessive preoccupation with the past and the future are significant burdens that limit our happiness during life. The study indicates that both our stress over past events and worry about the future have a negative impact on our current happiness. Furthermore, the ability to live in the current moment and search for the contentment of the present is a critical key to deliberate joy and happiness.

Leader Interrupted - Click To Read Article
The concept of leadership within the protection of this book or the walls of any classroom is much different in execution. Too often, leaders understand the factors that promote effective leadership yet still fail to execute at critical opportunities. Why can leaders say (and even believe) the right things and then contradict the very same statement with their teams? Why does leadership theory get diluted in application on the job? How can we develop leaders to execute properly? These simple questions and the answers are in fact a revelation for most organizations.

If it isn't Broken, Break it! - Click To Read Article
Peter Drucker stated that obsolescence must be planned into products and processes in order to stay ahead of the competition. A company or product that is stagnant only creates fertile opportunity for competition. In other words, your competition will always replicate the success you have achieved in the past. This simplified premise makes innovation the competitive advantage that most successful companies lack over sustained periods of prosperity.

Don't Be a Byron - Click To Read Article
Byron runs a very old and historically successful business. His twenty-five hundred employees have seen good times as well as bad times. Business has boomed and business has gloomed in his twenty-five years with the company. Unfortunately, lately has been more gloom and doom than boom. Byron has made millions of dollars on stock options as the company has moved up and down with the energy sector. The predictability of the stock is amazing when looked at historically. He is very wealthy with all the promise and challenge fortune brings. He feels very deserving of his spoils.

The Two Facets of Leadership - Click To Read Article
Why do we follow others? The word leadership logically implies followship. Someone must decide to follow the leader for some reason. But why do we follow another person? When you boil down the complexities of human behavior, the primary reasons we follow someone else are very basic. First, we see a personal benefit to the behavior or actions of the other individual. We see the methodology they utilize as better than our current method or we see an easier way to accomplish a given task. Second, the leader actually influences our thinking to personal see value where it did not exist in the past. This cognitive influence is the more complex of the two pillars of leadership.

What do CEOs and turtlenecks have in common? - Click To Read Article
What do chief executive officers (CEOs) and turtlenecks have in common? The changing landscape in business is going to reveal some strange adaptations in the future of the American business enterprise. A more youthful workforce will most definitely have a significant impact on both the environment as well as the management that occupies the typical corporate boardroom.

The Talent Exodus - Click To Read Article
The pending talent exodus is literally off the radar screen for Dan's company. He is the chief executive for a small company with a rich sixty year history. The niche markets and the specialty products he produces have created a comfortable living for the over four hundred employees and their families. He has veteran employees that have tremendous knowledge and experience in the work they perform. These sometimes thirty year employees have been the backbone of the company for many years. And truthfully, Dan takes the knowledge and experience for granted. No one on the team is thinking about the tremendous loss the team will experience over the next five to ten years.

The Facebook Future - Click To Read Article
Almost twenty years ago, the President of the company that I worked for made the statement, "If I catch any of my managers wasting time on a computer, I will fire them!" I can still recall the days of memorandums that copied others as the primary form of internal business communication. Wow, so much has changed so fast that it is almost impossible to absorb.

The Workplace 2020 - Click To Read Article
I cannot believe that I am writing anything about the year 2020. It almost sounds like a science fiction movie title and yet it is only ten short years away. I say "short" because this past decade flew by at an inconceivable pace in my own mind. The reality of the present is that 2020 is just around the corner and the corner is getting closer as we speak.

The Perfect Storm - Click To Read Article
January 1st, 2008 came and went as any typical new year's day. People celebrated the New Year in a vast array of traditions around the world. The hope of a brand new year brought promise of great things to come. Organizational leaders, captains of industry, managers and entrepreneurs all joined the celebration as they have in past years. There were no headlines of concern, no alarms in the corporate conference room and no big fuss about the pending storm of change that would besiege most organizations for years to come. People simply did not notice or even acknowledge the magnitude of change that day would bring to most organizations in the United States.

Making the Team - Click To Read Article
There is something special about the challenge young people face when attempting to make the team. This healthy competition ignites a desire to perform that cannot easily be replicated for this young generation of Americans. Regardless of the sport, the desire to achieve and play is a remarkable source of motivation. Imagine the organizational potential if an organization could replicate this as source of motivation on the job. What would happen to key organizational metrics like attendance and productivity?

The Least Common Denominator - Click To Read Article
I have always believed and often teach the virtues of hiring the best person for the job. My naivety has also led me to believe that most "right-minded" managers agree with this simple premise. Organizational talent is the foremost indicator of long-term success in the game of business. The team with the best players will win the most games. Blah, blah, blah!

Enough Leadership Already! - Click To Read Article
I know... I know...there exists a plethora of books and articles that point us in the direction of solving all of our problems with someone's version of leadership. As a contributor of contemporary leadership principles, I too often get caught up in the hype of the next great leadership think. Amazingly, with my own love and passion for studying the human need to lead or follow, I am often obscured from some very basic truths. Simply put, without the "right" people on the team, the quantity and quality of the leadership provided will always be limited.

The Clueless CEO - Click To Read Article
How can such an intelligent and capable executive be so clueless in today's demanding business environment? How can a company be so blind to pending challenges? The answer to these questions and a peek at the not so distant future is why many chief executives are doomed to fail over the next five years.

Amazing Customer Service is not Extinct! - Click To Read Article
I am optimistic by nature and my cynical side is often suppressed to the point of being clueless according to people close to me. Amazingly, when it comes to customer service, I am very critical of most organizations. I do pay attention and take note of very small details about the service I and others receive. I have expectations that I be treated like I hope to treat the customers that I serve in my own business.

Human Resource Heroes – Do they exist or have they all Sold Out? - Click To Read Article
CEOs come from three functions in most companies - sales, finance and operations. Ever wonder why so few human resources (HR) executives are chosen to sit in the corner office? Has the position of HR been devalued to an ancillary function on the executive team? If so, how did it get this way?

Beware the Wannabees - Click To Read Article
In nature, many creatures have copied the characteristics of other more beneficial organisms. Insects and animals copying color patterns are all wannabees in the natural world. This phenomenon is not unique to the animal world and is very common in the world of business. If something is perceived as successful, imitators are quick to appear and may even be hard to differentiate from the original source. We see this in business plans, logos, products and even training. Once successful, others are certainly going to follow. The very rules of nature apply to the everyday challenge your business faces. This path of least resistance is similar to following a trail through the jungle that was blazed by the hard work and creativity of others.

Running on Empty? - Click To Read Article
Leslie leaves her job after 18 years for another that pays about the same amount of money. Raymond leaves his new job of six months for another job that pays 25 cents an hour more with a longer commute. Sarah is looking for a job in another field because she is tired of all the negativity at her current firm. What do these three have in common? They all did not feel appreciated at work.

Are We Entitled? - Click To Read Article
What exactly are we entitled to in life? Can a sense of entitlement create mediocrity in people? Is entitlement a good thing? Dictionary.com defines "entitle" as... to give (a person or thing) a title, right, or claim to something. As a parent of two boys, I am always examining and learning (as if I were never a child or a teenager) what really motivates positive activities and what promotes the less value-added ways to burn time in our lives. It is amazing how the purity of childhood is such a micro chasm for life as adults.

Hunger Pains - Click To Read Article
Can mediocrity dull the hunger pains for excellence? Can accepting the status quo doom your team to mediocrity? Staying hungry for that which provides the most benefit is extremely challenging and often illusive to many organizations. There are many factors that contribute to lost hunger. This article will focus on some common reasons we lose the drive toward excellence. Though not exhaustive, your team can certainly reach break-through by addressing these individually and collectively.

Politics and Leadership...The Contradiction of Purpose! - Click To Read Article
It is the rare supervisor that we also call our leader. Someone who inspires us beyond our own perceived capability is not typical. In today's "self-focused" work environment, employees are drawn to a leader that seems to inspire a "larger" purpose. Maybe this phenomenon is rooted in a generation of Americans that has an entitled view of the world...they are owed something because of their very existence. Or, maybe our own need to make things better for our children has caused them to expect so much as young adults. It really doesn't matter as things are as they are and the reality of truth is what we must ponder this holiday season.

Why DO Idiots Eat Their Young? And, Is it a Bad thing? - Click To Read Article
If we compare the typical "idiot" in business to the starving family patriarch in the cruelest of winters, interesting parallels start to surface. Consider the challenge of feeding a family to the typical business leader that must financially feed his or her team. Imagine the bad winter as analogous to the challenging business climate and the story starts to sizzle.

Dysfunction Begets Dysfunction - Click To Read Article
The daily function of your team is not an accident. Team dynamics are a direct consequence of action or inaction by leadership. Too many leaders ignore team problems with the hope that they will improve over time. Unfortunately, the problem only gets worse and everyone suffers as a result.

The Power of a Willing Mind - Click To Read Article
According to the Gallup organization, only 30% of employees are fully engaged in their work. That means 70% are merely earning a paycheck. What does this untapped opportunity cost an organization? And, why are so many companies oblivious to this loss? Are they blind to the unrealized opportunity that is left on the table daily? What would this extra potential do for us as individuals, organizations and even countries? Imagine the impact of fully engaged workforce on the economy. Consider the productivity and profit that is simply there for the willing organization to take.

The Learning Organization and the Leading Learner - Click To Read Article
What is a learning organization? How does a leading learner transform the typical organization from one of mediocrity to a machine of excellence? The Harvard Business Review states that only 10% of people have a learning mindset. These are people that constantly seek out and absorb learning. I call these people leading learners when they also happen to occupy a leadership position within an organization.

What Happened to Forgiveness? - Click To Read Article
The strange thing about forgiveness...we are selective about "who" gets it. Why do we forgive some and not others? Why are some people on "the list" forever while others seem to be forgiven quickly?

Should we encourage mistakes on our team? - Click To Read Article
Are honest mistakes allowed on your team? Do people fear failing to the point that they become paralyzed at decision time? Are mistakes treated as opportunities for development?

Is My Boss an Idiot? Clues you may have an IDIOT for a boss... - Click To Read Article
The truth is...we have all had idiots for bosses. For some of us that pain is a present reality and for others it is a painful memory. Unfortunately the disease is more prevalent in our society than we like to admit.

Help! My Team is Broken... You are not alone - Click To Read Article
What does communication, or lack there-of, cost your company each year? How many people on your team, at the moment you are reading this email, are doing a task that in some way will have to be reworked or redone? Funny, we always seem to have time to do things "right" the second time around.

Can Simply Being Nice Save You Money? - Click To Read Article
It occurred to me (at the tax office of all places) that simply being nice to others really does save us money. This morning while paying taxes, I was pleasant and took the time to be nice and two ladies really did everything in their power to save me some money. As I then drove to my office, I pondered the application of "simply being nice" to a more general business application. Can we as leaders role model being nice and teach our employees to be the same way? Can being nice impact our bottom line? Do we sometimes neglect the very people that mean success or failure in the game of business?

Is Mediocrity Contagious? Is it spreading faster than the flu? - Click To Read Article
What is happening to our next generation of leaders? Have we become a nation that inspires mediocrity? Are we going through a metamorphosis and don't realize it? Do we really believe excellence comes without effort? Are we all getting infected with the mediocrity disease?

Referred by: http://www.thetrainingbank.com/



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