Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Situational-Transparency.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Situational-Transparency.html Most of us wish organizations, governments, and people would be more transparent. We all would agree that being totally transparent at all times is a recipe for disaster, in fact it can land you in jail if you blab about an upcoming merger too early. There is a line in the sand where on one side it is better to keep quiet and on the other it is better to be transparent. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Do-Not-Mix-Empowerment-and-Morale.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Do-Not-Mix-Empowerment-and-Morale.html Can you imagine a situation where you were highly empowered but had very low morale? The concepts of empowerment and morale are different, and they should not be used interchangeably. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Trust-is-Like-a-Golf-Ball.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Trust-is-Like-a-Golf-Ball.html Trust needs to be the same on the inside as it appears on the outside. Just like a golf ball, the entire package is required if one is to obtain the most positive result. If people have good intentions on the outside, but are not congruent on the inside, trust will be compromised. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Workload-Rubber-Bands.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Workload-Rubber-Bands.html Most professionals I know complain about being way overloaded, yet they complain about other people not doing enough work. Perhaps it sounds like this: "I know that I am way overloaded, but I am pretty sure you, and you, and you could do more work around here." A lot of people think that way. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/7-Ways-to-Measure-Morale.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/7-Ways-to-Measure-Morale.html How do you measure something as elusive as morale? In my leadership classes, the most common reply I get to that question is to do an employee engagement survey. Another common response is to measure attendance or turnover rate. While both of these methods can help pinpoint problems in morale, they are both lagging indicators. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/The-Root-of-All-Conflict.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/The-Root-of-All-Conflict.html I think it is important to understand the root cause of conflict instead of just focusing on ways to deal with it. In my opinion, three words lead to most conflict. They are, "I AM RIGHT." Reason: we each have a parochial view of what is happening, and we believe it to be correct. When others do not share that exact view, they must be wrong by definition. Would you agree with this analysis? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Seven-Traits-of-Super-Teams.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Seven-Traits-of-Super-Teams.html I have been on a few "super" teams in my life, and I'll bet you have too. Most of us have been on some horrible teams as well. Over a decade ago, Patrick Lencioni wrote his famous book "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team." He listed these five pitfalls teams face, 1)Absence of trust, 2)Fear of conflict, 3)Lack of commitment, 4) Avoidance of accountability, and 5) Inattention to results. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Happiness-and-Morale.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Happiness-and-Morale.html We generally link the concept of morale with happy people. In normal circumstances, workers who are happy will have high morale and motivation to do a good job. That is why most managers want their workforce to be happy. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/You-May-Need-a-New-Foundation.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/You-May-Need-a-New-Foundation.html The strategic foundation of any organization must match its current reality. Many times organizations fail to revise their business strategies as they grow into larger entities. This creates a mismatch between things like vision, mission, strategy, and tactics and how the organization is attempting to operate. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Murders-and-Apparitions.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5148/Murders-and-Apparitions.html Would you get on a plane if there was a greater than 50% chance it would crash before reaching your destination? Would you go under the knife for an elective surgery if your chances of dying were one in two? The answers are obvious. Then why do CEOs willingly pursue Mergers & Acquisitions? According to numerous research studies, the average failure rate for M&As is well above 50%.