My friend John Izzo is a fascinating person who combines an interest in spirituality with an interest in corporate life. His latest book, The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die, is based on 250 interviews conducted with people over 60 on what they learned about the keys to fulfillment in their professional and personal lives. Following is an edited version of our conversation:
This project—interviewing people over 60 about the secrets of life—sounds like great fun. I wish that I had done it! What gave you this idea? Continue reading » »
Those plaques on the walls! Those inpiring mottos! Companies have wasted millions of dollars and countless hours agonizing over buzzwords and slogans that are hung on walls. There is a clear assumption that people’s behavior will change because the pronouncements on plaques are “inspirational” or certain words “integrate our strategy and values.” There is an implicit hope that when people—especially managers—hear great words, they will start to exhibit great behavior.
Sometimes these words or phrases morph as people try to keep up with the latest trends in corporatespeak. A company may begin by striving for “customer satisfaction,” then advance to “total customer satisfaction,” and then finally reach the pinnacle of “customer delight.”
I have observed more than 50,000 leaders from around the world as they participated in a fascinating experiential exercise, in which I ask participants to play two roles.
In one role, they provide “feedforward”: They give another participant suggestions and as much as they can help with a specific issue. In the second role, they accept feedforward: They listen to suggestions from another participant and learn as much as they can.
Step by Step
The exercise typically lasts 10 to 15 minutes, and the average participant has six or seven such sessions in that time. Participants are asked to: Continue reading » »
The concept of referent group can be a useful tool for understanding many differences in organizations, both on a global and local scale. A referent group can be defined as any group that people see as a source for their identity. Our referent groups define a large part of who we are. Our primary referent group can be defined as a group that is the major source of our identity. As our organizations become more global and more diverse, it becomes more critical that leaders understand how different referent groups can impact behavior.
Members of different referent groups tend to define ethics or morality from the perspective of their group. We all tend to judge others as being right or wrong from the perspective of our referent group. It is critical that global leaders learn to understand others’ perspectives without coming across as judgmental.
Defining Referent Groups
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Judy Bardwick is a longtime friend and one of the smartest people I know. She has always challenged conventional wisdom and I consider her to be not only a great management thinker, but also a great thinker about life. Her latest book, One Foot Out the Door: How to Combat the Psychological Recession That Is Hurting American Business, discusses important challenges faced by U.S. companies. Here are edited excerpts of a recent chat we had.
In One Foot Out the Door, you claim that as many as two-thirds of U.S. employees are victims of a “psychological recession.” What is this condition and why has it become so widespread? Continue reading » »
