Several years back, I recall coming to the conclusion that most of my generation was wimpy. I remember the stories my grandparents told about the Great Depression. They sucked it up. They did what needed to be done and didn’t complain. Being a child, I often did not understand much of what they said, but I did grasp that they were tough, which is definitely an admirable attribute. But these days the buzz is all about passion… purpose…. Inspiration...engagement. What’s the b

Despite recovering more than 1 million positions since 2010, according to a recent report in the New York Times, the manufacturing sector of the United States workforce is the least engaged occupation across the United States, according to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace. This article summarizes some ideas of what you can do to combat this trend. 25% Engaged Manufacturing companies and factories have not kept pace with the rest of the ever-changing work environment.

One of the most powerful factors that spur customers to become advocates for a company is employees' positive behavior and attitude. Employee engagement. What is it really, and can it be measured? Simply put, employee engagement is an employee's involvement in and enthusiasm for their work. Simple to define, difficult to measure. Why is this concept so elusive? Mostly because the concept is based on 'soft' skills: collaboration, work ethic, attitude, enthusiasm, and emotion

The name Peter Drucker is to business management what the names Mario Andretti and Dale Earnhardt are to professional racing. Drucker’s more than 60-year career as a teacher, consultant, and management thought-leader inspire his title ‘the father of modern management.’ So when the Drucker Institute, founded to advance the ideals of the management guru, presented the Management Top 250 early in December, business ears perked up. Interestingly, unlike other rankings, this “bes

What if there was one thing that ultimately motivated all of us? One ultimate why. Knowing that would be the key to everyone’s hearts and minds. Let’s put the discovery of the ultimate why in perspective. It's like the fictional future discovery of the warp drive in Star Trek. It was a breakthrough that launched humanity into the exploration of the stars. The story line is that Zefram Cochran discovered a system that created more energy than put into it, resulting in an expon