Tag: leadership

A few lessons learned from recent events

by Dan Oswald Respect and appreciate those who help you succeed. For my birthday in September, my wife gave me tickets to a James Taylor concert, which we attended last night. It was fascinating to watch a man whose career has spanned my entire lifetime perform the classic hits he penned decades ago. With his […]

A tribute to a true entrepreneur

by Dan Oswald At the end of the year, BLR’s founder, Bob Brady, will be retiring from the company he started 37 years ago. Last week we celebrated Bob’s achievements with a party attended by friends, business associates, and current and former BLR employees. It was a wonderful tribute to a man who has touched […]

Train Project Managers to Not Let Efficient Communication Damage Projects

    This may sound difficult to believe, but it can be true! In the definition of efficient, we find the following: “achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.” While this is great for busy executives and companies, it is terrible for projects, especially when it comes to communicating about the project with […]

Do You Train Managers on These 7 ‘Pain Points’ of Project Management?

  Managing a project is a multidisciplinary undertaking. At any given moment, a manager will have a multitude of activities to oversee, each requiring a unique skill set that enables them to get things done in an effective and timely manner. The issues faced by managers are typically universal and can be categorized as the […]

Training Supervisors to Make Good Decisions Can Help You Win Lawsuits

  To recap: A decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa shows how far some former employees will reach to stretch their termination into some legal claim against their employer. More important, though, it underscores the importance training and supervisor/manager competence can play in protecting employers from spurious legal claims. Joshua […]

Quality begins with the people you manage

by Dan Oswald The other day, I was driving through a small town and saw a sign on the side of a building that read, “Nobody ever regrets buying quality.” That got me thinking about quality. Did the proprietor of this business have it right? Does no one ever regret paying for a quality product […]

Do You Train Supervisors to Make Good Decisions?

  A decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa shows how far some former employees will reach to stretch their termination into some legal claim against their employer. More important, though, it underscores the importance that training and supervisor/manager competence can play in protecting employers from spurious legal claims. Background […]

Train Managers on these 23 Motivational Tips

Train your managers to use these motivational tips for their personal motivation as well as passing them on to employees. No matter what you do for a living, the key to success is motivating yourself, each and every day, according to Geoffrey James. “Most people don’t realize that motivation mostly emerges from minor changes in […]

Do Your Managers Know How to Reward and Motivate Employees?

Many companies do not provide training to managers and supervisors on their recognition and reward programs, says Kimberly Abel, vice president of Employee Solutions for Maritz Motivation Solutions. In fact, only 25 percent of employers formally train their managers and leaders on workforce recognition and practices, she says, citing research from WorldatWork. “Unfortunately, it’s still […]

Case Studies Bring the Real World into Your Training

Managers who supervise telecommuters need to know whether their employees are putting in the required hours and/or getting their work done at home. However, managers also need to be aware of whether telecommuters are taking enough breaks from their sedentary work. A recent court case demonstrates some of the important implications that must be considered […]