Insights & Expertise | Executive (31)

3 min read

Can Fun Socks Drive Engagement?

By Gibson on May 18, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Kevin Brozovich, Founder and Chief People Officer at HRM Innovations. We hope you enjoy Kevin’s wisdom and perspective.

Topics: Executive

3 min read

No Education Like Adversity

By Tim Leman on May 11, 2018 6:30:00 AM

“There is no education like adversity.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli

Things have come easier for one of my sons over much of his life. If you’re a parent with multiple children, I’m sure you can relate. I’d say he’s at least a "B+" at most anything he tries and when he works at, he gets himself into the "A" zone. That's one of the things I respect about him. In spite of a natural ease he often seems to have, he also applies himself diligently, rarely giving less than a 100% effort.

Things didn’t go his way at school recently. He unexpectedly lost a close election for President of his class. This is a role he’s held for three years. And the resulting musical chairs for the general student council left him without a seat. While I would never wish it upon him, and was rooting for him all the way, I know this loss will carry with it a much greater return than another victory would have.

What we learn about ourselves when the chips are down far outweighs anything we get while riding high. And those lessons learned or missed follow us into adulthood where grit, resilience, and perseverance seem to be in short supply these days.

Topics: Executive

4 min read

Reading To Lead

By Gibson on May 4, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Ron Kitchens, Chief Executive Officer at Southwest Michigan First. We hope you enjoy Ron’s wisdom and perspective.

We can all agree that reading changes lives for the better. Isn’t that why we encourage our children to read instead of playing video games? No one would ever say that a person is completely wasting their time by spending an evening at home with a good book. But if everyone knows that reading is transformative, why then are there so few readers these days?

To bridge this gap, the country’s leading companies are starting programs that encourage their teams to better themselves through reading. The retail giant Zappos, for example, has an enormous library filled with books for employees to borrow or even keep. While seminars, conventions, and training courses are all critical to professional development, they have one downside: they are expensive. Depending on your budget, reading may be a great supplement to that additional learning or an inexpensive alternative.

Topics: Executive

5 min read

A Tradition Unlike Any Other...(Turns Out It's True!)

By Gibson on Apr 27, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Brad Serf, Principal at Gibson. We hope you enjoy Brad's wisdom and perspective.

Earlier this month I had an opportunity to attend The Masters in Augusta, Georgia. I think most would agree it is one of America’s iconic events (note I didn’t say “sporting events,” I said “events”). It is like a rite of spring. Each year, on that first weekend in April, we are drawn to this event - the beauty of the course and frequent drama it generates. My first memory of The Masters is Tom Watson’s 2-shot win over Jack Nicklaus in 1977. My mother liked Watson, so I did too. I remember watching the final holes while enjoying our traditional Sunday evening dinner.

Now as much as I enjoy The Masters and acknowledge that it is an iconic event, for years I had found their tagline - “A tradition unlike any other” - to be, well, arrogant. Who do they think they are to make such an audacious claim? There are many great traditions out there!

After experiencing Augusta National, I can confirm it is indeed a tradition unlike any other.

Topics: Executive

3 min read

The Doctor Is Out

By Tim Leman on Apr 20, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Like the Peanuts cartoon depicts, organizations often have someone operating a complaint department. Most visitors are well-intentioned in their session with the company “therapist.” They’re seeking coaching or advice on a challenging issue and plan to act upon it. Unfortunately, what they often get back is the equivalent of Lucy’s “Eat a jelly-bread sandwich” guidance to Charlie Brown.

Alternatively, they may just be looking to release some pent-up frustration. They’re looking for “a sympathetic ear, and the promise of keeping things ‘between us.’ In many organizations, these therapists seem to serve a valuable purpose – or at least do no real harm,” writes author, speaker, and business leader Mike Paton.

But is that really the case? Does this habit of “complaint departments” really cause no harm?

Topics: Executive

5 min read

Mr. Sunshine: A Work In Progress

By Gibson on Apr 13, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Mike Cahill, President & CEO of Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana. We hope you enjoy Mike’s wisdom and perspective.

One of my favorite quotes is as follows: Do you light up the room when you walk in or when you walk out?

A short story to set the stage. An extremely successful local businessman shared the so-called secret to his success. He talked about the positivity, support, belief, and 'can do' attitude his wife always brought to the table as he pushed forward building his business. Especially, when things were not going the right direction or big mistakes were made. I loved how he put it: "She does not have many cloudy days."

Topics: Executive

4 min read

Creating A Sustainable Culture For Innovation And Engagement

By Gibson on Apr 6, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Tara Nisenson, leadership coach and HR consultant. We hope you enjoy Tara’s wisdom and perspective.

Many organizations are recognizing the power of involving much larger and diverse groups in generating innovative solutions to corporate dilemmas. Some company cultures react well to the initiative, others are much more cautious. Building a sustainable culture where everyone is happy to share ideas and contribute to company challenges can be difficult.

Topics: Executive

3 min read

Employee Engagement As A Leadership Competency

By Gibson on Mar 30, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Charles Rogel, Senior Consultant & VP of Product Development at DecisionWise. We hope you enjoy Charles’ wisdom and perspective.

I work with many organizations to measure and improve employee engagement. The process typically begins with the collection of employee feedback through an engagement survey. The survey includes about 50 items measuring perceptions of the job, team, supervisor, and organization overall.

Most organizations score low on top-down communication, cross-department communication, and responding to employee ideas. Questions about teams or supervisors generally score high with some pockets of under-performing groups. While action planning, executive teams usually become pre-occupied with poor organization scores and begin brainstorming ways to improve the employee newsletter, conduct town halls, or plan the summer party.

But when we look at the drivers of employee engagement, a different story appears.

Topics: Executive

3 min read

Don’t Let Perfection Cripple You

By Gibson on Mar 23, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Craig Sroda, author of YOU in the SWEET SPOT and Intentional Living. We hope you enjoy Craig’s wisdom and perspective.

Earlier this year I taught a class for a group of executives based on the book Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith. Marshall is one of the leading executive coaches in the world and he has a few books out that are great if you want to improve yourself.

We started class with this quote:

“Fate is the hand of cards we’ve been dealt. Choice is how we play the hand.”

I know a few people dealing with the “cards” they were dealt not allowing them to move forward. Perfection often comes into play, because they weren’t trained effectively on how to deal with adversity. Depending on your personality type, striving for perfection can cripple you from making any progress because perfection is unrealistic.

Topics: Executive

4 min read

Imagining Small To Solve Big

By Gibson on Mar 16, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Mark Lunardi, Department of the Air Force Civilian. We hope you enjoy Mark’s wisdom and perspective.

“No one is perfect.” “You’re only human.” “To err is human…” It’s hard to argue the wisdom of such time-honored sayings given that the human condition is rife with imperfection. Mistakes are inescapable, though blessedly most are relatively minor and of limited consequence. But what about the big ones, mistakes…either by intent or negligence…which have significant and lasting impact? Though human nature is no less to blame in these instances, their costs are often too great for rationalizations of our imperfections. I therefore offer the following quotes, courtesy of Hollywood, to assist in addressing, and avoiding, the most grievous of errors.

Topics: Executive

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