Online Articles

By Kathleen Brush, Ph.D. In 2011, Gallup reported that 71 percent of American workers were not engaged in their work and 19 percent were “actively disengaged.” In 2012, Accenture noted that 58 percent of survey respondents were dissatisfied with their jobs. Disengaged, and dissatisfied are euphemisms for workers who are unmotivated or demotivated.

Edited by Margery Weinstein

By Lisa B. Marshall, Host, Public Speaker “What’s gonna work? Teamwork!” My kids love the show, “The Wonder Pets,” and this little theme song gets stuck in my head all the time. We learn from a young age that working in a team is important. Your team may have gotten a strong start. But what happens when you start running out of steam?

By Phil Buckley When resistance, in the form of fear, anger, or complacency, is in the way, true learning cannot occur.—Dan S. Cohen Most big changes require new ways of working: A combination of new knowledge, skills, mindsets, behaviors, relationships, and processes must be adopted. Unless you accurately identify and build these capabilities, the change is certain to fail or not reach its potential.

By Bruce Hodes, Founder, CMI Many factors affect the long-term success of a business entity, and achieving success is complex. As businesspeople, we cannot control the economy, our competition, taxes, health-care plans, or national events. However, I think we can agree that the quality of employees within an organization directly affects that organization’s performance. The “ABC” process I’m going to tell you about is designed to give your company both a people and performance edge. Open Assessments

By Kristy Westfall Moyer, Training Account Manager, Signature Worldwide “Just because nobody complains doesn’t mean all parachutes are perfect.”—Benny Hill In nearly every training class I facilitate, there is a Doubting Thomas in attendance. I welcome this personality type; I respect the role they play as I believe others in class may feel the same, but are too shy to speak up. I appreciate the challenges presented, as I know if I don’t have buy-in from the attendees before they leave, there will be no behavioral change.

By Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan

By Jeb Blount A trap many account managers fall into is assuming they have more trust in the emotional bank account than they really do. They falsely believe that charm, charisma, and likability are more important than showing up to meetings on time, being prepared, meeting deadlines, solving problems, being truthful, or following through on promises.

By Laura Stack, MBA, CSP With some exceptions, the point of a presentation is usually either to teach the audience something new or to sell them on something—a product, a service, or a way of thinking—and get them to take action. If they are to be motivated to change, you must persuade attendees to understand, accept, and internalize your point of view.

By Brian Klapper Imagine for a moment an organization where people are highly productive, efficient, and creative…where they are empowered to share bold ideas, solve problems, and explore new opportunities…where they actively contribute in decision-making and feel like owners in the organization’s mission. Sound like a fantasy? Perhaps. But it’s not out of reach.