A number of years ago, it was pointed out to me that the word ‘listen’ contains the exact same letters as the word ‘silent.’ I’ve often wondered if it’s a coincidence or serendipity. Either way, it works nicely. It was also pointed out to me by a great mentor, Tom Shimizu, that most of us… Read more »

“Crucial Conversations” by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan and Switzler is not a book that should be glanced over. When you really immerse yourself in this book, you’ll find that it holds immense value in developing professional and personal communications. After reading this review, I hope that you will have a desire to dive into the book… Read more »

Over the years, I have heard several different adjectives used to describe both sides of the feedback coin. For example, positive versus negative or positive versus constructive. For the purpose of this article, I am going to make two assumptions that determine the words used to describe feedback. First, the feedback is provided from a genuine place… Read more »

When I was in my first official leadership role, one of my team members recommended a book to me. I first viewed this book with some skepticism as it came with a recommendation that included the phrase “life-changing.” However, wanting to be a leader who was open to input from his team members and also… Read more »

In today’s fast-paced world the saying, “The only constant is change,” is more accurate than ever before. In this environment of constant change, it has become more critical for individuals and organizations to continuously assess and invest in their relevance. With that in mind, what defines relevance? Regardless of the level of performance, customers, investors,… Read more »

One of the greatest misconceptions I have seen over the past twenty-five years is the belief that personal and professional growth is synonymous with upward mobility or promotion and there is a clearly defined map that leads to that end. In my experience, this is a very narrow view that frequently leads to frustration and… Read more »

As the name implies, continuous people development is about embarking on a journey of never-ending personal and professional improvement. The approach I’m sharing today is a perpetual cycle of four key phases: seeking feedback, planning development, increasing knowledge and skills, and implementation for improved results. This is a cycle that revolves around the individual’s and… Read more »

This may be a leap, but I’m going to assume in this edition of HR Elevated that we are on the same page with regards to three points. First, our working definition of optimization – to make as effective, perfect or useful as possible or to make the best of. Second, our goal is to… Read more »

It’s quite insightful to comb through Fortune magazine’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For and compare each one to the top financial and growth performers in their industry. Interestingly enough, they are either at or near the top of their industry’s list. I’m convinced there is not only a correlation but a cause and effect… Read more »

Return on Investment (ROI) is a widely accepted metric when it comes to measuring financial benefits received from the use of resources. However, I’ve come to question the accuracy – and even the integrity – of using it in measuring the impact from developing people. Even with the most complex calculations, it is virtually impossible to… Read more »