Hi Reader, This is one of the thorniest dilemmas you can face in the workplace — and in life, including with family, friends and everyone else. What do you do when you know someone else has broken the rules? For most of our lives, we’ve heard, “Don’t be a snitch.” In most of the movies we’ve seen, the “snitches” don’t fare so well when their comrades discover their double-dealing. What do they do at West Point? This is part of our continuing discussion about conduct and behavior inside...
3 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, If you're a sports fan - or live in the San Francisco Bay area – you've probably heard by now about the uncomfortable situation involving Jed York, owner of the San Francisco 49ers. York was arrested on August 24th in Ohio following an undercover prostitution sting. The prostitution charge was subsequently amended and, two days later, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools. The legal case moved remarkably quickly. The...
6 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, On Friday, I typically share a few leadership ideas, interesting discoveries and questions that caught my attention during the week. This week we started a conversation about how we can establish rules of the road for individual conduct and behavior in the workplace. We kicked it off with Turpentine, Toilet Paper and a Toothbrush — a tale of two trouble-seeking teenage soldiers. On Wednesday, I shared Can You Really Write a Clear Code of Conduct? to describe the challenges we face...
8 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Have you established a written Code of Conduct in your organization? Generally, a company's prescription for acceptable behavior is too vague if it's written at all. Get started now to spell it out more clearly to avoid a potentially colossal screwup. I wonder if you've paid attention to the supremely vague terms used across the organizational landscape in feeble attempts to define acceptable behavior and conduct in the workplace.How about this phrase? “Conduct unbecoming ..." If...
10 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, My Dad's stories continue to put a smile on my face even now as I step through the mental catalog of those moments. One of his favorite stories was about the time he and his friend Abby decided to get a little payback on their Army sergeant. Dad was not old enough to join the Army, but he and his buddy lied about their age and got in. Because they were the youngest, Dad claimed the Sergeant was always choosing them for the crappy cleanup jobs -– policing the area in Army parlance....
12 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Friday is when I share a few leadership ideas, interesting discoveries and questions that caught my attention during the week. In case you missed the earlier Newsletters this week, you can find them here: This week we talked about After Action Reviews and I kicked it off by sharing a story about Bologna, Ketchup and an Autopsy Table in Who Screwed This Up. On Wednesday, I laid the core structure of how to conduct After Action Reviews in The 4 Questions Essential to Promoting...
15 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, After Action Reviews (“AAR”) are irreplaceable Accountability Tools The AAR is an undernourished sibling of accountability – but it's a highly effective tool to help us learn from our past performance and create a state of continuous improvement. The AAR originated with the U.S. Army. From a modest introduction in the mid-1970s, it has become a vital part of military culture. The term is often wrongly identified as an After Action Report, but it's NOT a "report" someone writes and...
17 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Many years ago when we lived in the Midwest, we became very good friends with a young couple down the street. He was a fellow fraternity brother from another college, but I remember him as a very capable pathologist with a unique ability to describe complex medical subjects in layman's language. One day, he asked me if I'd like to go to work with him on Saturday. He'd show me around, we'd have lunch ... just hang out. He couldn't leave for lunch, but he would bring along some...
19 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Friday is when I share a few leadership ideas, interesting discoveries and questions that caught my attention during the week. In case you missed the earlier Newsletters this week, you can find them here: This week we talked about Leverage and I kicked it off by sharing how several college kids got out of jail in The Night I Went to Jail. On Wednesday, I shared 7 Ways to Leverage the Resources You Already Have, a primer that you can put to work today. What's New? Google’s Pinpoint...
22 days ago • 3 min read