Learning from the Future: How to Plan for Tomorrow When Everything Has Changed Today — Nov 2023

I was having a conversation with a colleague recently about how the world has changed the last several years.  Think about the fundamental shifts we have collectively experienced, many brought on by the pandemic but many because of other things.  For example, how many of us knew what Artificial Intelligence was just a year ago?  [...]

2023-11-27T12:14:37-06:00November 27, 2023|

Why Good Organizations Sometimes Fail — PEN Sept 2023

I get asked occasionally what is the single biggest reason organizations fail.  Of course, there isn’t one right answer: organizations -- even from the same sector or industry -- have different cultures, different core competencies, different strategic challenges and advantages, different circumstances that contribute to success or failure.  As a result, some organizations struggle with [...]

2023-09-20T14:28:45-05:00September 19, 2023|

Exploring Life’s Priorities: Rocks, Pebbles, Sand & On Being a Time Billionaire — Aug 2023

During the COVID years, we were all given the opportunity to reflect on our mortality and on what’s truly important in life: our fast-paced daily routines came to an abrupt halt, allowing us to recalibrate -- to refocus on the priorities in each of our lives. But, while COVID isn’t over, most of us have [...]

2023-08-25T06:33:01-05:00August 22, 2023|

Overwork, Underperform: Why More Hours Leads to Less Productivity — PEN Dec 2018

People are overworked.  Maybe it’s because we reset after the last recession and are all asked to do more with less.  Maybe it’s because 10,000 Baby Boomers are retiring EVERY Day, forcing all of us to do more with less.  Maybe it’s because wages really haven’t kept up with inflation the last 30-40 years, forcing [...]

2018-12-18T16:24:04-06:00December 18, 2018|

The Power of Professional Gratitude — PEN Nov 2018

The year was 1623.  About half of the Plymouth colony died that year.  And while the community was about ready to head into another difficult winter, recent fall rains ended what was a challenging and persistent drought.  So Governor William Bradford called a gathering – a three-hour “staff meeting” of sorts.  The main purpose of [...]

2018-11-26T19:22:44-06:00November 26, 2018|

Keeping Score: Best Practices in Organizational Measurement — PEN Oct 2018

If you don’t know it, I’m a diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan.  Third generation season ticket holder (yes, while living 400 miles away in Minneapolis).  And if you’re not into football – or just not fully aware of what’s going on in the NFL this season – the Chiefs are in the middle of what [...]

2018-10-29T16:08:49-05:00October 29, 2018|

Adapt or Die: Most Corporate Failures are Self-Inflicted — PEN Sept 2018

What do the American mastodon, Woolly mammoth, and Arizona jaguar all have in common?  Here’s a hint: they all suffered similar fates to Hostess Brands, Circuit City, and Blockbuster.  Yes, they all went away.  Extinction.  Vanished.  Disappeared.  But I think the companies could all take a lesson from the animals that died before them: organizations [...]

2018-09-24T21:07:31-05:00September 24, 2018|

The Key to Disney’s World Class Service: Part Art, Part Science, and Part Magic — PEN August 2018

As the story goes, a guest at Disney World once asked “what time is the 3 o’clock parade?”  That’s a peculiar question, mainly because it normally would lead to an obvious answer.  But Disney Cast Members (their word for employees) are trained to probe beyond the obvious so that they can provide an extraordinary Guest [...]

2018-08-22T16:56:00-05:00August 22, 2018|

The Key to Sustained World Class Performance: Deliberate Practice — PEN July 2018

Everywhere you look, standards are rising.  In business, in sports, in education, in healthcare – really in all aspects of human and organizational achievement – what is considered world class continues to increase.  For example…   It used to take 72 hours by plane to cross the Atlantic (1913); it now takes just over six.  [...]

2018-07-23T22:10:24-05:00July 23, 2018|

Governor Recognizes SDDOT for Continuous Improvement, Performance Excellence

July 16, 2018   For Immediate Release PEN Contact: Brian Lassiter, President Performance Excellence Network 612-868-3519 [email protected]   SDDOT Contact: Kristi Sandal South Dakota Department of Transportation 605-295-0150 [email protected] SDDOT Receives Recognition for Continuous Improvement 2017 Performance Excellence Award Presented by Governor Daugaard   PIERRE, SD, July 16, 2018 – At a celebration hosted by [...]

2018-07-17T15:35:34-05:00July 17, 2018|
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