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The only ways companies can survive big mistakes

S. Chris Edmonds Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Even when an organization has a very healthy organizational culture — as in Starbucks' recent case — a "failure of leadership" by one store manager can put the company’s entire reputation at risk. People make mistakes every day. But the glaring spotlight of national media on your workplace could be one incident away. Is your organization prepared to respond effectively when a grave mistake is made? These three steps can help your organization "do the right thing" immediately and live your organization’s servant purpose and valued behaviors under intense scrutiny.

Negotiating commercial leases: Negotiate for free perks

Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield Retail

For many commercial tenants, negotiating a good lease or lease renewal against an experienced agent or landlord can be a challenge. While an entrepreneur focuses on marketing and managing, savvy real estate agents and brokers are specialized salespeople. Their job is to sell tenants on leasing their location at the highest possible rental rate. Whether you are leasing a new location for the first time or negotiating a lease renewal for your business, here are two money-saving tips.

Personality tests: The forgotten leadership tools

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Buzzwords, trends and the constant refreshing of new options can make us forget the tried and true or even recently passed solutions. Personality tests can be excellent tools for improving productivity, team-building, communications and career development. As such, they are extremely practical leadership tools that should neither be forgotten nor overlooked. Here are a few reasons to add these tools back into your leadership toolbox.

Practical considerations for deciding whether to rehire former employees

D. Albert Brannen Business Management, Services & Risk Management

When the labor market gets tight and skilled candidates for employment are scarce, employers often wonder whether they should rehire former employees. No perfect answer exists to this question. The correct answer depends upon the circumstances of each situation. This article outlines the pros and cons of rehiring former employees and some practical steps if you ultimately decide to rehire a former employee.

2 tips for staying professional through a personal crisis

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

We all go through dynamic personal events, and they often seem to happen at the least opportune times. Whether it is divorce, death or a family crisis, two tips for staying professional through a personal crisis are to assess the situation and to plan, inside and out.

Career development and the wine glass theory of management

Hank Boyer Business Management, Services & Risk Management

When someone says management, do you immediately think of someone with staff reporting to him or her? One of the myths about career progression is that in order to be a manager, you must have staff reporting to you. While many managers have one or more levels of staff reporting to them, there are those functions that require management oversight but little or no staff reporting to the manager of the function. In our training program, we use a wine glass to illustrate how people start at the bottom in a career, develop upward, and then come to a decision point at the bottom of the cup of a wine glass.

Managing millennials: Under 35 and changing the warehouse

Julie Bernhard Distribution & Warehousing

Easily identified by their smartphone obsessions, tech savvy and attention deficit disorders, millennials are bombarding the recruiting offices — occupying all surrounding office and warehouse space. In fact, last year, the Census Bureau stated that a quarter of the U.S. population is now made up of 83.1 million millennials, those born between 1982 and 2000. During a session of WERC 2018 at the Charlotte Convention Center, conference attendees discussed how this specific generation is impacting the warehouse and logistics industry.

How to give a more humane evaluation

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Few face-to-face meetings are more nerve-racking for employees than biannual or annual evaluations. Because of this fact, it's key for a manager to understand that even if the criticism you must dispense during these meetings is constructive, a nervous worker will most likely hear your words as coming from a negative place, and this can instantly foster distrust of you as a supervisor. How can you provide your employees essential feedback with the utmost humanity and respect so they will feel supported and ready to implement your instructions for their work without any hard feelings?

Employers add 164,000 jobs in April; jobless rate down to 3.9 percent

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Employers added 164,000 new nonfarm jobs in April vs. 103,000 hires in March, as the unemployment rate dipped to 3.9 percent after holding at 4.1 percent for six straight months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Employment growth led the way in healthcare, manufacturing, mining and professional and business services. The number of long-term unemployed was unchanged at 1.3 million in April, matching March’s total.

5 ways to get the most out of any conference

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Attending a conference with anyone else from your organization is a great opportunity to build, strengthen or even repair relationships. Take the time to network with purpose. For example, commit to learning something new about a team member, strengthen a relationship with someone outside your normal work circle or take action to repair any misconceptions or old wounds. Of course, conferences are also a great time to expand your network outside the office.

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