Randy Grieser's Blog, page 6

Focus on Culture, Not Perks

I occasionally read the results of various awards for “The Best Places to Work” or “Top Employers” with cynical interest. These awards are typically given out by various business and national media publications, and while the intent to highlight great workplaces has merit, it is what is measured that I take exception to.

In one recent “Best of” article I read, there were statistics and stories about the following perks: free lunches, pet-friendly offices, free child care, beer fridges, nap ro...

The Key to 50 Years of Employee Loyalty

Several weeks ago, I attended a retirement party for my father-in-law, Gerry. I have attended a few of these in the past, but what made this one unique is that Gerry was retiring after working in the same workplace for 50 years. I’ve never known anyone else who has worked in the same place for that long, and I’m pretty sure I’m unlikely to attend any retirement party like it again.

Because of this, I was keen to learn more about the conditions that would lead someone to remain in one workplac...

How to Manage Transitions Effectively

There are a lot of transitions going on in my life right now. For starters, my son is graduating from high school. While that’s a major transition for him more so than myself, it still impacts me. What’s more is that my daughter is going to boarding school (her choice) in the fall of 2019 – overseas no less. Wow, I didn’t see that coming! This of course means that my partner and I will be “empty nesters” way earlier than we had planned.

Within our organization, we are also going through a maj...

Are You Guilty of Putting Work Before Health?

For those of you who have read my book, The Ordinary Leader, you know that I sustained a very serious concussion four years ago. After three years of diligent focus on rest and physiotherapy, my symptoms had mostly subsided, but I still struggled with dizziness, particularly when combined with fatigue, a lack of sleep, or too much time on the computer. I was functioning well enough that I stopped being as concerned about my health and instead focused more on work. I assumed my symptoms would...

How to Delegate Effectively

[Excerpt from The Ordinary Leader ]

I believe that knowing what to delegate begins with clarity about what not to delegate. Leaders need to focus their energy on those tasks that are most essential to the organization – those areas that would suffer if it were not for their leadership.

Ask yourself, “What does my organization need me to do most? What do I do that is essential to the organization?” The answers to these questions are likely the things that only you can do, or that you do exceedi...

Lessons from Grandma

I don’t normally write about personal matters, but it somehow feels fitting and appropriate to share some important leadership lessons that I learned from my grandma.

My grandma recently passed away at the age of 92, while my family and I were on vacation. I wasn’t able to make it to the funeral, but I thought about her often during our trip. When recalling our memories together, I realized that I think about my relationship with her in three distinct periods.

The first is as a child. That in...

Do You Need More Face Time With Your Staff?

I’m writing this article while away from our home office. I have been traveling more than usual in the last month because of various speaking engagements, and when I look at the month ahead, I’m gone even more. In fact, I will be out of the office about 80 percent of the time over the next two months – and I’m feeling it! Not so much from a stamina or even work-life balance point of view, but from a management perspective, my absence is affecting our team’s ability to make decisions and perfo...

Identifying What People Like To Do

Excerpt From The Culture Question:

If they are to find their work meaningful, a good portion of a person’s job should be congruent with the ways in which they think and act. Employees in client services positions should find gratification in helping people. Employees in data management should likewise find pleasure in the accuracy and orderliness required for their jobs. When a new employee’s friends can say, “That job sounds like a natural fit for you,” they are more likely to find the job m...

Why Do You Like Working Here?

As part of our interview process, we always allow time for potential hires to ask the interviewing committee some questions. I was pleasantly surprised when one recent candidate asked, “why do you like working here?” This was not the first time someone asked this question, but it still caught me off guard because of how infrequently it comes up in interviews.

This is a must-ask question for any applicant or employee who is intentional about finding a job within a healthy workplace culture. Th...

Why Workplace Values Are Important

Excerpt from The Culture Question:

For a vehicle to do its job, it needs both an engine for power and a steering system so it can be guided. An organization is no different: its purpose is the engine that propels it forward, and its values are the steering system by which it is guided.

Purpose defines why you do what you do, and values define how you act in service of that purpose. Values are a key component of a healthy workplace culture because they clarify how your organization and its sta...