Over the last couple weeks, I’ve written a lot about the importance of bringing love into our leadership lives and daily work. As I continue to do more with the organizational ecosystem model (email me at [email protected] if you want the drawing), I’ve been thinking a lot about purpose. In the metaphorical model that I wrote about […]
Way back in 1990—in the same year that the two Germanies were reunited, Nelson Mandela was released from prison, and eight years after Paul and I had opened the Deli—my friend Lex Alexander from North Carolina told me about a new book he was reading. And loving. It was written by a guy from Iowa […]
If you work with anyone, whether it’s you and a business partner, or you’re a part of a team of many, it’s inevitable that people will complain from time-to-time. This is a co-working reality! How you handle a complaint from a coworker says a lot about your organization, and it’s important to give these complaints […]
Here in the middle of the rather mad year of 2020, taking time to talk about Mission Statements might feel a bit . . . frivolous. Why, one might reasonably wonder, spend time on something like that when there are so many other urgent issues at hand? When stress levels are high, why sit down […]
Howard Erlich, from whose writings I’ve learned a lot over the years, once offered this insightful advice to organizational leaders: “I think we might issue a slip of paper to all collective members. On it I would write ‘diffuse power’ and ‘empower everyone.’” Last week I wrote about the latter. Here, I’d like to share […]
There’s a musician whose work I like who records under the moniker “honey the witch.” In her piece “when the world ends,” she sings the line, “what a strange time it is to be alive.” That’s an understatement if I ever heard one. But if strengths lead to weaknesses—and weaknesses, in turn, can later courteously […]
We’re big fans of incorporating game-play with learning, and long-time friend of Zingerman’s, Dr. Jennifer Yim, has created a one-of-a-kind, interactive game designed to spark conversation around using diversity to build a more inclusive workplace, aptly named The American Dream Game. We’re thrilled to now be offering the game, both as a public workshop as well as […]
Eugene Ionesco once said, “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” So here’s a question: What if we didn’t think hierarchically? What if we stopped insisting on ranking almost everything from best to worst? What if we weren’t worried about “who was the greatest”? Buried near the back of Part 3 of the Guide to Good Leading […]
A quote from Beat poet Gary Snyder: “There are two things that are really educational. One is being with a bunch of really smart people. The other is being all by yourself.” The regimen that I wrote about in a recent newsletter about the power of picking up the phone—making a couple of random phone calls […]
We could talk to you about service for days! We believe that customer service is one of the most defining skills of an organization. Great service goes a long way in making and retaining customers. Teaching staff how to navigate customer service interactions creates a more consistent experience. Clear expectations can empower your staff to deliver service in more genuine and […]
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