For some of us, the upcoming holidays are a time when our teams will be tested. More customers. More product. More sales. More stress. For others, the holidays mean doldrums and slowing down. And then there is the challenge of that post-holiday re-entry, which can be a testy time for all of us as we […]
Here at Zingerman’s, we practice Servant Leadership from Robert Greenleaf. In one summary of the philosophy, Greenleaf defines it as : “A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top […]
Business books and blogs are full of tips from really successful people on how to manage your time more effectively. As you probably know from reading a good number of them, each one has some nugget of wisdom that you can apply to your own life. In fact, Ari Weinzweig lists 15 of his own […]
Ari’s latest book in the Guide to Good Leading Series is about The Power of Beliefs in Business – a 600 page culmination of 3 years of research and reflection. Here is the core idea behind the book – whether we realize it or not, our beliefs have a major impact on how things go […]
First adopted at Zingerman’s via the brilliant writings of Peter Block, Stewardship is an approach that is rarely spoken of in the business world. It is, however, at the very foundation of how we approach leadership at Zingerman’s and a perfect companion to Servant Leadership, which we also practice and was the subject of a […]
There’s that old saying – The only constant is change. It’s true for our personal lives and it’s resoundingly true for our professional lives. Doesn’t it behoove us then, to get really good at change? Here at Zingerman’s, we think so. And we’ve worked at it, culturally and systemically, for more than a couple of […]
As we stare down the end of another calendar year, you might be noticing the commitments at work and at home beginning to pile up: deadlines to meet, busy projects to complete, sales numbers to hit — situations ripe for less than ideal interactions. And that’s just at the office. Things are likely getting busier […]
The Zingerman’s Community of Businesses is in the midst of a very exciting process, one that doesn’t happen often — we are welcoming a new Managing Partner into the fold and as luck would have it, it’s right here at ZingTrain with our very own, Katie Frank! ZingTrain is one of the first businesses within […]
Several years ago, we realized that although we were teaching many important leadership topics to our staff, we also had a gap—managers didn’t have enough opportunity to practice these leadership skills, with an opportunity to mindfully reflect on what they were doing well and how to improve. As is common in many (most?) organizations, we […]
A new year brings with it renewed energy – energy to tackle goals, try new things and/or break habits that might not be serving us. What happens when we bring our unique energy to work each day? We have the profound power to affect our work ecosystem in ways that impact productivity, profits and well-being. […]
How do you welcome new hires into your organization? Do you hand them an apron and point them in the general direction of the deli counter? Do you have them attend several days of classroom training before they ever talk to a customer? Do they learn about your organization’s history and vision from someone in […]
While this piece appears under my byline, the real credit for it should go to Edgar Schein, whom I believe is one of the most insightful writers on leadership. A long-time professor at MIT and a graduate of Harvard, Stanford and the University of Chicago, he is an expert on organizational behavior, change, leadership and, […]
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