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 […]
Maria Popova writes, “The history of the world is the history of telling others who and what we are—from tribal markings to national flags to family crests to pronoun-specifying email signatures.” How we choose to tell our stories—and what artifacts we choose to highlight—alters the way we hear our past, experience our present, and create […]
As I’m writing this in 2020, a LOT of what we do and how we do it has suddenly changed and will continue to change. How will we keep our high-quality products and great service consistent as we adapt to virtual environments, new safety policies, new expectations from our customers, and everything else? Really, how […]
When it comes to the new work-from-home world many of us find ourselves in at the moment, let’s take a look at the numbers for a second: An amazing 42% of the U.S. workforce is now working remotely, which is nearly twice the number of folks (22%) still working on-site at their business locations! And this larger […]
The Business Perspective Chart, or the BPC, is one of our very favorite training tools at Zingerman’s. Why do we love it so much? It gives framing and context for how our business operates and why, and it gives us a common language to use when talking about the business. This is especially helpful when […]
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 […]
Think for a moment about your company’s mission statement, vision of success, and core values. Do you have a clear idea of each? If not, not to worry – many, if not most, successful businesses have been doing just fine without formally defining them. But there can be tremendous value in taking the time to […]
Like any living, breathing organism, your organization grows and evolves in stages. What once worked for the business as things were getting off the ground may become less effective or no longer work as it grows and matures. We’ve seen this first-hand at ZingTrain. We began as a one-woman startup in Founder Maggie Bayless’s attic and […]
With time and capacity at a premium these days, the prospect of training staff or coaching designated trainers on your team amidst competing priorities can feel overwhelming. As daunting as it might feel, it’s our belief that it can be done! There are several meaningful changes you can make to your training that don’t require […]
Many organizations see training as something that happens at the beginning of employment. However, really great organizations recognize training is important at every stage of an employee’s tenure with their company. Perhaps the thought of continuously training your employees leaves you feeling overwhelmed and thinking, how do I find the time to train? This is […]
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 […]
Join us for a web conversation with Pat McGraw, Zingerman’s HR Manager and Maggie Bayless, ZingTrain Managing Partner. Pat and Maggie will talk about tips and techniques for interviewing to hire the “right” people – people who fit your organizational culture and serve your organization’s bottom lines. Download the webinar files Slides – Intentional Interviewing […]
Learn 30 years of internal systems & practical tools to address common challenges at this annual leadership symposium!
