St. Paul, September 9, 2019 — The need to improve your organization’s performance has perhaps never been greater: there are early signs that the economy is tightening; customers expect more; competent workers are scarce; and competition is intensifying in many industries. But — with the complexity of organizations — where does one start? How do […]
Continue ReadingThe Service Imperative: Why Customer Experience is More Important than Ever — Aug 2019
So my wife and I refinanced our house earlier this summer (as I’m now fond of saying: “I liked our house so much, I purchased it three times!”) – the low rates were just too appealing and the last time we refinanced was 15 years ago, so we dropped the rate by about 2%. At […]
Continue ReadingThinking Inside the Box: How Organizational Innovation Really Works – July 2019
A Wall Street Journal article from a couple of years ago captured the challenges most organizations face in trying to be innovative. Authors Drew Boyd (a former J&J executive and current professor at University of Cincinnati) and Jacob Goldenberg (a professor at Hebrew and Columbia University and author of “Inside the Box: A Proven of […]
Continue ReadingWhy Good Organizations Sometimes Fail – PEN June 2019
I get asked occasionally what is the single biggest reason organizations fail. Of course, there isn’t one right answer: organizations – even from the same sector or industry – have different cultures, different core competencies, different strategic challenges and advantages, different circumstances that contribute to success or failure. As a result, some organizations struggle with […]
Continue ReadingExcellence Begins with the First Step – PEN May 2019
Excellence is a choice. It’s the result of intentional, humble and visionary leadership; systematic evaluation and improvement that leads to meaningful change; and capable, motivated, and fully engaged employees. It doesn’t happen by accident – at least not for long. It requires data-based decisions; true organizational alignment that optimizes resources and harmonizes on mission, strategy, […]
Continue ReadingLearn What Drives Organizational Excellence: Attend “Baldrige 201” & Consider Becoming a Performance Excellence Award Evaluator
Are you interested in learning more about what makes organizations successful — what helps them achieve and sustain high performance? Are you interested in helping other organizations — such as schools, hospitals, non-profits, and businesses – in the Upper Midwest improve outcomes? Would you be interested in networking, learning, and sharing with others who feel […]
Continue ReadingPerformance Excellence Network Recognizes Two Organizations
2018 Performance Excellence Awards Presented at PENworks 2019 Conference ST. PAUL, Minn., May 6, 2019 – The Performance Excellence Network (PEN) honors two recipients of the 2018 Performance Excellence Award. The Award is based on the Baldrige Framework and is the culmination of a rigorous evaluation of an organization’s management and performance system. The evaluation […]
Continue ReadingExcellence is About People, Part 2: Achieving Personal & Professional Happiness — PEN April 2019
In case you missed it, last month I shared 14 insights, tips, and best practices that leaders can do to create an environment that ensures workforce engagement, team effectiveness and productivity. This month, as part 2 of the of the blog (the proverbial other side of the coin), I’ll share 14 more strategies that we […]
Continue ReadingExcellence is About People, Part 1: Engaging & Empowering your Team — PEN Mar 2019
Nothing great is ever achieved without people. Think about it: organizations can only achieve with highly effective people running them; communities and nations can only achieve without highly engaged citizens and highly effective leaders setting a course for the future; projects, initiatives, task forces, scientific breakthroughs, inventions, and even sporting achievements are all the result […]
Continue ReadingThe Path to Excellence: The Real Value of Baldrige — PEN Feb 2019
In the wake of the last “Great Recession” in the 1980s (though we didn’t call it that back then), America was in economic trouble. The country suffered a two-phase recession in 1980-82 – one that left unemployment high and interest rates even higher (recall credit cards and mortgages well beyond 20%!). The economic challenges were […]
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