Minneapolis is a great place to live — great outdoor attractions and park system, a world class theater scene, all major sports, higher than average income and population health outcomes, world class educational institutions, a vibrant business community. I could probably go on. But the last couple of years have been extremely difficult for the […]
Continue ReadingLessons in Extraordinary Leadership: Shackleton and Zelenskyy – Mar 2022
Much has been written about the extraordinary leadership displayed by the explorer Ernest Shackleton; not as much has been written yet about Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy (but certainly will be over time). The Shackleton story took place over a 100 years ago; the Zelenskyy story literally is being written as we speak. Both stories were […]
Continue ReadingThe Silver Bullet(s): 86 Ideas to Address Today’s Staffing Challenges — Feb 2022
I have good news, bad news, and mixed news. First, the bad news: every size and type of organization continues to experience staffing shortages, some more than others. I believe there are four main reasons: 1) Americans are retiring in record numbers (many of them taking early retirement); 2) immigration to the US is down […]
Continue ReadingSustaining Excellence, Resilience during Challenging Times — Jan 2022
We’ve all just experience an incredible two years, with layers of unprecedented challenges that have impacted our organizations, our communities, and ourselves. But in every crisis, there is opportunity –opportunity to learn and discover new (and better) ways of doing things, of more effectively managing change and navigating challenges, of maintaining stability and resilience. Winston […]
Continue ReadingFinding Your Ikigai: Aligning Your Career & Your Purpose — Dec 2021
We’re all dealing with a lot: a continuing global pandemic; significant changes in work environments and other organizational challenges (staffing shortages, supply chain issues, workplace toxicity); and the stresses of constant work/life pressures. The events of the last nearly two years have compelled many to reexamine how their professional lives align or harmonize with their […]
Continue ReadingA Season for Reflection: Gratitude, Generosity, Goodness – Nov 2021
So this month’s column was to be about gratitude, in the spirit of Thanksgiving. And it still is. But an article on gratitude seemed somewhat cliché, overly simplified, and quite honestly, a bit insensitive given the circumstances. The pandemic continues to rage — maybe accelerate to our fifth wave, to be more accurate. I know […]
Continue ReadingThe Future of Work – Oct 2021
Work is changing. I mean really changing – a shift as big as the Industrial Revolution. In fact, many have called this current shift the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a label first used by Klaus Schwab in 2016 to describe the rapid advancement of technology into human knowledge work. But technology is only one factor that’s […]
Continue ReadingPerformance Excellence Network Recognizes Four Organizations
2020 Performance Excellence Awards Presented at PENworks 2021 Online Conference ST. PAUL, Minn., September 24, 2021 – The Performance Excellence Network (PEN) honors four recipients of the 2020 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 […]
Continue ReadingInnovating Today, Imaging Tomorrow: Insights from PENworks 2021 – Sept 2021
What is excellence? Seriously, what does it mean to be excellent at anything – at a sport; at an artistic endeavor; in business? Excellence is a tough thing to define – kind of “I’ll know it when I see it” type thing. Merriam Webster says excellence “is the quality of being outstanding or extremely good,” […]
Continue ReadingLessons from a 16-Year-Old Intern: What NOT to do in Business – Aug 2021
[Our Back to the Future trivia results are at the end of my column, including announcing the winner of a free ticket to PENworks 2021! Read on!] So my daughter finished her summer internship last week – an office job in an accounting/finance department of a midsize business, and her first “real job” outside of […]
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