A leader once said to me “Alan, I’m a leader in my company, but I don’t know what’s expected of me.” A closer look at that organization revealed a few things. It had succession gaps in key leadership positions. It had little support for new leaders and no model of leadership. It had inconsistent training » Read More
Spring is finally here and it’s time to refresh flowerbeds, plant gardens, and enjoy a green lawn again. There’s just one annoying thing in the way – weeds! Well, that’s easily solved with a bit of weed pulling. With a small hand trowel and about 15 minutes of work, I can have a weed-free flowerbed » Read More
Dennis W. Bakke is a CEO and an entrepreneur. He is currently the manager of Imagine Schools, a commercial charter school. He is also an author of Creating Abundance, published in 1984, the best seller Joy of Work: A Revolutionary approach to fun on the job, published in 2005, Purpose Matters, published in 2008, and » Read More
Unless we make the process of managing our enterprise visible, we cannot hope to have any control over its results. So much of what we do in organizational life is invisible – or perhaps more appropriately said, unconscious. When we are surprised by a shortfall or failure we can be assured it was because we could » Read More
I’ve always had a fascination with looking at things from a higher perspective. When I was growing up, I used to hike to the top of nearby hills to take pictures of the town where I lived. When I started flying, I was completely captivated by the change in perspective. Everything looks completely different at » Read More
Last year at the State Fair I saw a vendor selling rocks. These weren’t just any rocks. You could heat them up, put them in a blanket and they would keep you warm. They glowed a gentle red when heated and retained their temperature for a long time. The banner above the rocks read: Experience » Read More
Anyone can be a leader at any level at any time and start to bring about change wherever they are. This has been my journey and one that I know that any person who wants to make a difference can do to impact their circumstances and bring about change. Recently, I published a follow-up article to » Read More
It’s critical to recognize that “You get what you got until you decided to create what you want.” Organizations come to be managed as a result of a long series of small and large decisions, decisions appropriate to the needs and the challenges at the time. But over the years, the accumulation of these decisions » Read More
Culture is a big deal, and as my colleague Beth Doolittle puts it, “Culture is not what we say it is, it is what it is.” Culture is the great invisible hand, and that hand determines much of what is possible for our organizations to achieve. But because it is invisible, shaping it is one » Read More
Building consensus is key in the democratic process. When you have a vote you “have a say” in the outcome. Even if the vote doesn’t go your way, you still had the privilege of having a voice. Voting may be an effective way to elect someone into office. After all, you will rarely, if ever, » Read More
