Worklore Blog

What Is An Upward Spiral?

edoty@worklore.com (Elizabeth Doty) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:03:38 GMT

“Yours is the voice that can help ignite the contagious upward spiral of confidence that our country desperately needs.”– Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, Letter to America, Sept 2011

In September, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz called business leaders and fellow citizens to help turn the tide of uncertainty that has such a grip on our country. “We must be catalysts for change… waiting for Washington to act is not a plan of action,” he says. Next week, he will be honored as the Fortune Business Person of the Year.

Why is the CEO of a major public corporation asking everyday citizens to help shift the country’s cultural climate? And what does he mean by an “upward spiral”?

The Upward Spiral

edoty@worklore.com (Elizabeth Doty) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 07:54:19 GMT

In November last year, I had the pleasure of speaking on campus at Harvard Business School and returned to the classroom there for the first time in twenty years.

Being in the amphitheater-style room again brought back many memories and some new perspective. My cohort, the class of 1991, was the first to take a required ethics module when we started in 1989 – a response to the unethical behavior of the junk bond era. During those first few months, Mike Milken’s trial was in full swing, Ivan Boesky and Ira Sokolow were in prison for insider-trading, and Michael Lewis’ Liar’s Poker (an expose on Salomon Brothers) had just been published.

How DO The Mighty Fall? Jim Collins' Answer Will Surprise You.

stristan@worklore.com (Stephanie Tristan) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 12:58:57 GMT

Among Amazon’s current business bestsellers is a rather depressing book. Jim Collins’ How the Mighty Fall, And Why Some Companies Never Given In asks: How do once-great companies fall into decline? It is a question of personal urgency for leaders, employees and investors since the demise of Lehman Brothers and the near-bankruptcies of Bank of America, General Motors, AIG and other admired companies.

Twin Arts of Apology and Compromise

stristan@worklore.com (Stephanie Tristan) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:52:58 GMT

Last month I had the good fortune to partner on a joint talk with John Kador, author of Effective Apology, to explore how compromise and apology might be linked.

What I learned is that the ability to apologize when an apology is due is a healthy compromise. It means giving up the need to be right, to reinforce some fantasy image of who we are, because we value our relationships more than our egos. It requires owning up to our blind spots, weaknesses, and bad habits, but brings us back in touch with reality and frees us from the compromise trap.

Using Compromise to Diagnose Employee Engagement Issues

edoty@worklore.com (Elizabeth Doty) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 01:16:33 GMT

Lately I’ve been hearing a new type of story as I’ve talked with people about compromise at work. “We could air our dirty laundry all day,” said one director I met with recently. “You see the same dysfunctions over and over.” “I confess I’ve defaulted to the ‘playing to live’ strategy,[i]” said a manager in another industry. “It is so frustrating to try to really engage and make a difference.” Heads nodded around the table as she spoke.

What's new is that the stories are revealing the business side of the compromise trap -- the ways businesses are inadvertently undermining their own results and the frustration that causes for employees.

The Cure for Cross-functional Gridlock

edoty@worklore.com (Elizabeth Doty) — Mon, 31 May 2010 22:44:42 GMT

“They’re asking me for status updates when they haven’t even given me the specs yet!” cried a manager in frustration. “I’ve got my entire team ready but we can’t get started until we know what they need. Unfortunately, if we don’t hit the deadline, they aren’t going to respond well if I tell them they caused the delay!” Exasperated, she sat down to write yet another email reminding her internal customers of the deadline for getting her their needs.

Whatever your business, I bet you recognize this scenario. True? I know I could fill in the blanks with examples from a public utility, an educational testing service, a civil engineering firm, a real estate management company, a custom web developer or the staff of a university brainstorming how to coordinate with faculty.

Preparing for Courage: The MBA Oath

edoty@worklore.com (Elizabeth Doty) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 22:55:34 GMT

Common Misconceptions about Compromise and How the MBA Oath Helps Address Them

I remember looking out the picture-glass window at the glow of the city lights, then noticing my hand shaking slightly as I reached for my glass of chardonnay. I made an effort to settle myself inwardly as I looked across at my client sitting in the booth opposite me. Gwen was a very tall woman, a force-to-be-reckoned-with-executive, CIO of a $4 billion dollar company, and about 20 years my senior. And I had invited her out for a glass of wine because I was afraid of her.

Who's Your Secret Tribe?

edoty@worklore.com (Elizabeth Doty) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:55:28 GMT

“You know, something big shifted for me after that session last month,” said a friend over dinner. She is a manager who has recently gone through four rounds of layoffs and is struggling with the increased workload, conflict on her team and a boss uninterested in the day-to-day challenges. “Things are still tough, but I have a bigger perspective, so I can see and use the freedoms I do have. I’ve altered my approach, which is leading to better interactions with my boss and less pressure to take home. And it all really stemmed from that two-hour session!”

What did we do for two hours that made such a difference?

Do You Really Want to Know?

edoty@worklore.com (Elizabeth Doty) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Last month, the New York Times featured an article about how critical players in the development of early cellphones recognized the driving hazards – but were so fascinated with their mission that they “never paused to wonder about the risks”. (See Driven to Distraction: Promoting the Car Phone, Despite the Risks).

Stepping on the Gas and the Brake at the Same Time

edoty@worklore.com (Elizabeth Doty) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:49:17 GMT

Earlier this week, a consultant colleague, Jim, shared his frustration with trying to help a client.

The gist of the story is simple: The client company faced an urgent need to increase sales effectiveness, so he and his client contact (a project leader I’ll call George) co-designed a program using the absolute best practices for accelerating learning on the job, based on both of their expertise and years of experience. They got their leader on board and began developing the program.