White Castle Boss Goes Undercover and Learns Employee Engagement Works
March 2, 2010
I was finally persuaded by a friend to watch the new hit show “Undercover Boss.” This reality show confirmed that a CEO can learn a lot about how to make the company better by engaging with employees. For those who haven’t seen the new show on CBS, a CEO goes undercover as an employee in his own company to see for himself how things are working. Dave Rife, owner of the White Castle hamburger chain, was this past Sunday’s undercover snoop.
11 Tips to Improve Employee Motivation, Employee Satisfaction & Employee Retention
February 16, 2010
Praise promotes employee motivation
The idea for this article came from a conversation I just had with a friend who works for one of the largest companies and best-known brands in the world. Yet the company sucks at employee motivation. If they haven’t got it figured out, then heaven’s knows many other companies are still in the dark, too, about what kinds of things motivate employees and that lead to employee satisfaction and retention. He gave me a couple of examples that were almost laughable.
Annual Report Time: Don’t Forget Your Employees in Communication With Shareholders
February 3, 2010
Well, PR Departments in public companies are surely beginning work on their annual reports. They can smell spring in the air – when these symbols of capitalism come rolling off the presses once more. In a reprise of my past admonitions, with a few additions, I implore writers and designers to keep a few things in mind. Read more
What CEOs Can Learn About Employee Communications From the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own”
November 14, 2009
I just returned from a joyous concert by the U.S. Army’s “Pershing” Band, as it is known, that was in town for its annual concert at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. As I sat there with friends tapping my feet and applauding every brassy patriotic song, I thought what a great lesson I was learning about communications. And that’s this: when you communicate with joy, you turn an audience into your biggest fans. Read more
Companies Need to Trust Their Employees as Brand Advocates
June 12, 2009
Smart companies are waking up to the idea of their employees being their most important brand advocates. As I’ve written before, employees are still largely underutilized in this role. When there isn’t a positive culture of communication within a company, management doesn’t trust employees with carrying their message to the outside world through new social media tools like blogging and Twittering.
Trust is the operative word. Read more
Are CEOs Good at Rewarding Employees?
June 4, 2009
No doubt, employee morale is low at companies that are downsizing. So I sent a note to several people whose opinions I respect with the question: “Do you feel that CEOs acknowledge the value employees bring to the success of their companies? Can you share a personal experience you’ve had working for a company and how the company recognized and rewarded employees?” Here are several thoughtful answers (edited for space). I start with an executive recruiter who is in a position to know what a lot of CEOs are doing to reward their people. Read more
Where Did the Employees Go?
May 24, 2009
The 2008 corporate annual reports have rolled off the presses and are on view on company websites. I flipped through some of them online and, as usual, they are the same old dullards. A letter from the president, a few words about the past year and what the future holds, followed by the financial results.
But you know what? Several of the very largest Fortune 500 companies had not a single photo or story about an employee. None. Read more
CEO as Chief Communications Officer
May 14, 2009
The CEO has a great opportunity to become the company’s Chief Communications Officer. This isn’t in addition to his or her regular duties. This is the essence of the CEO’s job. Read more
What if the CEO Died of Swine Flu?
April 28, 2009
Schools are closing and the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its global flu pandemic level. So far, the outbreak of swine flu has killed relatively few people and many experts feel the risk maybe overstated. But just maybe, maybe one of those statistics could be the CEO of your company. Read more
Communicating With Passion
April 18, 2009
Whenever change permeates a big company, resistance is inevitable. The announcement of change itself raises anxiety levels, creates doubts in employees’ minds, and makes them feel vulnerable and uncertain. And it raises serious questions:
• What will this mean for me?
• If I must operate differently, am I up to it?
• Do I really believe what I’m hearing about the future of the company? Read more