Lean Times
During the past 20 years, Lean has become one of the prominent performance-improvement programs adopted by companies around the world. Recently, organizations as…
Fire When Ready
The real problem with poor performing employees is us. If you want to feel better about yourself we will concede that on rare occasions and for a small percentage…
The Thinking Persons' Olympics
As Calgary debates making a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, as mere mortals we can only guess at the dedication, athleticism, sacrifices and mental fortitude…
Same Old, Same Old…
We often hear the term ‘innovation’ being used in organizations and generally used appropriately as people recognize that within business, innovation is key.…
Life in the Fast Lane
Lord Mountbatten is quoted as stating that “The primary factor in a successful attack is speed” and the reality is that the current frontier of business success…
Back in Black
We normally steer away from sport analogies mostly because we have never reached the level of elite athletes and also because that space is well catered for by those…
Having to Pay the Piper
A topic that consistently seems to be discussed is that of executive pay particularly when there are still recessionary pressures and the government bail outs are…
No Place for Pyromaniacs
Putting out fires is very rewarding. It’s gratifying and provides instant validation for our efforts. This is apparently why people seem to like fires in business…
Do the Do
McKinsey research tells us that 70% of change efforts fall short of the desired results and it is far too easy to blame this on a lack of effective communication. Some…
Busy Fools?
We are always told that the world is a much busier place these days and we certainly encounter people every day that tell us that they are “really, really busy”.…
Upside Down, Right Side Up
As we charge toward the final quarter of the year thoughts will soon inevitably turn toward the dreaded annual appraisals – the performance review. We don’t…
Fluffy Facts
Lots of companies are doing lots of things in the name of employee engagement and there is plenty of research out there to give them good reason to do so. Depending…
The Trouble with Nice
Of all the qualities you don’t want in a manager, there’s one that you might not have given much thought about and that is being overly nice. Within…
Caution - Learners Ahead
It’s a fact, and contrary to certain prejudices and misconceptions, employees can learn to behave in new ways. However, people learn only if they are motivated…
A Year in Review
As we march headlong into the final month of the year many minds turn to the dreaded annual performance review. The truth be told that here at Zeitgeist we are not…
Seven Deadly Sins
Let us state up front that the sins to which we refer are those of performance management – not the originals relating to theology found in literature elsewhere!…
Philosophy of Culture
Individuals have an identity and so do organizations. An organization’s identity is derived from its Purpose (the fundamental reason why the organization exists)…
Bringing the House Down
You may have seen an interesting news item recently about an imposing 18th Century French Chateau being bulldozed ‘by mistake’… If, like the villagers of Yvrac…
Painting by Numbers
Performance is usually measured as a combination of ability and motivation. In the case of Spanish amateur restorer Cecilia Gimenez there appears to have been plenty…