This company went the extra mile to document trouble-shooting tips for their appliance. cartoon MORE

Perhaps until now you've been content with watching people's eyes glaze over when you speak. Perhaps you haven't minded too much that people continually check their watch, their Blackberry or whether they have something in their teeth when you give a presentation. But it's time to get real. If "exciting" or "riveting" or even "interesting" has never been connected with your name or what you have to say, then it's time to realize your communication skills need some help. Because here's the deal: If you can't get people to listen to you, then you could be in real trouble. Look in the mirror. MORE

Just imagine, for a moment, what it must be like to be an AIG employee. Armed guards at the door. Your top executives threatened in horrific ways, even if they had nothing to do with the executive bonus debacle. Even AIG families have been threatened. Dan Schawbel , a personal branding expert, says there’s no doubt that current AIG employees are going to be “tainted” by the “bad corporate reputation” of AIG. Corporate brands and personal brands can build or destroy each other because they are both associated with each other. For the most part, I bought it.” And they were grateful to get a job.” MORE

With all the talk about customer service and responsiveness, it is interesting to note how many businesses talk a good game but just don''t deliver. We can all relate experiences with businesses where an appropriate sense of urgency didn''t seem to exist. One area that seems to stand out is responding to customer inquiries and complaints. When a customer, or prospective customer, takes the time to contact a business they are looking for some type of assistance. Unfortunately, most businesses do a mediocre job, at best, of responding to customers in a timely manner. But what is reasonable? MORE

Which is more important?   It’s a bit of a chicken vs. egg argument, but it’s fair to say that both are critical to driving positive financial results.   Put it this way, if defining strategy explains 15% of a company’s financial performance then 85% must be explained by the execution of the strategy. You can’t separate […]. Strategic HR SuccessFactors Research business execution strategy win MORE

Because productivity has such a profound impact on profits, there must be some way of measuring performance. Setting productivity standards for a particular job is important. Whether it be processing payables or picking orders in the warehouse or some other job, it is possible to establish minimum standards in terms of output. These standards become expectations for your employees. MORE

Companies are continually advised to invest in their top talent and this is not bad advice. But the almost exclusive focus of talent management authorities on ‘top talent’ seems a bit myopic and may be an overly simplified version of the full picture. In reality, a lot of people contribute to the success or failure of a company and even ‘top talent’ depends on the performance of these people. And all too often, people identified as top talent are those who are involved in high profile projects rather than the unsung heroes quietly pulling their weight in less visible areas. wish I had said it. MORE

Employee surveys can provide some useful information about employee attitudes and aptitudes but are a poor substitute for engaging face to face with people. For one thing, not everyone believes that employee surveys are anonymous. Unless people are so dissatisfied they are ready to run the risk of repercussions they probably won’t be totally truthful, at least not in writing. MORE