In the discovery process of Organizational Development projects, we ask clients to describe the organization’s culture. Most responses are about colleagues’ behaviors. “People here are nice” or “Tends to be cliquey” are typical responses. In almost every case, the initial response relates to cultural toxicity (which could be related to why clients hired us). When … Read More
People Are Still Leaving: Two Reasons Your Retention Strategy May Not Be Working
“People are still leaving,” lamented the Division President of a large firm. His company lost more than one-third of its employees by May, and he was concerned. An exit survey indicated a desire for more flexibility; he implemented flexible policies around work hours. A culture survey showed that his employees wanted to be developed; he … Read More
Consensus Culture Kills Agility: When Decision-Making Rights are Undefined, Everyone has a Veto
As our face-to-face meetings with new and potential clients increase, we are noticing the rise of the “De facto Consensus Culture.” Such cultures secretly sap organizations of agility and drain their time. To illustrate, let’s start with an analogy. At 14 years old I cleaned the McDonald’s parking lot, dining area, and restrooms. I used … Read More
Non-Toxic High-Performers — An Organization’s Biggest Assets
In the 90s I listened to The Ticket, a high-performing sports radio station, almost every day. When anyone called in, the first words out of their mouth was their affiliation. In keeping with that tradition, my affiliation is the Green Bay Packers. Since my youth, I have been a fan and remember Superbowl Packers starring … Read More
Five Mental Obstacles to Overcome in Your Audience to Drive Change (Applies to Vaccine Hesitancy Too)
On May 19, 2021, New York lifted its mask mandate, with more than 60% of adults receiving their vaccination. Considering the apparent success and abundant supply, why are 30 to 40% of adults still unvaccinated? At Psynet Group, we believe elected officials could borrow some of the techniques from influential leaders to convince the hesitant … Read More
Advice Culture can Keep your Company from Sailing into Hurricanes or Blocking Canals
For six days, the world’s eyes were on the Ever Given, the container ship stuck between the banks of the Suez Canal. Although a unique news story, maritime disasters are more typical than most of us realize. According to the insurer Allianz, 41 large ships were lost in 2019 and 46 in 2018. Over the … Read More
Perspective and Proximity in an Advice Culture: When Opposing Ideas Combine to Create Better Decisions
We use Proximity to describe the reality that people closest to the situation have more accurate information — and Perspective to describe the reality that people who perceive a situation from a distance can see how everything fits together. But those with the advantage of proximity struggle to see the unintended consequences of their choices … Read More
Selecting the Right Organizational Consulting Partner
Years ago, as a senior consultant in a blue chip consultancy, I witnessed one of the most revealing conversations between my firm’s senior partner and our client, the SVP of HR for a high profile aerospace manufacturer. My firm was billing the client roughly $11M a year. The client was in complete disarray, with a … Read More
Keeping Your Leadership Superpower from a Distance
Remote Working has Changed How Leaders and Followers Interact The daily exchanges between a leader and follower were as crucial as any factor in effectively leading employees. These minor interactions were the focus of much study in the 1980s but the findings are so well understood by most leaders that not much has been written … Read More