Time For Our Annual Dose of Depression!

Once again, the Gallup organizations has released its annual “State Of The American Workplace” report, confirming that 7 out of 10 Americans merely “show up” on Monday morning and are not engaged in their work. Once again, a gigantic socially consequential story,...

A Phone Call That Really Mattered

The “red phone” rang and Ray Davis, then CEO of Umpqua Bank, answered. “This is Ray Davis of the World’s Greatest Bank. How can I help you?” “The streetcar’s not doing it. Why’d you paint it blue?” Davis, who many credit with re-inventing the customer approach to...

What’s Your Title?

Mother, Hugger, Keeper of the Culture: that title adorned Colleen Abdoulah’s business cards, just above her other title, Chief Executive Officer of WOW! Cable & Internet (NYSE: WOW). So what gives? Abdoulah, a corporate titan by any measure, leads with the title...

Our Best Leaders Make It Personal

“From that point on, the power of name recognition has resonated with me,” Jeff Pinneo said, recalling a profound moment in his early career. Pinneo was a flight attendant, welcoming passengers onboard a Continental Airlines flight to Houston when a Continental vice...

This Time, It’s Personal

My great friend and fellow Integra Telecom leader Jim Huesgen, who served as our president for many years, came up with a brilliant exercise that we used regularly. This occurred during a period of steady growth for the company, when we were constantly hiring people....