Ever since I was a boy, I looked to ways to improve myself. Not just for my own personal achievement, but also for the betterment of my community. I believe that if you bring enough good people together who understand the value of the open and fearless exchange of ideas, you can solve every problem on the planet: from the abject poverty of our poorest people to the incredible waste found in world governments and business. Each problem has a solution, but it starts with a willingness to open our mind to new thoughts before we can open our hearts to new ways of thinking.
The “quality mindset” is mostly about caring about everything around you. Nothing escapes your attention. In this way, the ‘good people’ (who are often the thought leaders of a community) continuously reach out to one another from all areas. In context of business, we may come from different fields: business management, economics, sociology, psychology, ethics, philosophy – just to name those that are on the top of my mind at this moment. In the context of our personal lives, we will come from all different sides, religions, nationalities, and cultures.
Focusing only on business, I demonstrated this type of collaboration in two books that I produced – Management 21C, Organization 21C, Next Generation Business Handbook – which at the time of their release, attracted the attention of nearly every business manager who was preparing themselves for the challenges of a new century. Recently, I wrote The Difference as a demonstration of how the “caring mindset” must apply to all aspects of our lives.
I continue to write articles and essays, mostly to explain my personal effort to continuously improve myself. One way that I do this is by finding examples of what can be accomplished by “good people” – or rather – what life is like when “good people” are absent. Anecdotes I have collected through the years from readers have shown me that not only do “good people” make an important contribution to the business community, but also in our family life and in our daily activities as members of our community.
I believe that the caring mindset does not have to be completely individualistic. It is a collaboration that often attracts people who never thought of contributing nor participating. As we often notice, excellence is a magnet. We are drawn toward people who choose to care and to do something to make a difference – wherever they are.
The thoughts generated by these experiences produce important images in my mind upon which I rely for my current work. You’ll note from each article below, I have listed the collaborators with whom I had great pleasure to work with and to whom I remain wholly indebted.
There are many discussions concerning what makes good leadership. Some define leadership as a social process that uses influence to raise up ideas and accomplish goals. Many leadership training methods focus on effective listening and organization. Since my work deals primarily in quality management, leadership has a slightly different purpose.
We’ve long since learned not to decide for ourselves the requirements of a product or service then expect eager customers to flock around us. Instead of foisting the ‘build-it-they-will-come’ model onto our customers (and our investors), effective organizations talk to their customers, discovers their needs and wants, then work to satisfy.
In these times of hyper-multitasking and high level productivity, the success of an organization depends more and more on the effective use of talented people. Talent-centered organizations will constantly search for new talent, keep them by satisfying their needs, use them effectively, and create a challenging environment for them to work in.
What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? Before you eye the careers of wealthy executives, consider the fact that not all successful executives are successful entrepreneurs. The best executives keep focused on their primary purpose of growing a successful enterprise: keep customers and shareholders happy, optimize profits, and keep things running smoothly as possible.
The last decade has been very exciting with all types of new technologies that improve access and communication. With the help of these new technologies, organizations can share information, collaborate on work, and transfer knowledge among employees, customers, and suppliers with greater efficiencies than ever before. And likely as not, more innovations are underway.
Talent is an essential component in our way of life; the underlying variable within humanity that sustains civilizations and society with invention and discovery, that fuels business and investment with innovation and growth, and teases out excellence from individuals who lead, entertain, and inspire.
My collaboration with other thought leaders on the subject of organizational behavior has developed over the past decade. I am honored to have received support and contributions (great and small) from the following individuals: