Marty Rogoff

Last week I walked “In the Footsteps of Leaders,” the leadership course run at (and on!) the Battlefield by the Gettysburg Foundation. It was probably the best program of its sort in which I ever participated.

Management succession at all levels needs to be as critical to an organization as bench strength is to a sports roster.

“We work weekends and more hours than home office employees. They’re gone by 5 pm.”  “There’s no discipline in the field. Those guys get away with everything.”   Headquarters vs. the Field. Manufacturing vs. Sales. Buyers vs. Stores.  In every industry in which I’ve been a part, there has been at least some of an “Us vs. Them” culture that exists between those in the main office and other employees who don’t. That lack of trust and resulting unproductive behavior, in my opinion, comes from a perception of favoritism–unfair treatment–by one group or the other.    Organizations need to work hard not to favor “one kid over the other.” And while it’s great to teach Home Office personnel that the … Read more

Almost two-thirds of employees believe that they experience job stress, which affects their engagement and productivity. It’s not a right-or-wrong statement; if they believe it is true, then it is.

Every company we speak to is concerned with losing, finding and keeping good managers. When there’s an opening, Senior Managers immediately want to rush to fill those org chart boxes by posting the job on line, or by engaging a search firm. But maybe they shouldn’t rush. Recently, we began to challenge clients to think about these open positions in a different way–before starting the search process. We ask these questions: “Those might be the right boxes on the org chart now, but what should those positions be in 3-5 years?” The industry and world will change, so shouldn’t the future organization reflect those changes? “Who will help lead this company in a few years, and what skills and knowledge will they need?”  There are probably … Read more