StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 34b – An Interview with Dave Esler, co-author of The Pursuit of Something Better, part 2 of 2

StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles on the StrategyDriven website.

Special Edition 34b – An Interview with Dave Esler, co-author of The Pursuit of Something Better, part 2 of 2 examines how U.S. Cellular achieved superior results by becoming a Dynamic Organization, a transformational change that focused the organization on the customer and on valuing its front line associates. During our discussion, Dave Esler, co-author of The Pursuit of Something Better and Principal at Esler Kruger Associates, shares with us his insights and illustrative examples regarding:

  • how U.S. Cellular defines employee empowerment
  • mechanisms used to recruit individuals who embody the ‘Dynamic Organization’ culture
  • actions taken when individuals not buying into the organization’s culture are identified
  • how executives judge the amount of change their organization can absorb at any one time
  • what U.S. Cellular leaders would do differently if they were to implement the ‘Dynamic Organization’ model beginning today

Additional Information

In addition to the invaluable insights Dave shares in The Pursuit of Something Better and this special edition podcast are the resources accessible from his website, www.EslerKruger.com.   Dave’s book, The Pursuit of Something Better, can be purchased by clicking here.

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About the Author

Dave Esler, co-author of The Pursuit of Something Better, is a Principal at Esler Kruger Associates, a consulting firm that for more than 20 years has helped organizations and their leaders become more effective. Dave has a corporate background in communications and human resources from Metropolitan Life and Nortel Networks and several years of consulting experience. He is the author of many articles on a variety of business topics.

Six Steps to Achieving Work-Life Balance

Work life balance is the key issue of these times. Because we can work and be connected around the clock should we? My son is a swimmer and swimmers, as well as other successful athletes, work under certain success criteria. Here they are: 1) they set goals and reward themselves when they reach them; 2) they can turn on and off their focus; 3) they build up their work efforts to a peak, knowing that a rest or taper period is coming; 4) they know that by training with fast sprints they are ready to work harder at a much more efficient pace; 5) they know that a positive attitude makes all the difference; and 6) they plan their time well and plan themselves first. Let’s break these down as they relate to taking a vacation.

1) Setting Goals and Rewarding Yourself. I know that when I reward myself for hitting my numbers, I am more motivated to reach my objectives and I can usually build into my goal a financial target that pays for the reward (trip). I have a sense of accomplishment and that energy is felt by everyone around me. Reward yourself with a trip by setting the right goals and feel the power.


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About the Author

Michael MacNair owns MacNair Travel Management, a privately owned American Express Representative Office, which has helped organizations develop a clear Travel Management System that delivers unparalleled value and exceeds expectations. MacNair Travel is a Travel Leadership Consulting Firm because of its proactive consulting toward the development of a cutting-edge travel plan, dedication to unbiased rate searches that save money and time, and dedicated service teams that build confidence. Michael MacNair, author of Smooth Landings, conducts Travel Management seminars for many organizations, such as the National Business Travel Association, and is a frequent media spokesperson. For more information, visit: www.macnairtravel.com or call 703-836-1100.

StrategyDriven Standards and Expectations Warning Flag Article

Standards and Expectations Warning Flag 2 – Ghost Standards

Some things can go without saying… performance standards are not one of them. By defining expected behaviors, performance standards serve as both a translation of the organization’s values and a foundational cornerstone of individual accountability.


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Special Gift – Chat with the Experts™ Teleseminar with David Allen, author of Getting Things Done

  • Do you wish you and your team could be more productive throughout your work day?
  • Do you have all of your projects under control?
  • Do you want to be more organized at home?
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
by David Allen

 

Getting Things Done, has become nothing short of a global phenomenon. For nearly a decade, the Getting Things Done book has been a bestseller around the world and is the foundation for a wide-range of offerings from the David Allen Company, by individuals and organizations implementing the proven techniques and best practices. This groundbreaking work-life management system transforms personal overwhelm and overload into an integrated system of stress-free productivity. Whether you are an executive, student, or run a business and/or household, GTD will teach you the tips and tricks of how to get–and stay–on top of it all.

Register today and join Roxanne Emmerich as she talks with David Allen about how to be vastly more productive in Getting Things Done.

On Tuesday, May 25 at 12:00 noon CT, America’s most sought-after workplace transformation expert, Roxanne Emmerich, will be interviewing David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. David has been featured in Fortune and labeled by Fast Company as “the guru of personal productivity.” In Getting Things Done, he shares with readers the proven productivity strategies that he has developed consulting at such top organizations as New York Life, the World Bank, Microsoft, the Ford Foundation, and the U.S. Navy.

This is usually a private teleseminar for The Emmerich Group members. However, as a special gift to our audience, Roxanne is extending an invitation for StrategyDriven readers and listeners to participate in this information rich event; to help you further enhance your and your business’s productivity.

This is a great opportunity to bring your whole team together for a Lunch ‘n’ Learn or team learning opportunity.

Join Roxanne and David for the call on Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 12:00 noon CT for one hour to discover:

    The keys to focusing your energies without letting things fall through the cracks

  • How to create environments and best practices for work and home to avoid burn-out and keep you relaxed, refreshed, focused, and productive
  • How to set priorities wisely, organize work efficiently, and celebrate the outcomes with the time and money created out of new skills
  • How to transform individuals and cultures of whole organizations in ways that promote both mission-critical outcomes and top-notch quality of work life
  • Functional systems that get your projects under control
  • The five stages of mastering workflow

A teleseminar like this usually costs $500-1000 dollars or far more, depending on the size of your company. The Emmerich Group is inviting you and your team for FREE as a special gift to prepare you for a better 2010 – regardless of the economy.

Registration is easy! To sign up, go to www.ThankGoditsMonday.com/david-allen.

Space is filling up quickly so be sure to sign up right away!


About the Authors
 
David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, is a consultant, international lecturer, and Founder of the David Allen Company. He is widely recognized as the world’s leading authority on personal and organizational productivity. His thirty years of pioneering research, coaching and education of some of the world’s highest-performing professionals, corporations and institutions, has earned him Forbes’ recognition as one of the top five executive coaches in the United States, and as one of the “Top 100 thought leaders” by Leadership magazine. To read David’s complete biography, click here.
 
Roxanne Emmerich, author of Thank God It’s Monday!, is President and CEO of the Emmerich Group. A member of the National Speakers Hall of Fame, she is listed by Sales and Marketing Management magazine as one of the 12 most requested speakers in the country for her ability to transform negative workplace performance and environments into “bring it on” results-oriented cultures. Roxanne has been featured hundreds of times in leading publications on topics such as leadership for results, employee engagement for bottom AND top-line improvement, profit-rich growth strategies, and a multitude of other workplace breakthrough issues. To read Roxanne’s full biography, click here.

Leadership Inspirations – Presence is more than Present

“Presence is more than just being there.”

Malcolm Forbes (1919 – 1990)
Publisher of Forbes magazine