As a leadership trainer, the final day of a series of classes can be bittersweet. The class has bonded and benefitted from learning and...

Many years ago, during a manager's meeting, the CEO asked for ideas to improve the company culture. I remember many ideas being thrown against the wall, including potlucks, employee of the day, and time off. The CEO then asked me for my thoughts. I said, "If we want to improve the culture, if we want to become the employer of choice, if we want to create a positive environment, we need to be intentional." There are no quick fixes to becoming an employer of choice. It is doi

John Graci has authored over 66 blogs/newsletters in the last six years. This month, he has something else in store for you. I am...

Ever pretend to be bad at a household task so you don't have to do it? Personally, I dislike folding colored clothes. On occasion, I will...

A colleague recently texted me a link to an article from Fortune Magazine . The article was titled "Gen Z is at the Top of Bosses’ Firing List Because They Think They’re the Most Difficult Generation to Work With." When I saw the title, I smiled and recalled how history just repeats itself over and over. It’s as predictable as the sunrise and sunset. Once again, older generations think the youngest generation is entitled or hard to work with. It was the Baby Boomers who went

In late December 2022, I had surgery at a local hospital in St. Paul, MN. I checked into the hospital at 5:30am. Tricia, the patient registrar, did an excellent job of checking me in. When leaving her cubicle, I said, "It's obvious that you like your job and are very good at it. Thank you for being such a warm and pleasant person." She smiled, tilted her head to the right, and said, "Oh my, I am going to blush. Thank you so much." As we walked to the pre-operative holding are

I recently had a rare day off from speaking, training, and conducting virtual accountability sessions. I decided to run two...

"When the student is ready, then the teacher will appear" is a quote that has been around for ages. It often comes to mind when I'm coaching a leader who does not think they are the problem. Quite simply, in their mind, someone else is always causing the problem. The leader wants to be seen as the victim versus asking what they can do differently. Recently, a manufacturing operations manager asked me to coach one of his leaders he tried working with, but to no avail. He thoug