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Many of you reading this right now are well into this annual season of Lent or know someone who is observing Lent.  Lent is the penitential and preparatory season leading up to the Easter celebration and is traditionally marked by either giving up something that we enjoy as a sacrifice or adding activities that deepen our faith. From a religious perspective, the sacrifices are meant to strengthen our resolve, identify with those who suffer, and/or allow us to give more of our

For our intrepid readers of the CSR blog, you will (no doubt!) recall a blog I wrote a while back about the difficulty of self-examination and action.  “You can’t Operate on Yourself” was the working title (see here if you need to be reminded), but it had that cool scene from that Russell Crowe movie where the doctor is trying to cut himself open while someone holds up a mirror to guide him. We are two years past this blog and our company’s trajectory has continued upwards; a

Losing a client is bad – right? As my CPA likes to say, “It depends.” I hate the fact that we use the dreaded “Mission-Vision-Values” troika in our work with our clients.  Not that it isn’t powerful and useful – it is at the bedrock of everything we do.  But, it’s an eye-rolling, trite phrase that anyone who suddenly decides to become a consultant starts using.  In fact, it has made a barrier with some of our clients that have gotten burned by some of these well-intentioned f

MBOs? Should I pull out my scrunchies and legwarmers, too? Okay, MBOs (Management By Objectives) may be a little old school, but they are in the “oldie, but goodie” category. Here’s why: Clarity Creators: I like to use these with W-2s employees – people that are full-time and have a lot of stuff swirling around them.  They really enable the person (and me, as their supervisor) to understand that they have to keep their eyes on a loftier goal beyond just the day to day. Career