Isaac Heating and Air Conditioning was started in 1945 by George T. Isaac and is now in its third generation of family ownership. The company is led by four brothers who fill different roles in the company. The current president, Ray Isaac, who had worked in the family business since he was 14 years old…

Frank Reabe is a folksy, affable CEO who converted a poorly run business into a thriving, successful enterprise dedicated to early education of children. He and his team accomplished this through sound fiscal management, a clearly articulated mission, action-oriented core values, and a passion for infusing fun into the everyday operations of each of their early education learning centers.

On a recent flight to Brazil, I had the good fortune to sit next to a gentleman who turned out to be the general manager of the South American division of a multinational company. Being curious, I asked him about his company, listening intently to how he described its culture.

After six years working in the insurance industry, Lew Kachulis was invited to join Gilbert’s Risk Solutions Insurance Agency, where his father was one of three owners. Lew had another job offer, but he accepted the hometown invitation on condition that he would stay only if the company was a good fit for him.

Sage Rutty is a fourth-generation family business founded in 1915 in Rochester, New York. The company initially sold bonds and for most of its existence was a full-service stock brokerage firm. The current CEO, Wayne Holly, joined the company in 1970.

After a career playing for the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants NFL football teams, Ron Johnson became an entrepreneur, buying and operating Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises in New Jersey, Tennessee, and Michigan. From the start, this was intended to be a family business.

Is it possible to be a high-volume, low-cost producer and cultivate a healthy culture? Some would say no, if only because high volumes mean high efficiency and production methods that dictate and control employee behavior.

Like most successful change agents, Rozanski believes that the Gintzler culture is a work in progress. His investment in executive development is paying off in improved performance and communication, stronger teamwork, low employee turnover, and higher quality. Several managers are thriving and growing by being empowered to make decisions for the betterment of the company and each other.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically disrupted our lives while driving our economy into a tailspin. Many businesses have seen their revenues shrink, straining their ability to continue operations. Some businesses have closed their doors--with uncertainty that they will ever open again.

In our last blog post, we discussed the hidden costs of an unhealthy organizational culture. As a follow-up, let’s take a look of what can happen with a culture that is energized and led by the Golden Rule of management.

Note: This blog was written by Jim Frost, a protégé of Don Rust. Jim is a retired GM operations executive who works as a change agent, executive coach, and leadership expert. We invited him to share his experience in transforming a failing company into a highly energized employee- and customer-centric company.  

In our last blog post, we made the case for why optimism is so important in creating a healthy culture. In this post, we will make the case for a second underlying principle of a healthy culture: appreciation.

What optimism does is raise the human potential by unleashing human energy and organizational performance while treating workers with faith, trust, and respect.

There has been a major disconnect between management and labor in our country for over 80 years. That disconnect first became apparent at the end of the sit-down strike that took place at a General Motors plant in Flint, Michigan, in December 1936.

The layoff of workers from their jobs has been a common practice since the early days of industry in the United States.  It is one of the strategies used by employers who want to cut expenses when their company’s revenues are threatened. 

Job security is one of the most sought-after benefits that job seekers search for. There are many definitions of job security, but a reasonable one that we propose is the assurance that if an individual meets the performance standards set by management, he or she will keep his or her job without the risk of becoming unemployed.

Employee engagement has become a major initiative in organizations attempting to improve their performance. It makes sense: Engaged employees are committed and more likely to volunteer their energy toward organizational goals. How to create this energy is not as clear. We believe the key to engagement is to create a culture that will unleash energy toward organizational goals and improved performance. 

This blog, is authored by Dr. Gustavo Grodnitzky, a leading proponent of culture as the key to organizational effectiveness.  It was recently published on his website, www.drgustavo.com.   In it, Dr. Gustavo reinforces the message presented in our book, Unleashing Human Energy through Culture Change.   We couldn’t agree more. 

Leading a culture change is a courageous undertaking.  It is fraught with challenges and resistance by those who believe they will lose something they value.  In this blog, we will summarize some of the essential initiatives and obstacles a change agent faces in creating culture change.

Human energy is not easily measured.   Even within the discipline of industrial engineering, we do not currently have any valid way to measure it in units.  Yet, it can be inferred that once released, human energy can make something happen.  We all possess a certain amount of energy that can be called upon when we have a task to perform, and, depending on the magnitude of the task, we can probably complete it and then go on to another task.  Whether we are willing to limit our energy output or expend it beyond what is normally called for is an open question that every organization must deal with.  Clearly, whichever of these paths is taken will make a difference in productivity and performance.