Blog Posts

Why Do You Do What You Do?

The Why of Work

Tomorrow is Labor Day—a day we take away from work to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers. It’s an annual national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Workers contribute most when they are “engaged” in what they do. In fact, last week I spoke with a group of 25 Senior Managers from the Internal Revenue Service, sharing why NASA is a “Best Place to Work” in the Federal Government. Our formula is relatively simple. Trust our employees by designing policies to the 95% of the population (instead of the 5% who will take advantage of the system); listen to their inputs and perspective; and focus on 2-3 target areas for improvement each year based on the results of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. The IRS Managers rightly recognized that recipe for success was something they could replicate.

Speaking of employee engagement, recently I finished Dave & Wendy Ulrich’s The Why of Work: How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win. This best-seller is filled with tips you can use to increase engagement and abundance for your employees and teams.

Click here to learn more.

Ready for Your Next Career Move?

Your Next Move

This week, I’ve meditated on the NIV Leadership Bible’s devotions about Leadership Development (see my last post on my “Mount Rushmore of Mentors”). That made me pause and consider my last year of personal and professional development…

Early in 2013, I was at a career crossroads. I’d served as Deputy Director of Human Resources for more than 3 years, and I thought there was more I needed to do to broaden my skills and prepare for increasing levels of responsibility. Then, I read that 70% of HR Directors in industry have worked outside the HR function.  Hmmm…I never had…

At the same time, we were discussing the critical role the front-line supervisor plays in employee engagement and organization culture. That made me think…what better way to “study” and understand the various challenges and pulls of the front-line supervisor than to walk in those shoes myself? So, after several conversations with leaders and organizations I greatly respected, I accepted a development opportunity as a front-line leader in our Engineering Directorate’s Crew & Thermal Systems Division.

To prepare for my transition, I read Michael Watkins’ 2009 book entitled Your Next Move: The Leader’s Guide to Navigating Major Career Transitions.

Click here to learn a few key takeaways from that book.