A recent survey conducted by SHRM indicated that human capital is one of the biggest challenges in the next ten years for business. Recruiting and retaining top talent should already be a number one priority of your talent management strategy; however, the challenge will be in adjusting the strategy to accommodate changes in the workforce.

I got a call from an organization that was (as they said) “desperate to finally do good strategic planning.” A Far Too-Common Approach to “Strategic Planning” The previous two times they did “planning,” the organization hired a facilitator and: 1. Got Board members together for one retreat. 2. Word-smithed the words on their mission statement. …

Purpose of this Quality Management Blog This blog helps you improve your quality management by providing articles, opinions, commentary and many related resources. The blog is for a general audience, including beginners and those advanced in quality management. The benefits of quality management are many, including that it: Ensures products and services continue to be …

Quality Management System Blog: Insights to Excellence I’m Brian Venge and I’m the host of this blog. You can read more about me next to my picture in the sidebar. This blog will be about various aspects of quality management and will focus especially on practical tips and tools, including posts from guest writers. You can …

Working with Human Systems In my last post, I emphasized the importance of complex human systems–we live and work for our whole lives in and as part of them. I suggested model building, practice, and reflection on our practice as effective ways to understand them more effectively. Finally I described how the model we will …

When I work with my coaching clients, we discuss the power of expressing consistent appreciation to others. Most people value appreciation and yet do not get the appreciation they feel they deserve – be it employees, associates, customers or family members. Here are 3 tips for giving effective appreciation to others: 1. Be sincere – …

Crisis management and social media are like PB&J Ruh roh. A new survey from German consultancy Gartner Communications found that while nearly 85% of companies worldwide have general crisis plans in place (yea!), only 20.7% have social media crisis plans set (boo!). Moreover, while 71% of in-house communicators think social media will become even more …

The first Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the Twin Cities area this weekend, with a possible 5-8 inches of heavy wet snow. Hardware stores are downright giddy. Weatherpersons on TV glow with qualified excitement (hoping the storm will track through these parts). Fans of winter are oiling snowmobiles, waxing skies and sharpening skates …

The “basic” campaign is active for a very short period of time, with relatively few donors. It is often said that if you have a $1 million goal, find someone with $1 million and get them to give it to you … and your campaign is over !! Since that doesn’t happen too often, there …

“How can I sell this idea to my boss?” That’s a question I often hear as a career coach. It usually comes from someone seeking to lead from the middle. Influencing up to obtain additional resources, or to impact a staffing decision, or to extend a deadline, or whatever requires both a business rationale and …