Values and Values Congruence

Everyone has values that guide their life and decisions. Values are the principles or the standards of behavior. Values are the judgments of what is important in life. Values are instilled very early in life and are at the very core of what a person stands for.

"You may not be able to influence everyone around you, but you will be able to influence many when you stay true to your values."

The 4 P's of Persuasion

Employees should understand marketing methods. The 4 P's of Persuasion is a framework to formulate persuasive written messages in a sales pitch or when pitching an idea.

The 4 P's are a method of written communication in marketing, advertising and corporate communication. They are a persuasive technique that stresses some critical points; to generate convincing, forceful, powerful, seductive and strong messages.

Three Keys to Success

Success is a goal for everyone and elusive for many. Your future, your family, and your employers are all depending upon you being successful. The interesting thing about success is that when we are successful, everyone around us benefits.

Another thing about success is that everyone has a different idea about what success looks like. What it means to be successful to me may not be the same thing to you. It is important to develop your own definition of success, then write it down. Let it become your personal missions statement.

What is Organizational Culture and Why is it important?

There have been many changes to organizations in the past couple of decades. Many organizations have not kept up with the changes and are operating like a Ford Model-T in an electric-hybrid consumer world. This is seen in the culture of an organization.

In Edgard Schein's book, "Organizational Culture and Leadership," he defines culture of groups as a pattern of shared assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaption and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to problems. In a later publication, he defines organizational culture as the basic tacit assumptions about how the world is and ought to be that a group of people are sharing and that determines their perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and their overt behavior.

Understanding Power

The essence of leadership is the use of power. Company leaders usually begin as regular employees and most employees eventually reach a place of leadership and power to some degree. It is important to understand from where power comes.

"Power" is a complex and elusive topic to understand. Power was once open and easily recognized. In the modern age, power is often nuanced, covert, and hidden. Good leader's use their power to make others and society a better place, but Lord Acton reminds us that power is easily corrupted. We should all be so lucky to work for servant leaders, but many leaders use their power to manipulate or force their subordinates to action.