Blog

The Power of the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

clouds and one rainbow

Stuck in a rut? Still worried about the recession? Well, I hate to say it, but you know you’re doing it to yourself, right?

Self-fulfilling prophecies are very powerful. Now I’m not saying that the skies are always filled with warm sunshine and pretty rainbows. I am, however, saying that you can choose to see them that way if you want.

Does this all sound easy to say for a guy who was born and raised in Los Angeles where it’s “shorts weather” most of the time? Well it is, but not because of the physical weather around me. It all has to do with my perspective on how I choose to view the world. I’m not ignorant to the global financial crisis we all experienced in 2009. I’m not even in denial about how much hard work it’s going to take to dig ourselves out of the mess we’re all in. I just believe in myself and know at the bottom of my heart that I can achieve anything I set my mind to.

Two years ago, I decided I was on the downhill slide of being overweight and physically unfit. No argument about how I got that way – too much holiday cheer, not enough time at the gym, too many late nights working and definitely not enough sleep! For the better part of a year, I told myself, “It’s OK. It’s just a busy time at work.” But then I said, “This is ridiculous! I’m not even 40, and I refuse to spend the rest of my life like this…” Read more ›

Posted in self development, topical, Work/Life Balance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,

Lessons from an Organization Development Professional: Staying Centered and Clear on Values at Work & in Life

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Haiti Earthquake 2010 - Red Crossclick on photo for donation information

Entertainment.  It’s all around us.  The late night talk show wars between Jay, Conan, and Dave.  The new TV season is starting with American Idol and 24, and SuperBowl Weekend is just on the perceivable horizon.  I don’t know about you, but we live in exciting times!

Really?  Really?  What have we become?  Does Hollywood really dominate our attention so much as to dull our senses about what is going on in the world around us?  Have we become so numb to our world that we let “The Tonight Show” shenanigans take precedence over what happened in Haiti these past weeks?  Or to take precedence over what’s going on in our own homes with our spouse and children?

We are deluged daily, not only with entertainment, world news of disasters, war, and economic turmoil, but we are “attacked” with e-mails (let’s start a contest to see who gets more than 500 e-mails a day!), and overwhelmed with requests for our time to attend meetings and teleconferences.  Where do we draw the line?  When do we start to get control over our lives and our time?  How do we start to manage our commitments and keep a focus on the important relationships in our lives to make a statement about what is important to us?  How do we dig out of everything that gets piled on top of us so that we can breathe fresh air and regain a sense of balance that will both sustain us and energize our efforts to lead more productive and fulfilling lives?  Is this all too much to ask?  Is it pure fantasy that we can actually achieve this? Read more ›

Posted in OD Insights, topical, Work/Life Balance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Plus Delta Presents at ASTD Los Angeles, Thursday, 1/28, on Strategic Organization Renewal

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

ASTD logo

In today’s turbulent times, employees are discouraged by the continuing global economic crisis and broader world news, organizations are becoming completely consumed by draconian cost-cutting measures simply to stay afloat, and customers are still finding it difficult to make purchasing decisions. During this period of furious business change, now is the time for business leaders to take the offensive and renew their organizations.

STRATEGIC ORGANIZATION RENEWAL unlocks value in your business by optimizing organizational performance and protecting customer loyalty.  By engaging this process, business leaders align near-term business strategies necessitated by today’s unprecedented economic challenges with not only the desire but also the ability to prosper in the recovery.

Join us for an engaging session on January 28, 2010 at ASTD – Special Division (Organization Development)– where we explore the concepts and share practical tips for renewing your organization!  Learn how to change the game by using this opportunity to renew your business and create a ready platform for growth and innovation in the future.

In this session, we will:

•    Discuss today’s unprecedented economic challenges and our current context for change as the recovery sets in

•    Review the concepts of Strategic Organization Renewal – a proven approach for optimizing organizational performance and protecting customer loyalty

•    Develop specific strategies you can use to put this powerful approach into action and produce better business results before it’s too late.

Who's Speaking at the ASTD event?

For more information, click here.

Posted in Accelerated workplace, business, economic recovery, Events, OD Insights, topical Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

5 Steps to Improved Performance As You Kickoff the New Year

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

man on wire

All of us at Plus Delta Consulting have been reflecting on what we will do as we enter the New Year to improve performance in our organization – and with our client organizations. 2009 was a rocky year for many, and I for one am very glad to put it behind me. With that said, I’d be remiss if I simply said, “Thank God it’s over!” without doing any planning for 2010.

As we enter the New Year then, we’d like to recommend 5 simple steps for you to drastically improve performance in your organization. What steps have you taken or do you plan to take as you begin the New Year to produce better results? Please take a moment to comment below and share your own actions and ideas with us and all of our readers.  Until then, here’s our list!

1. Plan your future from the future:

If anything was possible for you and your organization in one year from now (or even 10), how would you have the future be? Suspend reality for just a moment, and don’t worry about being practical or even reasonable. Focus on defining your ideal future based on your most important values and longer-term business objectives. And don’t frame this as “fixing” something that already exists or working within your current constraints. Read more ›

Posted in Accelerated workplace, business, Collaboration, Groups/Teams, OD Insights, Social Media, topical, Work/Life Balance, Workplace Culture, Workplace Policies Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Managing Your Organizational Processes During the Economic Recovery

Posted on by admin

SWOTThe following is a guest post by our own Jack Weber, Executive Consultant at Plus Delta Consulting:

At Plus Delta, we have experienced an ever increasing flow of feedback from our clients and others that the long anticipated economic recovery is happening and the pace of the recovery will increase significantly. The information we have received is corroborated by government figures and statistics – for example: the Consumer Confidence Index rose in December, the first time in over a year; the Monthly Home Sales Prices are up for the 5th straight month and over the last 3 months have risen nearly 20%; the Gross Domestic Product increased 2.2 percent in the third quarter of 2009 as compared to the 2nd quarter of 2009.

A recovering economy dictates that your organization must be prepared for changes. Our business climate dramatically changed in 2008 and early 2009 when the U.S. economy nearly came  to a complete halt. Processes in your organization were also changed; people assumed multiple roles while they tried to accomplish the same amount of work as two or more downsized workers.

frustration Getting frustrated by conflicting demands to continue to stabilize your organization through the traditional methods of cost cutting, job layoffs, hiring part time workers, early retirement of older workers, etc.– while trying to ramp up for the arriving economic recovery will do no good.

What is mandatory is that planning must start right now. You must begin to work with your organization to prepare for a long anticipated positive move forward. You hoped for it; you asked for it, even begged for it. Now you have got it. But what to do? Here are 5 steps to get you started:

Read more ›

Posted in Accelerated workplace, business, Groups/Teams, OD Insights Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Organizational Culture and Success: Dave Logan gives TED talk on Tribal Leadership

Posted on by admin

Click here for larger video, a full transcript, discussions, and extra information. This link will be provided again at the end of this entry.

Have you ever considered the possibility that the language we use in organizations can have a direct impact on the experience of an individual worker or larger group? How many times have you seen individuals or work groups that seem to exude a culture that undermines either their own stated goals or those of the organization as a whole? In what ways do they speak of themselves, their co-workers, and the work itself, and how has this correlated with their success?

Alternatively, have you seen individuals or groups within organizations that seem to “get it?” How do they speak about themselves and others, and what culture tends to form around them and spread to other parts of a larger organization?

Tribal Leadership, written by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright, provides a framework from which to understand the various “tribes” in an organization and the cultural stages in which they reside. One of their goals is to educate leaders on how to take a tribe (or set of tribes, if in a larger organization) from one cultural stage to the next, until they align around core values and a noble cause. This is achieved both through providing specific coaching tips and through addressing how a leader and an employee can speak about themselves and others. Read more ›

Posted in Accelerated workplace, business, Collaboration, Groups/Teams, OD Insights, Workplace Culture Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

12 Ways to Give Back This Holiday Season

Posted on by admin

Holiday

The holidays are a fun but often stressful time.  And for many it is a practically hard year.  So whether you are doing well or struggling, why not take some time to give back?  Not sure what to do?  Here are twelve things to get you started.  And don’t do it just this time of year – make giving back part of your New Year’s Resolution too!

  1. Donate money to a charitable cause – so many good organizations have seen a huge drop in donations this year, so help them out.
  2. If you can’t donate money, donate your time.  Volunteer to stuff envelops or answer phones – any little bit counts.
  3. Giving back doesn’t have to be outside the home.  Our loved ones sometimes may feel neglected while you’re out shopping or planning.  So give your kids a hug and tell them how much you love them.
  4. Along that same line, tell your spouse how much you appreciate them this holiday season and throughout the year.
  5. Donate your professional services.  If you’re in OD – give pro-bono services to your local charity.  The work you do will be very helpful long-term.
  6. Serve food at your local soup kitchen – more people are homeless now than ever, so help to make their lives a bit easier.
  7. Another group suffering during these hard times are pets.  Many pets are now also homeless and living in shelters because their owners couldn’t care for them anymore.  This is very hard on a pet.  So donate your time to some good homeless pet organizations like the ASPCA or Best Friends.  And remember – pets are more than dogs and cats.  There are many homeless horses and farm animals too.
  8. Help a friend in need – this can take the form of running errands for a stressed friend to offering to buy Christmas presents for a friend’s children if your friend is cash-strapped.
  9. Give back by bringing joy to a hospital or retirement home.  Bring a good joke book or funny movie and spread some holiday laughter.
  10. Thank your parents!
  11. Send an overseas greeting card to our troops.  You can do this by going to Any Soldier and following the instructions.  Your kind words would mean a lot to someone in harm’s way.
  12. Clean out your closets! Your ‘old’ clothes, games, and household accessories are very helpful to people that don’t have much.  If you are a working professional than really clean out your used business attire.  Those items are in high demand.

There are many other things that you can do to show your family, friends, and community you care.  So get creative and start giving back!

Posted in topical, Work/Life Balance Tagged with: , ,

6 Suggestions on How to Work From Home and Stay Productive

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

home office example courtesy of cogdogblog on Flickr

More and more I see companies embracing “work-at-home” policies, not only as a way to be more “green” by keeping cars off the road, but as a way to reduce the real estate “footprint” in the office.  Some companies estimate the cost of maintaining office space for an employee at around $9,000/year.  These same companies are offering as much as $1,000 for work-at-home employees to purchase the necessary office equipment to set up and maintain a home office.

So as the economic drivers for working at home seem to be well established and as companies define the appropriate policies and procedures for determining which jobs lend themselves to “working-at-home” (not to mention the question of how managers will measure the productivity of employees working at home), the question is, how does the “work-at-home” employee stay productive?

Speaking from experience, I would like to offer the following suggestions, and then invite the reader to contribute their own ideas. Read more ›

Posted in Accelerated workplace, OD Insights, trends, Work/Life Balance, Workplace Culture, Workplace Policies Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Plus Delta Receives 2009 Small Business Award for Business Consulting!

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

SBCA logo

Plus Delta was just selected for the 2009 Best of Business Award in the Business consulting category by the Small Business Commerce Association (SBCA). The SBCA program recognizes the top 5% of small businesses throughout the country, and this year’s program consisted of 5 million nominees in 2500 cities all across the US. Plus Delta is thrilled to receive this award – even more so than the Inc 5000 award which was based purely on revenue growth over a 3-year period – because it’s a true testament of all our satisfied clients who provided the positive consumer feedback required for us to win the award. For that very reason, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients who allow us to improve performance and implement positive changes in their organizations. Without you, we would not be here, let alone receive such accolades as this!

Posted in business, Events, topical Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Six Ways to a Passionate Soul: An Interview with Steve Cady

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Dr. Steven H. Cady is a Graduate Faculty member in the Organization Development Program at Bowling Green State University. He also researches, writes about, and consults to individuals and organizations about passion. Beyond that, Steve is an inspiration to me because he lives a life of passion and in doing so brings out the best in me whenever we are together – and more often than not, when we are thousands of miles apart! Read more ›

Posted in OD Insights, topical, Work/Life Balance Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Want tips to improve performance right now?
Sign up for Plus Delta’s e-newsletter!