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Stopping to Smell the Roses: An Important Life Lesson Learned from Two of the Best Dogs in the World

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Have you ever seen the movie Armageddon? Remember that one scene towards the end when the asteroid is about to cross the critical threshold for hitting Earth, and the astronauts (aka poorly-trained oil drillers with Air Force chaperones) haven’t yet successfully blown up the asteroid nor have they launched their space shuttle to safety? That’s when Colonel Sharp declares, “We’ve got no time!” Well, I’ve lived much of my life until recently with that mantra “no time”. Thanks to my two dogs Marley and Bailey though, I was reminded of an important life lesson recently, and I dare say I will never forget it again.

Marley Bailey on Zuma Beach

Anybody who has been reading Plus Delta’s blog since the beginning has met our two favorite office dogs Marley and Bailey. Both are Australian Sheppards, and both are amazingly smart, loyal, and loving dogs.

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Posted in Abundance, Balance, Dog, Self-Awareness, Time Managment Tagged with: , , , ,

Taking a Break to Recharge: An Organizational Imperative for a Sustainable Future

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Summer has quickly come and gone again, so it must be time to dig in and get back to work, right?  Wrong! In today’s fast-paced, ever-changing business environment, business leaders must continually make “getting away” an organizational imperative to ensure the long-term viability of their organizations. Taking time away from work is the only sure-fire way to get the rest we need as humans to recharge our engines and maintain high levels of functioning and enhanced performance longer-term. So why do many of us continue charging hard day in and day out as if the world may come to an end if we don’t?

plusdelta_recharge

Many might say it’s just a sign of the times and ask, “Is it really appropriate to take a break at this point in time?” Unemployment has soared to astronomical heights in recent past, and many (Americans at least) are still struggling just to hang on to their jobs to avoid bank foreclosures on their homes. Some economists report that the economy is showing signs of recovery, but it’s going to be quite some time before Read more ›

Posted in Employee Benefits, Leadership, Management Practice, organizational culture, productivity Tagged with: , , , ,

Paying Attention to Employee Motivation to ‘Drive’ Enhanced Performance

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

I just finished reading “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us“, by Daniel H. Pink where he describes some new and not so surprising “truths ” about what motivates employees. Leaders take note! Here are the headlines:

  • Your sales compensation plan may not only be driving the wrong behaviors, but may be costing your organization more money than the revenue it was intended to incentivize!
  • The majority of your management team may be leading people based on a set of assumptionsabout employee motivation that are not only outdated, but that are likely de-motivating in the long run!
  • If your company cannot point to any products, services, or activities that are socially redeeming and that contribute to “the greater good” of society at large, your employees are likely going to “underperforming”.
  • If managers do not understand the difference between “carrot and stick” motivation and the intrinsic, deep-desire people have to direct their own lives and live a life of purpose, they will fail to realize the full potential of their employees, and companies will fail to realize greater productivity from those employees.

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Posted in Change management, Project management

Plus Delta’s CEO Wins Top Honors

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Plus Delta’s CEO Jeremy Lurey Receives Inaugural 40 Under 40 Award by M&A Advisor

jeremyphoto

On Monday, July 26th, Plus Delta’s Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Lurey accepted his award as one of The M&A Advisor’s Top “40 Under 40” executives of the year. Held at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the inaugural M&A Advisor Recognition Awards Gala Event celebrated the leading forty M&A, Financing, and Turnaround professionals who have made great accomplishments before their 40th birthday.

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Created by The M&A Advisor to promote mentorship and professional development, the 2010 “40 Under 40” Award winners were chosen for their individual accomplishments and particular expertise from a vast group of international nominees and by an independent judging panel of distinguished business leaders.

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Posted in business, Workplace Culture

5 Critical Steps to Implementation Success: Why Aren’t We Learning From Our Mistakes?

Posted on by admin

Implementation Success

For the last 10+ years I’ve been managing client relationships and selling Change Management consulting and training solutions to organizations that want to adopt a common approach to manage change.   It continues to fascinate me that despite the increased focus and discipline applied in this field, implementation efforts continue to fail because of human factors.  Organizational Change Management as an industry has existed for 40 years if not longer.  Over the past 10-15 years it has become increasingly more common for large organizations to recognize the need to manage the human issues when implementing large-scale change (i.e. ERP or technology implementations, mergers and acquisitions, culture change, reengineering or business process change, downsizing, organization redesign, or any project that involves changing the way people do their jobs).   Much has been written about why implementation efforts fail.  Statistics continue to illustrate that approximately 80% of change efforts fail to meet budget, target dates, or key objectives. It is also well documented that the highest risk of implementation failure is on the human side, and not with the technology.  Many Fortune 500 organizations today understand that by applying a structured approach or framework to manage the human side, the chance of a successful project will substantially increase.  Then why aren’t we learning from our past mistakes? Read more ›

Posted in Change management, Project management Tagged with: , , ,

The 3 C’s of Building Trusting Relationships and Getting to ‘Yes’ with Your Clients

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Clients Success

This guest post was generously contributed by David Nielson, Executive Consultant at Plus Delta Consulting.

For any of us in the field of management consulting, the issue of sales and marketing is usually a challenge. We’re often so busy delivering services directly to our clients that there is little time to focus on developing new sales. Sales, though, isn’t just about contract negotiations and closing the deal. It’s about relationships! So what are the criteria for building – and maintaining – effective relationships? Read more ›

Posted in business, Client Relationships, Sales Tagged with: , , ,

The 4 P’s of Olympic Gold: Grooming the Next Generation of Shaun Whites in your Organization

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Shaun White during 2010 Olympics

Whether it’s a skater or skier or snowboarder or other, everyone who won a Gold Medal in Vancouver recently is a role model for us all. Practice, patience, persistence, and passion – the 4 P’s of Olympic Gold – are likely mantras for all these winners. Shaun White, in particular, is a true living example of exactly what every senior executive and business leader should be focused on creating in their organizations – not because he won gold on the half pipe, but because he won gold after winning gold on the half pipe!

That’s right.  Shaun White was standing at the top of his second and final run when the results came in, and he found out that he already won the gold medal without even completing his last run. In that very moment, he had a choice- Read more ›

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

DEWAGACOR x Organization Development – Plus Delta Consulting

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

OD

In the rapidly shifting landscape of modern business, the partnership between DEWAGACOR and Organization Development through Plus Delta Consulting represents a unique fusion of high-performance gaming infrastructure and strategic human evolution, moving beyond traditional management frameworks to engineer a symbiotic ecosystem where operational precision meets behavioral psychology. This alliance doesn’t just tweak processes; it diagnoses the organization’s “cultural latency”—the hidden gaps between current output and peak potential—and deploys a gamified agility model that translates DEWAGACOR’s real-time data analytics into actionable developmental pathways for teams. By flipping the corporate hierarchy into a “collaboration helix,” Plus Delta Consulting ensures that decision-making is de-centralized yet cohesive, enabling the enterprise to outmaneuver market volatility with the same fluidity that defines elite digital gameplay. The result is a living, breathing organization that doesn’t merely adapt to change but predicts and shapes it, turning every internal friction point into a catalyst for breakthrough innovation and lasting competitive advantage.

Should the profession of Organization Development (OD) require professional certification or licensing for practitioners to practice?

As we look to the future of OD, some questions come to mind :

–  Should anyone wanting to “hang out a shingle” as an OD practitioner be allowed to do so?

–  Should there be minimum educational requirements?  If so, what should they be?

–  Should OD practitioners be licensed through a formal licensing or certification process?

–  How would a governing body for licensing or certification be “selected”?

–  What risks to the OD profession are posed if licensing or certification is required?

–  How do you market your practice to differentiate and distinguish yourself?

Having practiced in the field for 30 years, now, I have seen OD grow to encompass a broad range of “specialty” areas beyond its origins in the area of “group dynamics”, “human relations research”, and “action research” back in the 1940’s and 50’s.  (See the Wikipedia article on OD here). Read more ›

Posted in business, OD Insights, OD Network Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

From Fringe to Mainstream: Self Development & Technology for Extraordinary Performance

Posted on by admin

neuroimaging

Current science has legitimized the power of thoughts, words, breath, meditation, and world-view to have direct and lasting effects on our performance, happiness, and well-being. As studies in neurobiology, behavioral genetics, and quantum theory begin to confirm what has long been known by practitioners of—sometimes ancient—wisdom, we may see a new acceptance of ideas embraced by those who were once chided as “touchy-feely” types. Below I’ll provide a “top 7” list of areas to consider and specific solutions that may make a difference in your life—but I would be doing you a disservice if I were to rank-order these solutions or tell you what works “best,” rather than provide you with a call-to-action to reflect on your life, explore these options, and find what resonates for you as initial steps. Read more ›

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

Best Recognition and Rewards Programs for the Post-Recession Economy

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

At Plus Delta Consulting, we are committed to creating a brighter future for those seeking to improve individual, group, and organizational performance as well as those focused on transforming organizations in ways that produce better business results. Broadly speaking, we are part of “OD” (Organization Development), but we also push the boundaries of the field and what many call “new OD” to connect communities of organizational professionals from other arenas. We not only seek but also strive to share new theories and practices that serve the 21st century organization with others. Towards that end, we launched a LinkedIn group called the “Future of Organization Development (OD)” last fall (see http://bit.ly/FutureOD) and regularly participate in other online conversations to facilitate these discussions.

Here is an excerpt of a recent discussion about the Best Recognition and Rewards Programs for the Post-Recession Economy:

[Jeremy Lurey]: A couple weeks ago, I facilitated a great session with a local NHRA (National Human Resources Association) chapter. The topic was Recognition and Rewards programs, and we used a World Cafe (see www.theworldcafe.com) format to bring everyone – and their richly diverse perspectives – into the room. During the World Cafe rounds, groups were asked the following 3 questions:

1. What are the top three MONETARY recognition and rewards approaches that you use in your company?
2. What are the top three NON-MONETARY recognition and rewards approaches that you use in your company?
3. What are the underlying assumptions of your recognition and rewards system, and does the absence of receiving a reward equate to PUNISHMENT?


Provided below are some of the key themes that emerged from the group. I’m curious if this is in line with your experiences or if you have other “best programs” you would recommend.

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Posted in Accelerated workplace, business, economic recovery, Groups/Teams, topical, Workplace Culture, Workplace Policies Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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