by Beth | Sep 22, 2025 | Uncategorized
I flipped a tractor tire.
It was nearly as tall as I am and weighed a little over 200 pounds.
Not only was it hard to lift, but it was so awkward. I couldn’t figure out how to get my hands under the right place to be able to lift it. I had to squat with my legs around it to get my hands close to the tire. Then, I had to find the correct hand placement. I had to adjust my breathing. I used muscles I didn’t know I had. I lifted it at first, but I couldn’t flip it. I had to use different muscles for the flipping part.
I felt weird. I was awkward. I was uncomfortable. I had to fight my inner “I can’t do it” voice.
And then, I did it.
Wow.
The brain doesn’t want you to be uncomfortable, so your nervous system gets all wonky (that is a technical term). You really have to push through that mindset in order to learn something new. And we all need to learn something new.
This week I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. It expands your brain, which helps you relax more in times of uncertainty and fear. Staying in the same place lets the air out of your tires and you can become stuck. Because tires are your foundation, if you don’t air them up occasionally, you end up on the side of the road.
POWER THOUGHT: It’s a hard-knock life. Flip a tire!
by Beth | Aug 22, 2025 | Uncategorized
I read this fascinating quote the other day that said “Burn out isn’t too much work. It is not being valued for the work you do.”
Retention these days is a HOT topic. Turnover rates are at their highest, and companies are struggling to figure out how to keep their people. Obviously, professional development and regular reviews are important to keeping good employees happy and productive. In addition, having a solid hiring process in place is key to getting the right person in the right role.
But the real secret? Gratitude.
I just got off the plane from Hawaii where I celebrated 19 years in business. We walked on the beach every day with the waves as our music. We saw crabs, turtles, different kinds of fish, dolphins and manta rays. We experienced amazing sun rises and sun sets. Our heartbeats aligned with the oceanic rhythms. Our pulses slowed. One of my girls on this trip said “my phone always has juice at the end of the day. That NEVER happens.” We are all so grateful for the transformational experience.
Gratitude is how we value ourselves and those around us. When you, as the company leader, are grateful for your people, they feel valued and more energized. With more energy comes innovation. The antidote for burn out is gratitude.
Hawaiians say the word “mahalo” which means “thank you and to express gratitude. This word is often used as a greeting to express esteem, praise or admiration, or as a compliment with sincerity in everyday life.”
So in the spirit of my trip to Hawaii, I say to you “Mahalo” for the opportunity to work with you and most importantly, for you being you. I am grateful.
POWER THOUGHT: Feeling burnt out? Are your people burnt out? Incorporate “Mahalo” into your everyday interactions and watch burn out transform.
by Beth | Aug 12, 2025 | Uncategorized
While vacationing recently, I took long walks on the beach. The wind in my hair, the sun on my face, the sand under my toes… pure bliss. After a few days, I began to look around at the other folks enjoying their time on the beach as well. What I noticed was shocking… not a single person was on their phone. I didn’t see a soul on an iPad. I didn’t even see a Kindle. What I did see was people talking to each other. I saw people playing games together and building sandcastles with their kids. I saw people napping, eating, reading and working.
Yes, I did say working….
After sitting on the beach for a while, your mind wanders. You look around to see the surroundings and, lo and behold, inspiration strikes. In addition, your natural biorhythms take over when you are around the ocean. Your nervous system regulates. People made some of the most beautiful sandcastles, wrote inspirational messages in the sand, collected seashells and created artwork. They were working.
The word “work” means “an activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result”. And at the end of the day, people were satisfied.
Work has literally become a 4-letter word… something that we have to endure in order to live. I think work is a beach. When we are inspired by our work, we create and innovate. We are more willing to try new things, and we sometimes make mistakes. We are learning!
So, if you are thinking to yourself “Work is a bi*%h”, then I encourage you to visit a beach… stat!
by Beth | Jul 30, 2025 | Uncategorized
My communication channels (email, Facebook, Linked In, etc) have been flooded lately with articles on fake candidates, fake job ads, fake resumes, A.I. conducting interviews on behalf of companies, and most recently, A.I. conducting interviews on behalf of candidates. It is so frustrating to go into an interview and not know if the other being has blood pumping through their veins.
I interviewed a candidate just yesterday that I am fairly certain was using prompts to answer my questions. And then, he slipped up. My clients recognized it, because they have been trained.
Read that again: they had been trained.
I have been doing this work for over 20 years. I have seen markets where the candidate pool was enormous and markets where the candidates were very hard to find. I have seen markets with huge number of job listings or very few job listings. Think of the housing market: same thing. Lots of houses to sell with lots of buyers or few buyers. Very few houses to sell with lots of buyers or very few buyers.
For the hiring industry, one thing has never changed: we still don’t train our people to conduct effective interviews, and until we prioritize that training, we will continue to fall prey to scam artists. We will continue to make bad hires.
A.I. has many uses, and there are ways that A.I. can make your business more efficient. Even in recruiting and hiring. Because the stakes are so high, you must have an H.I.L. (A human-in-loop) to oversee your efforts. That person MUST be trained in conducting effective interviews.
POWER THOUGHT: A.I. is not the threat. The threat is lack of training,
by Beth | Jul 11, 2025 | Uncategorized
I met with one of my favorite clients a few weeks back. He has semi-retired, and he is now President Emeritus at his current bank. I adore this man, even though it has been about 15 years since we worked together.
I asked him what he attributed to his success.
He said, “It’s my management style.”
This was NOT the answer I expected. “And what is that?” I asked.
“MBWA.”
Huh?
“Manage by wandering around.”
I laughed out loud. I mean, really? This was one for the books. But the more I thought about it, the more brilliant it is.
He told this story about “The J’s” in the accounting department: Julie, Janie, Jamie and JMonica. They all laugh and laugh every time he walks into the department. He jokes. Then, he asks how things are going. And, they tell him.
As a management process: He gets to know their names. He gives nicknames. He establishes rapport. He is consistent. He listens. He asks. Then, he isn’t caught unaware.
In the restaurant business, we used to say that you can’t run a restaurant from the office. MBWA is the same concept, presented more memorably by a man who has been very successful for a long, long time.
Today, I challenge you to get out of your office. Go see what you see. Go hear what you hear. Talk to your staff. See where your adventures take you. You might be surprised by what you learn.
POWER THOUGHT: It is time to leave your office and manage by wandering around.
***Thank you, Tom C! You are a true gem!
by Beth | Jun 30, 2025 | Uncategorized
I had a client reach out to me and tell me that his business is doing well, with the exception of one department. That department had a revolving door of people. “I walk in there and don’t know anyone. Then 2 months later, I walk in there and again don’t know anyone.”
I spent a few minutes asking him some questions, and we scheduled a Discovery meeting. I went into the office and interviewed several people in that department. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the Department Manager was using his blood connection with the owner to delegate work that was supposed to be his, to harass employees, and to threaten folks with losing their jobs. No one reported it, because he was kin to the owner.
This problem had gone on for years.
Since then, the owner fired his kin. It caused a rift in the family, but as the owner said “I’d rather have a rift in the family than a drain in my business.” I followed up with the owner later, and he said that walking into that department is a “breath of fresh air.”
Here are 5 things to do when you have a retention problem:
1) Determine if there is a trend in the employees who are leaving. Is it the same department? Same position? Same gender? Same age of employee?
2) Once you determine the similarities between the people who are leaving, go interview those that are staying.
3) Your employees who are staying are NOT going to tell you the whole truth. They are also NOT going to tell you how bad things are. Your job is to take the “whispers and the hints” that they tell you, and multiply it times 10. ANY hint of a bad employee means that it is WAY bigger than they are telling you.
4) Remember: people don’t leave jobs; they leave managers. If one manager is losing lots of people, then they are most likely the culprit.
5) If it isn’t the manager, check salaries. Check how many hours people are working. And finally, ask them this question: If you could wave a magic wand and fix this department, what is the one action you would take?
I am happy to say that my client is really pleased with how things are going now. He and his family are in therapy to solve the rift.
POWER THOUGHT: Retention can cause tension, but it doesn’t have to.
***If you are struggling with employee retention, reach out for a conversation. I’m happy to discuss what these issues are, and some of the potential solutions.
