Insights on leadership, entrepreneurialism and management
Asking the right question
Read moreThere is an old adage that says one should seek to understand before seeking to be understood. I say we have two ears and only one mouth for a reason – because we need to listen twice as much...
Rusty Golden Handcuffs
Read moreThe history of American slavery notes that some slaves reluctantly accepted their shackles, knowing that their harsh life at least provided shelter and food. Yet they wanted to flee. This is frighteningly like how employees relate to golden handcuffs....
Your Problem Employee is The Dysfunctional-Functional Employee
Read moreOne of the biggest mistakes that I made while running my company Micrel for 37 years was to hang on to those employees who are extremely functional in that they produce a lot of high-quality work, but were dysfunctional...
Making Every Day Your Best Day at Work
Read moreThe spouse of one of our employees contacted me regarding his wife, taking time from his work day to call and thank me. “Thank me? For what?” Enthusiastically he said, “Since my wife joined Micrel, she has become a...
Begging for a Return to Respectful Communications
Read moreBecause we are all uniquely different human beings, it is not surprising that the chances are that most people are not going to see it our way. Very few of us hold the same view on almost any subject....
Five Ways to Make Your Company More Employee-Centric
Read moreI know many companies feel that if you don’t take care of your customer, somebody else will. At Micrel, the semiconductor company that I ran for 37 years, I told my employees that they were number one. One of...