The Costliest Recognition Blunder

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If you think employee heroism should be rewarded, you had better think again. Such recognition could be costing you valuable customers and revenue. Learn why in this week’s video podcast. Here, Paul Levesque presents a compelling “Storybook Corner” tale in which two rival lemonade stands compete for the same customers—each using a different approach to employee recognition. Will one of them fall prey to the costliest recognition blunder?
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Eliminating Employee Cynicism for Good

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There’s a two-pronged irony that jabs at the heart of many organizational cultures: a shift of focus away from customers and an increase in self-interest. Paul Levesque uses this metaphorical pitchfork to illustrate these two tragic forces and how this crippling form of cultural damage takes place. Watch this week’s Culture Shift video podcast to find out what you can immediately do to correct the situation and eliminate employee cynicism for good. Read the Article
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Beware the Robo-motivators

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At one time mechanized motivation was the accepted norm, but this motorized recognition won’t carry far in today’s demanding workplace. Paul Levesque uses a short video clip in his Culture Shift podcast this week to illustrate three costly mistakes many managers make when trying to incentivize their employees—three mistakes that often produce the exact opposite effect. Are you culprit of being a robo-motivator?
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Are Hidden Cultural Roadblocks Holding You Back?

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What kinds of dragon detectors work best?  In this week’s Culture Shift podcast, Paul Levesque compares hidden cultural roadblocks to dragons lurking in the shadows, ready to block all who try to advance.  He reveals the two most effective tools for bringing these unseen obstacles into the light of day—and describes how easy it can be to eliminate such roadblocks for good.
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Overcoming Resistance to Change

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In this week's Culture Shift podcast, Paul Levesque once again uses his entertaining "Storybook Corner" format to illustrate two very different approaches for dealing with resistance to change. Listen to the little fable, and then test yourself to find out how much you really know about overcoming resistance in others.
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Inspirational Leadership—A Dying Art?

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Managers do not rise to their “position of power” and magically gain a skill for effective leadership—it takes hard work, dedication and a powerful strategic vision. But how do you create a strategic vision with the power to inspire your employees? That’s the subject of this week’s Culture Shift podcast. Listen as Incentive online columnist Paul Levesque spells out the three qualities any corporate vision must have if you’re going to inspire and motivate staffers at all levels.
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The Better Alternative to Customer Service Training

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More effective customer service isn’t achieved by “smile” training alone—it takes employee involvement, passion and customer focus. But how would an employee customer focus brainstorming session be structured? How would ideas be captured and preserved? The answers are spelled out step-by-step in this week’s Culture Shift podcast. Let Paul Levesque walk you through the same process he’s helped hundreds of international business organizations use to turn their employees into customer service champions.
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Debunking the Myth of Management Style

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Changing your managers’ bad behavior takes a little motivation and a BIG emphasis on the right organizational values. Want a simple test to confirm if your existing corporate values are defining and supporting your culture effectively? Not sure how to go about defining a solid set of values from scratch? Try putting your team through this powerful (and fun) “Values Exercise” in this week’s podcast, from Incentive online columnist Paul Levesque.
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The Blame Game: A Deadly Addiction

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Do employees need to be reprimanded and blamed down the ladder for corrective and preventative action to take place? Does avoiding this corporate “Blame Game” mean no one is to be held accountable for anything anymore? Of course not, as Incentive online columnist Paul Levesque clarifies in this week’s podcast. Find out how to make the all-important distinction between assigning blame (a demoralizing action) and enforcing accountability that energizes and motivates employees to collaboration.
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Time-Release Motivators

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Are you putting too much effort into your organization's incentive and morale-building initiatives--and getting too little in return? Turns out the key to turning around your effectiveness rests in answering one simple question: "Why?" In this week’s podcast, Paul Levesque illustrates how to "piggyback" recognition events and utilize the power of repetition. Not only will you be able to create greater motivational impact; you'll reinforce the cultural alignment among your employees as well.
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The Causes (and Cures) of Collective Amnesia

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If you and your staff are stranded in a lifeboat, what’s the one issue you all need to stay focused on to maintain morale and ensure survival? It’s a tough question, but how you answer could mean life or death--especially if the lifeboat is a metaphor for your organization’s goals. Do you have what it takes to stave off collective amnesia and guide your crew to safety? Listen to Paul Levesque’s podcast this week to test your cultural leadership skills and discover what your employees really need to keep productivity—and motivation--afloat.
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Culture Shift: The Ultimate Hiring Blunder

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These last few weeks, Culture Shift has focused on strategies to shift your organization’s culture 180-degrees, from one that lacks inspiration to a highly-energized motivated work environment. But all that hard work could come crashing down with one or two “bad apple” hires. In his podcast this week, Paul Levesque stresses the importance of recruiting culturally-compatible prospects and presents his strategies on how to hire right for your team. And, as an added bonus, Paul shares an interview with one restaurant manager who makes “culture fit” her number one hiring priority.
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Culture Shift: Give and Take

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There’s been plenty of talk about “Cause Marketing” these days, but is most of it missing the point? While these seemingly good-intentioned efforts may draw in more consumer and client business, what effect could such promotions have on your employees’ motivation if your organizations’ charitable actions are more inclined for profit than for the greater good? This week in his column and podcast, Incentive online columnist Paul Levesque discusses the latest Cause Marketing craze and gives organizations some insight in how to get their employees engaged with volunteerism.
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Culture Shift: Work and Play: Blurring the Line

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Work and play—it’s common knowledge that those two words don’t form the perfect pair, let alone belong in the same sentence. But high-energy businesses have taken these two completely opposite actions and merged them to create a highly productive, highly motivated team of employees. How do they do it? It all comes down to the basic elements of “play,” says Incentive weekly online columnist Paul Levesque. Listen to Paul’s podcast this week for insight into how Dunkin Donuts, and other high-energy organizations, use play to make work more fun and engaging.
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Culture Shift: The Big Disconnect

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Have you ever seen those optical illusions where two pictures are embedded into one—such as the familiar illustration that displays a goblet/two faces? Typically, once a viewer sees that both these images exist in the same picture, he can no longer go back to viewing only one. The same is true for your organization, says Incentive online columnist Paul Levesque. Just as an optical illusion has dual parts, so too does the portrait of your corporate culture—it’s a parallel relationship between employees motivation and customer satisfaction. Meaning, when motivation is lacking, satisfaction is too, and vice versa. Listen to Paul’s podcast this week to discover how shifting your organizational perception can resolve the disconnect in a “flash.”
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Culture Shift: Sins of No Mission

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Most companies have a mission statement to define organizational goals, but these so-called mission statements frequently do not define an actual mission at all. They merely summarize the type of business a corporation is in--not very helpful when you’re trying to lead employees to productivity. And even worse, is the fact that the majority of business leaders and employees can’t even recall what their exact mission is supposed to be. In his podcast this week, Paul Levesque investigates into this “sin of no mission” phenomenon plaguing companies today and offers examples of why you need to start shifting your culture by clearly defining organizational goals to your employees.
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Culture Shift: There’s No Business Like GO Business

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Ready…Set…Go-go-go-go-go! It’s showtime. The house is full, the curtain’s raised and your company is center stage of the industry spotlight. If you’re going to make your performance a success, you’ll need to make sure all of your “casted” employees are pumped and ready to sprint ahead toward organizational goals. This week, Incentive online columnist Paul Levesque discusses in his podcast how show business has a lot of takeaway lessons that regular business can use to shift your corporate culture, motivate staffers and keep productivity moving forward. Pulling on examples from Disney, a company that is known for successfully provided an engaging customer experience, Paul depicts how you too can inspire your employees to win that standing ovation.
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Culture Shift: Cultural Barometers

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Sure, we all know that barometer is a great predictor of the weather. It lets us know the chances for rain or shine. But did you know corporations have “barometers” too? In his previous weekly columns, Paul Levesque detailed several indicators to gauge your corporate cultural atmosphere, and he picks up this week by detailing some of the additional cultural barometers you need to be looking out for. Listen as Paul relays how the answers to three simple questions—demonstrated with his anecdote of a dinner outing and an interview with an engaged employee—can give organizational leaders all the information they need to determine the motivational forecast of their employees. Are you in for a cultural storm?
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Culture Shift: A Shortcut to Alignment

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Have you ever noticed that metal particles just fall into alignment when placed near a magnet? Wouldn’t it be great if you could “shift” your employees to similarly align with your organizational objectives? Incentive weekly online columnist and corporate consultant Paul Levesque delves into the benefits of giving your employees not only a goal, but an “aspirational” objective. The prescription you’ll need to build a healthy culture in your business may be closer and easier than you think.  Listen to his podcast for some quick tips on how to get started, and be sure to read his article to learn first-hand how one pharmacy chain obtained cultural success.
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Culture Shift: Bad Signs

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There are certain indicators to your organization’s cultural health—and they’re posted right on the wall. Humorous novelty signs in places of business commonly joke to matters of customer service, overworked staff and business practices, reading witty sayings such as “You want it when?” and “I’d rather be fishing.” In his column this week, Paul Levesque discusses how the manifestation of these signs in the workplace diminishes employee morale, ultimately hindering your organization’s incentive initiatives. But what effect do these signs have on your customers, who sometimes catch a glimpse of these “amusing” pictographs? Listen here as Paul Levesque decodes and details what message these wall ciphers really convey to your clients about your organization’s culture—and you’ll be surprised that it’s nothing to laugh about.
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Culture Shift: The Best-Kept Secret in Business

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For a long time, the common business mantra has been that superior customer service is THE unsurpassable competitive advantage for any business—and today is no exception. Organizations everywhere now focus internally on employee service procedures to maintain sales growth, especially during a foreboding economic cloud. But did you know that your intent on this “key” could be derailing your incentive efforts? In this week’s podcast, Incentive online columnist, author and corporate consultant Paul Levesque investigates into this common misconception and shares his own epiphany on how a 180-degree culture shift may be all that your company needs to give those seemingly apathetic employees a lasting motivation high.
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Culture Shift: The Rule of O.M.I.T.

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What's the “One Most Important Thing” in your business? If not everyone on your staff gives the same answer…you need to tune in to this episode of “Culture Shift.” In his podcast this week, Incentive online columnist Paul Levesque discusses the motivational importance in aligning your employee’s—and your organization’s—focus to achieve a common goal. Here, Paul relays some of his personal experiences and delves further into detail on the points he addresses in this week’s column, “Culture Shift: Aligning Employee Focus With the Rule of the O.M.I.T.”
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