Posts by Mike Baer
Thriving In Chaos
Quite a number of years ago, management guru, Tom Peters, wrote a book entitled Thriving on Chaos. The thrust was how to navigate the whitewater of constant and ever-accelerating change in a way that brings innovation and greater success. It is a great read and still appropriate for today. I’d like to take a different tack and…
Read MoreAn Aggressive Faith
As 2021 unfolds and things around the world begin to gradually open back up, let’s not fall prey to the “return to normal” wishes of the world. Instead, as BAM practitioners, let’s adopt an aggressive faith, a powerful hope, a deep commitment to “business as UN-usual!” I believe that this could very well be our…
Read MoreReinforcing Celebration
Hint: this cannot be overdone! In every period of time, human beings love celebration and recognition. In a time like this and in a remote workforce setting, it matters more than ever. What do you celebrate? Winning, of course. When we win a new account or successfully complete a big project, there should be a…
Read MoreReinforcing Community, Part II
Abraham Maslow, famous psychologist, made it very clear in the Hierarchy of Needs, that humans cannot achieve a higher level of existence or performance until the previous level of needs are met. The need for physical security being the base must be met before a person can advance; psychological security is next, followed by “belonging”…
Read MoreLeadership Credibility
There are three questions that followers ask of their leaders…constantly and now more than ever. Does this person know what they are doing? COMPETENCE Does this person care about me as a person? CARE Can I trust this person? CONFIDENCE Employees may give you a pass on the first question. Not without pain but they…
Read MoreThe Cause
Who wants people who just show up because of a paycheck? Even if they are only walking to the spare bedroom due to Stay at Home orders, that’s not a flourishing team or engaged workforce. The thing that ignites the heart is a sense of meaning, a higher purpose, a “Noble Cause.” Research into employee…
Read MoreHeaven Inspired Business
What are the qualities of heaven and what could they have to do with our business life right now? It is my hope and prayer that by exploring this question with Jesus that our world, our businesses, our nations, our families, and our very selves can be altered to reflect the actual joy of Heaven…
Read MoreReinforcing Culture, Part III
Culture doesn’t grow on its own. It has to be nurtured. Strengthened. Reinforced. Constantly. How do we do that? Anthropologists, those who study humanity and culture, tell us that all cultures use 4 devices to define and institutionalize their culture. Totems. Totems are the symbols that remind a people of where they came from, what…
Read MoreReinforcing Culture, Part II
As important as culture is (and we’ve only scratched the surface), it’s something that takes constant reinforcement. It doesn’t survive with nurture, reminders, etc. So, how do we do that? We start by understanding the 3 components that make up culture, i.e. the way we are. Core Values. These are the guiding beliefs of a…
Read MoreReinforcing Culture
Management Guru, Peter Drucker, once said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” He’s right, of course. Culture, not a brilliant strategy, is the secret sauce for organizational achievement and breakthroughs. According to a study by Harvard Business School, companies with strong, virtuous cultures outperform those without such an atmosphere by 5 times ROA; that’s an astounding…
Read More