literature
Best corporate culture and workplace literature to better your workplace experience. Journal's favorite stories.
Good Guys Never Win - A Family Business in trouble
Introduction Smithtown Ford in the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the leading sales producers in the country. They had a variety of incentive mechanisms to motivate the sales staff. Some of these incentives were recurring incentives and were expected each month. On other occasions the sales managers would create teaser one-time incentives to stir up competition. On the surface it appeared that the various sales teams were working well together, and customers were experiencing exceptional customer service as they search for their new car. Beneath the surface however the various sales teams viewed each other as stark adversaries, and the competition between the teams was met with increasingly dirty tactics. Rules that governed what was supposed to be healthy competition were consistently violated. The dirtier and craftier team usually became the victors. The old motto “good guys never win” was a popular saying amongst the rank and file sales reps. The managers were equally dirty or dirtier than their underling sales reps however they maintained a false sense of comradery with each of the other sales managers. Very rarely was there any sort of negative remarks about the other teams if two or more sales managers were within an ear shot. On the other hand, if the sales manager was by himself with his or her team he would freely insult and devise ways to gain an upper hand against the other teams. The remainder of this story will illustrate the adversarial culture and the negative consequences against the dealerships bottom line. Poor leadership or lack of leadership will be highlighted as the source of the broken company culture. Even as upper management attempted to reign in many of the overt unhealthy behaviors, they couldn’t identify some of the covert or less obvious behaviors that continued to fuel negative energy and maintain the cycle of dysfunction. Consequently, after failed in house change management initiatives designed to reduce the dysfunction, Jonathan the owner of the dealership introduced an employee and organizational development concept that was pitched to him by the founder of Leanfulness Strategies. The story will tell the tale of the radical culture transformation as a result of working with Leanfulness Strategies. A transformation that resulted in a culture of accountability, respect for people, and inspirational leadership.
By Christopher Boasso5 years ago in Journal
WTF? A Family Business in Crisis in a Family Owned Business
Introduction A family-owned Northern California company that we will call North Pacific Spas is experiencing an enormous amount of dysfunction across all divisions. The company provides luxury spas and other high-end residential comfort products such as saunas, and fireplaces. There is one main office in Berkeley, and three other show rooms which are strategically located across the San Francisco Bay Area. For more than three decades the company has been the industry leading retailer. NPS experienced its largest growth period during the first two decades of existence. Since then the company has had less than desired growth. This story will describe a snapshot of the type of problems a company like NPS experiences, the struggle to identify the problems, and the challenges companies face to mitigate these types of problems. Additionally, a new approach developed by Leanfulness Strategies to be an alternative pathway toward positive organizational change will be presented.
By Christopher Boasso5 years ago in Journal
My writing Journey
Here an inside view of one of my old poem from 14 years ago. Freehand Freehand expression is the expression of the soul. It is the way to create ideas, thoughts, and concepts. The mind is free to explore and to renew it once more. Expressions that are of freehand they express the mind and soul. These are the intimate feels and creativity that a person has. It shows others the heart to feel and the mind to think. It also shows the soul to reach out and the body to touch.
By Venola Brooks5 years ago in Journal
Hello! Just an Introduction
Thank you for reading my first post on Vocal! My name is T.L Oberheu, and I am an aspiring author. Knowing that the field of writing is fairly difficult to get into, I decided on focusing on building an audience of dear readers that I can grow as an author with.
By T.L Oberheu5 years ago in Journal
5 Common Writing Mistakes to Avoid!
Writing fiction is a rewarding hobby, passion or career choice for anyone who enjoys creating new worlds and characters, and loves the art of writing. However, whether you’re a new writer or have self-published a series of novels, several common writing mistakes will make you stick out like a sore thumb to agents, editors and your readers. These mistakes are relatively easy to rectify if you know what to look for, but many writers don’t and assume they have written a masterpiece, only to be disappointed when they face rejections and no book sales.
By Stand Corrected Editing5 years ago in Journal
How to Plan a Historical Novel in 3 Easy Steps
Reading a historical novel is exciting; you get to travel back to the era you find most interesting and immerse yourself with characters from the past. I mean, what better way to escape from the horrors here in the present day? However, a historical novel is one of the hardest things to write. Unless you’re creating your own history in a historical fantasy or a science fiction, you have to make sure that every little detail is accurate. If you don’t, readers will quickly pick up on the inaccuracies, and your book will flop like a bitch!
By Stand Corrected Editing5 years ago in Journal
Do You Need a Pseudonym to Boost Your Book Sales?
As an avid reader, a passionate writer and a professional copy editor, I have always explored different genres and styles written by all kinds of authors. However, in the publishing world, authors are often advised to use their initials or to create a pseudonym to grow their audience and increase their book sales. Why? Because apparently, some readers can be picky when it comes to an author’s sex. For example, J. K. Rowling was advised against using her full name, Joanne Rowling, when publishing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone due to the assumption that boys would not read books written by female authors. In recent years, Rowling has used the pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, to separate her crime books from her general fiction, but why has she used a male name? Perhaps to avoid being judged for being a female author? Nora Roberts has also done the same thing – she goes by the name of J. D. Robb for her crime novels, which doesn’t reveal her sex or who she is.
By Stand Corrected Editing5 years ago in Journal
