Inspiration Conversation from The Miller Company

Summer Conferences

tommiller — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:00:19 -0400

This summer, I�??ve had a chance to participate in a couple of conferences that have impacted my understanding of what�??s going on in �??recognition world�??. For any of us, when we immerse in our work, we risk beginning to view the world through a lens that can become distorted and separate from reality (if you manufacture hammers, everything looks like a nail. If you develop and operate recognition and incentive systems, every business issue can be solved with

Recognition and Reward Systems as Drivers of Employee Engagement

tommiller — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:30:12 -0400

Here�??s the beginning of an article that I�??m working on�?�.

The Great Good Place

tommiller — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:18:20 -0400

Author Ray Oldenburg wrote the above titled book a decade ago as a �??call to arms�?? for more holistic living. I�??m a fan of his thinking and I see benefits for organizations that facilitate employees bringing their �??whole self�?? to work. Years ago, the marketplace became enamored with creating systematic efficiencies and viewed human capital as simply another cog in the system. Allowing for unique skills, talents, thinking and int

Lessons Learned While Training

tommiller — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 07:32:23 -0500

When I�??m not spending time with family or working, I enjoy training for endurance sports �?? running, biking and triathlons (swimming is a part of triathlon, but I won�??t lie �?? I don�??t like training to swim. Working on my attitude here�?�). Every once in awhile, I race. I�??m writing this entry from a hotel in Austin the evening before running in the Austin Marathon (I�??m running the half). I train and race with a group of about 10 guys; it�??s an

School, cont.

tommiller — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:00:17 -0500

My most recent school module occurred at the HEC School of Management. The campus is in France, just outside of Paris in a little village near Versailles �?? Jouy en Josas. My class stays in an old chateau that�??s been remodeled and has had classroom space added to accommodate modern learning needs. This module�??s focus was the psycho-dynamics of change and how people�??s background, personality and personal issues impact their role within a grou

Back to School

tommiller — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 11:51:07 -0500

For some time now, I�??ve felt the need to deepen my understanding of the issues I commonly encounter in my work �?? employee engagement, culture, levers of change, growing international influence. I read the books and articles that are out there, but I have a desire to know more and do more. A month ago, I went back to school.

Happy New Year!

tommiller — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:04:02 -0500

Wow�?�what a unique time of the year for those of us that celebrate Christmas and operate on �??calendar year thinking�??. In our personal lives we�??re working in more time for family and friends, shopping for gifts, attending holiday parties and possibly planning vacation time away from work. All of this is occurring while we�??re dealing with the daily issues of our work as well as wrapping up year end assignments.

Thanksgiving

tommiller — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:15:22 -0500

When I am in �??work mode�??, my focus is on making everything better �?? our client support, our work environment, our professional skills, and the list goes on�?�Too often, I find myself looking so often and so closely at things to improve (a never ending process for any workplace leader) that I inadvertently turn these �??improvement opportunities�?? into �??problems�??. And then I work myself into a funk because I�??ve surrounded myself with perceived problems a

Are You Operating in Today's Reality?

tommiller — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 09:58:21 -0500

Stop and look around at the cultural, political and business situations in your immediate vicinity. Here�??s the list of things I see around me:

At What Stage is Leadership Most Important?

tommiller — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:05:31 -0400

I recently encountered a formula for the stages of life a team goes through. The team can be small, or the team can be an entire organization �?? the dynamic is the same regardless of the numbers. The stages are as follows: