Vision

12 Mar, 2012

Performance Reviews Would Be Great If…

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:51+00:00March 12th, 2012|Accountability, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

Complete this sentence: Performance Reviews would be great if …. I asked participants in a series of workshops that question last week, and their answers were surprising and inspiring. There were the usual responses thrown in for comedic effect such as performance reviews would be if I always received top reviews and the maximum pay raise. But, most of the responses suggest that performance reviews could be valuable tools to provide feedback, encourage improvement, and enable results.

12 Feb, 2012

Right Number – Wrong Measure

By Randy Pennington|2014-10-19T22:25:01+00:00February 12th, 2012|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

What if the unemployment rate is the wrong measure? The U.S. economy added 243,000 jobs in January 2012, and the unemployment rate dropped from 8.5 percent to 8.3 percent. That’s huge, and everyone should be excited regardless of their political affiliation. This is the type of employment gain that solidifies the economic recovery. But, what if the right number turns out to be the wrong measure?

9 Jan, 2012

Pennington Performance Group 2012 Economic & Workplace Predictions

By Randy Pennington|2023-02-12T00:31:12+00:00January 9th, 2012|Business Growth, Business Predictions, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Leadership, Results|

We’ve been doing annual business and workplace predictions for our clients since 2005. This is the second year we have posted them here for wider distribution. We are different from others who publicize their predictions in one very important way – we let you know how accurate we were the previous year.

10 Dec, 2011

Delivering Results in the New Abnormal

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:51+00:00December 10th, 2011|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Results|

So here’s a scary thought: What if the turbulence that we’ve seen in the past three years is the new normal? This is an exciting time to be in the business of building a team, a department, and an entire organization. It is not for the faint of heart, however. The legendary brands of the future are being created today by leaders and organizations who relish the opportunity to compete and master life in the new abnormal.

22 Oct, 2011

Three Questions Determine Your Value

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:52+00:00October 22nd, 2011|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Leadership, Results|

The reality of today’s market-driven world is brutal. We are all better at some things than others. Most of us are actually excellent – or at least better than average – at some aspects of our business or personal performance. And, that doesn’t matter unless what we do well adds value to the customer.

11 Oct, 2011

It’s the Culture, Stupid!

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:52+00:00October 11th, 2011|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Innovation, Leadership, Results|

What separates the marketplace heroes in every industry from the has-beens and wanna-bes? It can’t be just products, services, or price. Your competitors don’t hire all geniuses and leave you with the dunces. Their computer systems, compensation, and operational processes are not dramatically better than yours. When they discuss strategy, the words on their flip charts are not significantly more insightful than yours. The difference is an intangible. It is a culture where every person at every level is focused on and committed to delivering results that are critical for success.

30 Sep, 2011

Want Growth? Part IV: Try Some Confidence

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:53+00:00September 30th, 2011|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Leadership, Personal Development|

The numbers are in, and people lack confidence. Not all people, but enough of them to slow consumer spending and business investment. Lack of confidence changes behavior. Confident consumers spend more money because they believe the future will be positive. Confident sales people make more sales because they trust their ability and the value of their product. Confident companies invest in innovation, talent development, and new equipment because they believe that they will be rewarded for their investment.

22 Sep, 2011

Want Growth? Part III: Raise the Talent Level

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:53+00:00September 22nd, 2011|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Leadership, Personal Development|

Your value in the marketplace is in direct proportion to the importance and complexity of the problems you can solve and solutions you can provide to your customers. Put another way, you can’t earn a brain surgeon’s salary with a talent level that qualifies you to be a convenience store clerk.

13 Sep, 2011

Want Growth? Part II: Show Me the Incentive

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:53+00:00September 13th, 2011|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Leadership, Personal Development|

“People do things for their own reasons, not for our reasons.” – William Marston My seat mate on a recent flight owns a successful small business. It is growing in a down economy because he [...]

6 Sep, 2011

Want Growth? Part I: Start With Trust

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:53+00:00September 6th, 2011|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Personal Development|

The U.S. economy is in a self-fulfilling death spiral propelled by mistrust. There is a good chance that the same thing can be said of your industry, your employer, and your career. Growth requires investment, and that requires confidence. You can’t cut your way to sustainable growth. When trust is absent, people naturally protect their immediate self-interest. This will occur even if it leads to their long-term individual and collective undoing.

17 Aug, 2011

Let’s Be Honest About Dishonesty

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:53+00:00August 17th, 2011|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Personal Development|

Dishonesty is not new, but let’s be honest—our society has raised the rationalization of dishonesty to an art form. When it comes to the truth, we embellish, expand, enrich, soften, shave, stretch, and withhold. We misspeak, pretend, bend, and improve. We are guilty of mistakes, misjudgment, and truthful hyperbole. We exaggerate, spin, filter, and inflate. However, we rarely—or perhaps even never—believe that we are guilty of dishonesty.

17 Aug, 2011

Leadership & The Tea Party

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:53+00:00August 17th, 2011|Accountability, Government & Politics, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Personal Development|

What’s not to like? Millions of like-minded people promoting limited federal government, individual freedoms, personal responsibility, free markets, and a return of political power to the states and the people. How could anyone argue that the Tea Party is a bad thing? Oh wait! That can’t be right. The Tea Party is actually millions of small-minded people who engage in racist behaviors and want to take away the power of the federal government to set policy and help society by cutting the funding to every social program that they don’t like. So which is it? The answer is, “It depends on your point of view.”

3 Aug, 2011

The Love of Humanity

By Randy Pennington|2014-10-19T22:37:48+00:00August 3rd, 2011|Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Personal Development|

When I think of a “philanthropist,” I see someone like Bono, Oprah, or Bill Gates. I imagine that they wake up in the morning thinking about opportunities to influence the world for their cause. I, on the other hand, have a mortgage. I would like to spend my day tackling huge social and economic problems, but I have holes in my calendar that must be filled to pay my bills.

11 Jul, 2011

Leading is a Matter of Trust

By Randy Pennington|2014-10-19T22:38:13+00:00July 11th, 2011|Accountability, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Results|

“We don’t trust them!” This phrase has become synonymous with a prevalent, if not majority, response when people are asked about their leader’s ability to affect positive change. Almost continuous rounds of cost-cutting; feelings that [...]

21 Jun, 2011

Milestones & Goals

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:54+00:00June 21st, 2011|Accountability, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

Seventeen days can make a tremendous difference. The date was May 25, 2011. The Dallas Mavericks became the National Basketball Association’s Western Conference Champions for only the second time in its thirty-one year history. The 17,000-plus fans were anxious for a celebration. The team held up the trophy, smiled, posed for the obligatory photo-op, and then exited the arena – leaving ESPN reporter Doris Burke looking for someone to interview.

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