Scott Gauvin

5 Characteristics of High Performing Workplaces

As featured in the June 2014 issue of Effective Flow Magazine: 

 

 

 

It’s the elusive goal behind every Continuous Improvement initiative: Every organization wants to become a high performing workplace. But what does this entail? How does one go about achieving it? How long does it take? I’ve spent my career answering these questions.

 

I have read countless tomes on the subject of business success and how to achieve it, benefited from […]

Funding for Employee Training

If budget prevented you from attending our last Fundamentals of Change workshop good news: For qualified organizations, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) will grant up to half the cost of this training through their Express program.The EOLWD believes in FCC’s impact on the leadership and team building skills necessary to drive change and performance. Approved companies could get funding to kick off training in […]

Rethinking Reshoring

Kudos to the Reshoring Initiative @ReshoreNow  and @harrymoser for recognition of their efforts to bolster American manufacturing. Though there are at times strategic benefits to outsourcing/off-shoring, I’ve seen this approach to cost savings too often put to premature use. Labor costs, as a growing number of manufacturers worldwide now understand, is just part of the equation. 

 

The value of cost savings gained through lower labor rates must also be measured against […]

What’s Your Blindspot?

Self awareness is the first step to becoming a better leader. It’s also the first step in mitigating your shortcomings and building better personal and professional relationships. This article synthesizes what the author calls “brain type” by behavior and provides a cheat sheet of each type’s strengths, weaknesses and blindspots. Though none of us follow a singular behavioral pattern, this is an entertaining general refresher on how it is […]

Comfort Zone = Perspective Killer

Interesting idea for an app to build empathy – an important component of perspective. Don’t know how successful the app in particular would be, but I get the point and the purpose. We all benefit from challenging ourselves, our ideas and ways of thinking to learn and relate. Self awareness creates better communication which leads to better relationships and stronger organizations.

 

Organizations like the individuals that run them, can also […]

Kevin Durant: Leadership with Heart

If you haven’t already, check out NBA MVP Kevin Durant’s acceptance speech. It’s a little long, but worth what I thought was an inspiring refresher in leadership. Instead of using the platform to self congratulate, Durant took the opportunity to recognize his team – each individual’s impact on him, honor his journey and others who helped him along the way. Even the naysayers were thanked. The combination of gratitude, […]

The Why and How Business is Personal

A thoughtful articulation of one of the tenets of Macresco’s philosophy as well as the relationship between communication, culture and performance. 

Business Good = Good Business

To end the week on a positive note, I am pleased to see Barry-Wehmiller @barrywehmiller recognized as one of Inc’s 25 most audacious companies. #Audacious The basis of its audacity? It dares to treat employees like human beings, eschews the idea of “managing” people and defines leadership as a responsibility to “steward” those in your care. This organization’s financial success proves the value of their altruistic approach to business governance […]