Author Archives: Farnaz Hedayati

Management Monday: What can Hershey teach us about managing our leadership qualities? From the scrumptious milk chocolate Hershey’s we can’t resist at the check-out line on a weekly basis to the average $100.2 million dollars worth of Hershey kisses we purchase annually, there’s no denying the joy this chocolate brings to our lives.   Ironically, Read More

Recently we discussed work life balance challenges for men. The topic is on the rise and there is no denying that many working fathers are broken down on the highway of cultural and personal balance distress, searching for resolution. Fortunately, more and more working dads are making progress for the better, as is shown in Read More

Which came first: the organization’s poor culture (the chicken) or high turnover (the egg)? Realistically, the answer to that question is much less important than the solution to breaking the cycle. Don’t worry, this discussion isn’t about exterminating chickens, but rather exterminating negativity, lack of unity and unnecessary turnover. Employer’s who spend years dealing with Read More

Management Monday: How is the male sex struggling to manage work life balance? From high-school vampires to over-the-top soap operas, television often misses the mark on portraying realistic situations. Once in a while though, realistic situations featuring relatable characters come across the screen. Tom Scavo, a character from Desperate Housewives, was one such character. Trying Read More

NLRB and Human Resources At best, Human Resources departments across the private sector have been struggling to stay afloat through recent NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) changes. New developments in the situation hardly promise an end to the hurricane, but if you’re caught in this mess, having an internal conflict resolution guide will be very Read More

“Okay team, what’s the plan?” Everyone glances around the table, expecting someone else to break the silence. “Garry, let’s hear what you’ve got to say” his boss demands. *** Sound familiar? Minus the enjoyable comedic factor, this kind of think-on-your-feet scenario is like an everyday office version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Unfortunately, high-pressure Read More

Management Monday: Managing Executive and Employee Communication A disconnect between corporate headquarters and stores is often a stifling problem for organizations, even if they don’t realize it. Executives become busy at the headquarters, frequently having to work through their lunch break (2013 Executive Shadowing study). Every day meetings, emails, and tasks flood their schedule. At Read More

The birth of Prince William and Kate’s baby has brought about many discussions on the topic of succession. Although, succession is something the British monarchy has down to an art, by contrast, most companies haven’t even wet the canvas.  This may be partially due to the fact that leaders unlike princes and princesses are not Read More

When under the gun, employees often face pressure to perform quickly and efficiently, but that isn’t always how it goes. Let’s turn to the USA Today article Asiana to sue S.F. TV Station over bogus pilot names as an example. Following the tragic crash of  Asiana Flight 214, KTVU News-station reported the names of the Read More

Management Monday: Managing Work Life Balance in Organizations Though the analogy may not be pleasant to think of, one might be justified in comparing an over-worked employee to a cow at a slaughterhouse. Offended? Keep reading. Overworked by the way doesn’t necessarily refer to a unit of time, where exceeding a number yields danger.  It Read More