There has been some buzz in the change management world about a system for change created by psychologist Kurt Lewin.  He identified three phases for change back in the early 20th century.  We still use these today. His model uses the unfreeze, change and refreeze methods.  These methods help make organizational change go more smoothly.  We all know that everyone hates change and that the only thing constant in a company is change. The unfreeze phase is when the need for change is recognized.  Change agents begin to trumpet the need for the change and begin to gain buy-in from the group.  Everyone...

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Before we even start, let me be clear about this one thing: the earthquake in Haiti and the resulting devastation was a terrible, terrible thing. We Americans, individually and collectively, should do what we can to help the people of Haiti recover from this disaster. I am not in the Rush Limbaugh, "Let 'em take care of themselves" camp. Having said that, this is a business blog, not a humanitarian aid blog or a general current events blog. So, it is appropriate that we take a look at the long term impact that this disaster may have on business, divorced from...

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There's an old adage that says when life hands you lemons, you should make lemonade. Well, the current job market is a bunch of lemons, if I've ever seen one.  But if you plan carefully and take a long term view, you can position yourself to come out of this better off than your competitors. If you've got a job, hold onto it.  For nearly every skill set and every industry, this is not a good time to be looking for a new job.  There's virtually no one doing any hiring, and those few that are looking are being swamped...

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I recently was reading an article by one of my favorite authors, Mike Holmes, about how the Bible is needed in the business world today.  His article got me thinking about the universal applications of the Christian message. Mike wrote about how doing business wrong has no long term sustainability.  Those doing business wrong eventually get discovered and have to pay the cost.  They are going to prison and paying major fines.  Careers are being squashed, and company reputations are smeared. The Bible teaches wisdom on how to associate with others, such as the popular Golden Rule.  There are many other...

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Technology is ever evolving. But as technology changes, we are changing, too. Every aspect of our lives is being modified to keep pace with the changes in technology.  There have been a number of reports recently suggesting that companies are checking up on potential employees by Googling them.  More than a few candidates have been rejected based on incriminating photographs posted on their Facebook pages. It seems that the evolution of technology has gone where the younger generation thought it would never go: their parents' generation.  HR Managers have caught on to the fact that the twenty somethings they're...

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