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HR Topics for the Small to Medium Size Business Owner

Change People by Assuming They Can’t Change

People Energy Principle #7 – Change Change People by Assuming They Can’t Change You’ve probably heard it before: “People can change if they really want to!” Cute. Inspiring. Totally unreliable as a leadership strategy. The Hard Truth Most people don’t dramatically change who they are just because you gave them a pep talk or a

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Words Are Free. Behavior Costs.

People Energy Principle #6 – Notice what people say and believe what people do. People say a lot of things: And yet… deadlines slip, priorities shift, and actions don’t match the script. Is their motivation misaligned? Are they unaware of their true motives? Yes. Why the Disconnect Happens Humans are wired to present themselves well.

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Stop Trying to Engineer Perfect People (It Doesn’t Work)

People Energy Principle #5 – Human nature isn’t what we wish it were. We often fall into a trap: That’s nuts. That’s not how human nature works. Reality Check on Human Nature Humans have free will. We have our own goals, values, and life purposes. We each bring unique superpowers to the table—and also quirks,

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Power Moves with People Energy

People Energy Principle #4 – Unleash & Harness People Energy for Love & Truth You’ve seen it before: a team buzzing with energy, people collaborating effortlessly, creativity sparking like wildfire. That’s people energy—and it’s the most powerful resource any business has. But here’s the thing: people energy is neutral until directed. The same techniques that

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Your Employees Aren’t Lazy (But Your Systems Might Be)

People Energy Principle #3 – Generally speaking, people want to do good work. Too many leaders build systems as if their people will slack off at every chance. Swipe cards. Monitoring software. Meetings to check if work is getting done. The assumption? People are lazy by default. But here’s the truth: most people want to

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The Unleash People EnergyⓇ Manifesto

Does it ever feel like the way we talk about business totally misses the point? I think so. Especially when the conversation turns into a tug-of-war between “people” and “business,” as if they’re separate things. That old idea—that a business can thrive while sidelining the very people powering it—isn’t just outdated. It’s nonsense. It’s Time

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We’re Losing the Plot in Recruiting—Here’s How to Get It Back

Recruiting isn’t working like it used to. Let’s be honest—it hasn’t worked well for a while, but lately, the whole system feels like it’s crumbling. Conversations are getting replaced by bots. Résumés vanish into black holes. Candidates get ghosted after interviews. And all of this sends a loud, clear message: “You’re not worth our time.”

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From Data Tricks to True Transformation: A Response to McKinsey’s Organizational Health Analysis

McKinsey’s recent article, “Healthy Organizations Keep Winning, but the Rules Are Changing Fast,“ makes bold claims about the nature of organizational health. Yet, despite its ambition, the methodology it uses relies heavily on correlation without exploring the deeper causal mechanisms that drive success. For senior leaders in smaller businesses, startups, and nonprofits—those at the forefront

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Employee Wellbeing as a Top Business Strategy

Wellbeing has become an important element to consider in today’s workplace. Wellbeing is defined as the overall mental, physical, emotional, and economic health of employees. According to recent research, wellbeing is influenced by various factors such as employees’ relationships with co-workers, their decisions, and the tools and resources to which they have access. According to

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Managers are Accountable for Employee Performance

Let’s talk about being a manager. I’m not just a manager, I’m a leader!  So you say. Now don’t go spreading yourself too thin. There’s more to this manager thing than you know. Remember what I said in Truth #8 about performance reviews?  I said that you, as a manager, are responsible for the performance

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We’re not your standard blocking and tackling HR professionals, therefore, we’re quite easy to talk to and level with. Schedule a consultation with us if you’re seeking an HR partnership and ready to Unleash People Energy™ to propel your team’s growth. Whether you need us for an hour or a standing meeting to build and run the leanest and simplest people practices, we’ve got you!

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