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HR Topics for the Small to Medium Size Business Owner

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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Stay in the Game – Always

People Energy Principle #2 – First and Always, Stay in the Game. It’s tempting to swing for the fences in business—bet it all on that one deal, that one investor, that one moonshot idea. But here’s the truth: you can’t win if you’re knocked out of the game. Lindy Lessons for Leaders Nassim Taleb’s Lindy

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Rethinking What a Business Really Is

People Energy Principle #1: A Business is the Conversion of People Energy into Economic Value We often talk about business in terms of products, revenue streams, and market share. But what if we flip the script? What if, at its core, a business is nothing more—and nothing less—than the conversion of people energy into economic

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How to Use the Trust Algorithm™ as a Diagnostic

We have a personality. I have a personality. Is that all we are? Of course not. When we talk about personality conflicts, it implies that it’s the personality causing the conflict. But that’s not true. People conflicts are rarely just about personalities. They’re signals—emergency alert flares indicating deeper misalignments in structure, clarity, or expectations. When

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Strategy Levels: What Are They and Why They Matter

A while back, a highly strategic business owner was trying to get his store managers to collaborate and share operational and team performance insights. But, instead, they’d claim that their store is somehow uniquely unique in ways that the other managers couldn’t possibly understand.  Which is, of course, nonsense.  The President just knew that if

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People Energy Principles: Why I Wrote a Picture Book for Leaders

I coach a lot of leaders. Over time, I noticed a pattern. As we worked together, they started thinking and talking differently—about their people, their decisions, and their business as a whole. They saw problems more clearly. They found traction where they’d been spinning. I got curious.What exactly was I doing that made that shift

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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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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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