Webcasts: High Performance, Virtuous Organizations and Organizational Storytelling

Recently, I hosted a series of webcasts that will help individuals who want to promote virtuous organizational cultures and/or who are interested in organizational storytelling. In the first webcast, Professor Kim Cameron of the University of Michigan talks about Positive Organizational Scholarship and case for virtuous organizational cultures. In a second, Rick Garlick of Maritz Research presents compelling research that virtuous organizational cultures have a economic advantage. In a third webcast, John Timmerman, Corporate VP of Operations at Ritz-Carlton, talks about the Ritz-Carlton’s culture and its practice called the “Daily Line Up” that promotes virtues. In the last webcast, organizational storytelling expert Steve Denning talks about how to tell stories that motivate change, including change in values. I hope you will check out some or all of these webcasts and share your ideas and opinions about how to promote the virtuous organizational cultures we need.

Teaching Connection at GE








Today I taught about Connection Cultures and employee engagement to leaders at GE’s famed Crotonville Leadership Training Center. In the coming weeks I’ll be working with GE to add material from 
Fired Up or Burned Out to one of GE’s leadership courses.  The Connection Culture will help GE attain its desire to be inclusive.  And I’m fired up about helping this great organization become even better. 

GE is a company I’ve always admired.  Previously I’ve written about Jeff Immelt, GE’s CEO, and how he has made inclusiveness one of GE’s values.  More recently, I wrote in a post entitled “Warren Buffett: More Than an Oracle,” that Buffett made a multibillion dollar investment in GE.  Although the current economic conditions are challenging, like Buffett, I believe GE’s future is bright.

Joining Marshall Goldsmith, others as expert on Success Television

Last week I joined Marshall Goldsmith and others as one of Success Television’s experts on leadership and employee engagement. Former CNN executive Helen Whelan, Success Television’s founder and CEO, is developing an excellent platform to provide corporate training via online, dvds and videos. Success Television’s website is currently featuring an article I wrote about Truth, Beauty and Goodness in Leadership. You can learn more about it by clicking on Success Television.

Webcast: John Timmerman, Corp. VP Operations, Ritz-Carlton

John Timmerman, Corporate Vice President of Operations at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. (click here for his bio) was my guest on a recent webcast on Brighttalk.com’s Leadership and Employee Engagement Channel.  You can see the webcast by clicking on employee engagement.

During the webcast John identifies a variety of Ritz-Carlton practices that hep make it a Connection Culture including:

Presentation to Wharton and Harvard Business School Clubs of D.C.

Last week I spoke at a breakfast meeting of Wharton and Harvard Business School Clubs of D.C.  It was such an engaging group of individuals that included entrepreneurs, leaders of government agencies, and leaders from the social sector.  I would like to thank them for their enthusiastic response to my presentation.  

During the presentation I spoke about the leadership style of or Retired Admiral Vern Clark, the former Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) who served as CNO from 2000-2005.  Retired Rear Admiral Rose Levitre, who presently works for LMI (an intelligence consulting organization) and Rear Admiral Frank Thorp, the current Chief of Information for the Navy, stood up before the group and shared their experiences working for Admiral Clark.  Thank you Rose and Frank for inspiring us with your stories.  

Finally, I would like to thank the Wharton Alumni Club of D.C.’s president, Alan Schlaifer, for doing a first class job of organizing this event and Anthony Priest, chairman of the Harvard Business School Club of D.C., for promoting it.