More By: Greg Gast

A Delicate Management Task – Managing Upward

Posted on , by Greg Gast
A Delicate Management Task – Managing Upward

Have you ever been completely exasperated when you couldn’t convince someone above you, senior management, a board or a direct supervisor, to approve an action or authorize resources that you needed to get your job done?  When I was the Director of Human Resources in a large teaching hospital with staffing as one of my responsibilities, all requisitions to hire staff had to be approved by the COO.  So it was my job to get positions filled as quickly […]

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Your Extreme Weather Response…Resignation or Resilience?

Posted on , by Greg Gast
Your Extreme Weather Response…Resignation or Resilience?

The eastern United States and other parts of the country have been pummeled by winter weather and it’s not over yet.  Harsh weather is demanding on us physically, emotionally and economically.  Most of us are prepared for a couple of days of a difficult commute or a few hours without power, but this year is ridiculous.  Unless you are working for the electric company or are in the snow plow or tree removal business, the weather has […]

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Leadership Lessons from the Frontlines of Poverty Alleviation

Posted on , by Greg Gast
Leadership Lessons from the Frontlines of Poverty Alleviation

While preparing for a work project in Guatemala to establish a health and water cooperative in conjunction with New DenverChurch www.newdenver.org, I wanted some perspective on the most effective practices for providing assistance in developing countries.  My concern is that in spite of the lengthy war on poverty waged in the United States since the 60’s, and billions of dollars of foreign aid ($2.3 trillion spent by Western nations since World War […]

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Making the Invisible Visible – 7 Levels of Organizational Consciousness

Posted on , by Greg Gast
Making the Invisible Visible – 7 Levels of Organizational Consciousness

Why do some organizations continually fight the same internal battles, struggling with productivity and financial viability while other companies forge ahead to new levels of performance with empowered leaders and enthusiastic staff? Why do certain groups require micro-management and still fail to make sustainable progress while other teams are bursting with creativity and initiative?

Ignoring the Evidence

The failure to learn and change is exemplified with one particular client; a professional services firm who called needing interim HR management assistance as their […]

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Microsoft versus Yahoo Performance Management Systems…Who is right?

Posted on , by Greg Gast
Microsoft versus Yahoo Performance Management Systems…Who is right?

Coincidentally, Microsoft and Yahoo have made the news recently for their changes in approach to performance management.  Journalists have conjured up a debate that pits these systems as good against evil or good and bad or the theoretically neutral “people” versus “process”.  I’m not sure if the writers really don’t understand the complexity of performance management or they are simply trying to drive traffic to their blogs.  For me it’s a reminder where not to get useful […]

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