Posts by Stephie Althouse
Making Mundane Chores Into Fun Memories
Have you ever had to go on a road trip to do something you wished you could do by mail and instead having fun memories with it? My son and I are both dual citizens of the U.S. and Germany. We had to renew our German passports. Since we live in the greater Dallas area,…
Read MoreThe Bad Idea Brainstorm
We’ve all heard about brainstorming. I’m sure you have initiated it or been part of it plenty of times. Were you told that no idea is wrong, let the idea freeflow, and good ideas will surface sooner rather than later? Probably. That is how brainstorming is typically done – and it works very well. Yet,…
Read MoreBoost Your Training System With These Three Learning Theories
In another Brilliance Nugget, I compared two methods of training your team members to boost your training system: The difference between these two methods is that, in option one, the entire training relies SOLEY on person-to-person training. In contrast, option 2 has a strong foundation of well-designed training resources. By the way, please don’t get…
Read MoreReduce Turnover And Stop Burning Your Money
The purpose of training is to reduce turnover and stop burning your money. Train people so they: In this Brilliance Nugget, let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of on-the-job training versus using training systems. Let’s see whether you are unnecessarily burning money in the training of your people. Training Is Transferring A Piece Of…
Read MoreThe “Stay, Stop, Start” Exercise
It is impossible to improve and grow without reflection. Two questions come to mind: Meet the “Stay, Stop, Start Exercise.” I invite you to do this exercise today in just 5-10 minutes. Here is how simple it is: Ask yourself three questions: I invite you to limit yourself to no more than three items per…
Read MoreCelebrating With Wisdom From the Book of Proverbs
This Brilliance Nugget is my 100th one! I committed to writing one per day (rain or shine) for one year. Of course, we need to celebrate this milestone. What is our “Champagne?” What could be better in celebrating with wisdom from the Book of Proverbs?! The wise woman builds her house, but with her own…
Read MoreDiscovering “New Cheese”
“Who Moved My Cheese? ” is a famous book Dr. Spencer Johnson published in 2006. As it says, it is “An amazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life.” How can you help your team members realize that there is a “new cheese” awaiting them around the corner of where…
Read MoreBrevity Can Boost Your Signal-To-Noise
Brilliance NUGGETS need brevity. Every day, I challenge myself to express something meaningful in a few words. Along the way, it dawned on me that brevity can increase the “signal-to-noise” ratio. When the signal is much greater than the noise, the message is clear and impactful. In other words, a strong message is like shedding…
Read MoreDon’t Be Quite So Smart – Relate!
There are a couple of prongs to this Brilliance Nugget. There is something profound that both of these prongs have in common: Sure, it is good to be smart; brilliant even. Yet, none of this lands with the other person if they can’t relate to you or what you share. Let’s look at the first…
Read MoreLove Your Work – And Don’t Take Your Dreams To The Grave
Today’s Brilliance Nugget is about these three questions that focus on “Love Your Work” but: Question 1: How Much Do You Love What You Do? People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. Dale Carnegie, Author of “How To Win Friends and Influence People“ You could rate your love for your…
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