Employment for Life! Not on your life. Work has certainly changed over the past 30 years. Hard working people, like my parents, worked for the same company for their whole careers. Since that time mergers, acquisitions and the global economy has forever changed the way companies treat their workers. What's also come to an end is a worker's blind faith in corporate leaders and managers. Leading today takes more than telling people what to do. In our Dr. Phil world people need more ... more communication, more connection, more care. Without it teams will lack direction, employees will lack motivation and leaders will flounder.

Leaders need to be real and authentic. In addition to climbing the corporate ladder, leaders need to hold the ladder so others can follow. Strong leaders should invest in their teams like they would invest in their financial portfolio. Like a valuable stock, each employee should be chosen based on how they fit into the overall team and its mission. Like a stock, the leader should know all about the employee. Know what makes them tick, know their strengths and weaknesses, know their performance track record. Leaders need to understand their employee's individual goals and objectives to see if they blend with the team mission. With this information the leader has most of the ingredients necessary to increase motivation, aid direction and strengthen communication. What's missing?

The secret ingredient is ...