CEO Blog Archive - Page 168 of 171

Recent Articles

Emotions Are at the Center of Patience

“Patience is choosing to control your emotions rather than letting your emotions control you.” Are you a person who desires to be more patient? If so, how are you attacking it? This quote from writer Mark Merrill suggests emotions are at the center of patience. Here’s my experience with patient people: They can wait. They resist the impulse to react to situations and act only when they come up with a plan. They have learned

Howe Q. Wallace March 20, 2012

A Strategy for Handling Mistakes

Don Miller is one of my favorite authors. His book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years remains a favorite of mine. Like most authors these days, he blogs on the internet. I follow it. He recently wrote about a public comment he made that he wished he hadn’t made. He listed his checklist for dealing with it. You can read it here >> Whether it is misspeaking or mistaking, it’s good to have a

Howe Q. Wallace March 19, 2012

Becoming a “Lean” Company

As I reported recently, it is obvious that your efforts on “lean” – working to eliminate wasted time, wasted motion and wasted material – are working. We are identifying areas to attack. We focus our attention on improving them. You coordinate your efforts. And, you get results. But, the first part is the easy part. Sort of like a honeymoon. Then, the newness can wear off. If we don’t watch it, we drift back to

Howe Q. Wallace March 9, 2012

We Can All Be Leaders

I saw a man named Drew Dudley speak about leadership on a video the other day. He opened his speech with this question: “How many of you are completely comfortable with calling yourselves a leader?” It was a pretty big audience and only a few people put up their hands. Dudley confirmed that is what he usually ran into. He said that it was his conviction that we have made leadership bigger than ourselves. We

Howe Q. Wallace March 5, 2012

Thanks for Your Efforts to Improve

It’s hard to believe that March is here already. I’ve visited a number of plants so far this year and I notice one consistent trend: our people are fighting incredibly hard to help us to succeed. Every place I go, folks are trying out a variety of strategies to correct hassles that have plagued us for awhile as well as new problems that crop up daily. They are putting aside old methods to try new

Howe Q. Wallace March 2, 2012

What Does “Fair” Look Like?

I mentioned recently in an HQ Note that a pillar of a great place to work is whether associates believe they are treated fairly. I was reflecting about fairness. What does “fair” look like? “Fair” listens. It seeks to understand before reacting. Frequently, someone complaining about unfair treatment is frustrated because his version of the truth of the matter remains untold. “Fair” is predictable. People don’t like surprises. We create a predictable workplace when we

Howe Q. Wallace February 29, 2012

Learn from Shortfalls Instead of Making Excuses

“I never knew a man who was good at making excuses who was good at anything else.” – Benjamin Franklin When things turn out in a way we don’t desire, it’s important to study what happened, determine what we have learned and make a plan to get better. People who make excuses tend to get stuck. Making excuses usually involves pointing a finger at someone or something as the reason for the shortfall. I interpret

Howe Q. Wallace February 23, 2012

Treating Each Other Fairly and With Respect

We have more than 1,200 teammates in our company. As CEO, it is my honor to lead our approach to how we treat each other as we serve our customers. Here are some thoughts I hold close. As we interact with others daily, I would hope that every person would be able to say that they were treated with respect and they were treated fairly. Certainly, those of us in leadership positions have the greatest

Howe Q. Wallace February 17, 2012

Making a Good Process Better

A “lean” parable: I go to airports a lot. Some folks like to get to the airport early. I don’t. My goal is to get there as early as necessary. No sooner. I think it’s “lean” not to spend extra time in airports. I’ve gotten my routine down. It works well for me. I got a good place to park. I dress the right way not to trigger alarms. I can break down my luggage

Howe Q. Wallace February 16, 2012

Four Characteristics of a Good Coworker

A woman named Ashley Hoffman recently suggested four traits that would cause you to be “loved” on the job. Generosity. Would your colleagues describe you as generous? Are you free with words of encouragement? Do you readily help someone who is struggling in some fashion? Are you quick with a smile or laugh? Will you go out of your way? Are your teammates glad to see you coming? That’s what generosity in the workplace looks

Howe Q. Wallace February 15, 2012

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Articles About Leadership

THE JUICE IS WORTH THE SQUEEZE

“Everything you want is on the other side of ‘hard’.” – CJ McCollum, NBA player McCollum is a story of overachievement. He was undersized. Played college basketball at a non-descript school. Was a long shot to be an NBA player but worked his way to being a first-round draft pick and was a solid star in his 10th year in the league. I heard him describe his approach to the game and his development on a podcast called

Howe Q. Wallace March 25, 2024

HAPPENING TO THE WORLD – A SATISFYING WAY TO LIVE

PalletOne leaders “happen to the world.” What does that mean? A PalletOne leader is confident. Each situation creates an opportunity for service and contribution. We are talented and put those talents to work. We see those around us as having talent. We seek to unlock it. We realize that we can be called upon to take the initiative to improve things at any moment. We act when the situation calls for it. We inspire through

Howe Q. Wallace March 25, 2024

SUFFERING AND CHALLENGES

“Weep, trust, pray, think, shift, hope, grow. Ways to handle suffering.” – Tim Keller Tim Keller was a preacher from New York City. He passed away in 2023. I followed him on Twitter because he tweeted profound thoughts like the one above. You don’t exit life without tough things happening to you. It’s a fact. None of us are exempt. In specific order, Keller gave us seven verbs to consider when challenged: Weep – It’s

Howe Q. Wallace March 22, 2024