Welcome to Brunner & Associates, Inc.
Our passion is helping individuals and organizations to be all they can be.
Brunner & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals with strategic planning, coaching, and other organizational and management issues. We also provide facilitation services to organizations and groups, helping them to address issues and reach agreement on important matters.
Sun
01
Sep
2019
Simple Wisdom Tip #94: Do the Most Important Things First
Some 100 years ago, Charles Schwab, president of Bethlehem Steel, wanted to increase his own and his team’s efficiency. Ivy Lee, a well-known efficiency expert, made a proposition: "Let me spend fifteen minutes with each of your executives and I’ll increase their efficiency and your sales.” Schwab asked about the cost and Lee said nothing, unless it works. If so, send him a check after three months, for whatever it's worth. Schwab agreed.
The following day, Ivy Lee met with Charles Schwab's management executives and told them: “For the next 90 days, before leaving your office for the day, make a list of the six most important things you have to do the next day and rank them in the order of importance. Start with #1 and cross it off when completed, then go on to #2 and so on. If all of them don’t get done, put them on the following day's list."
The executives followed Lee's instructions. Three months later, Schwab studied the results and was so pleased that he sent Lee a check for $35,000. At the time, the average worker in the U.S. was being paid $2 per day. It worked for them.…it might work for you!
Thu
01
Aug
2019
Simple Wisdom Tip #93: Loyalty to the Absent
It seems to be common practice in organizations for employees to complain about a boss or fellow staff member behind his or her back. Rather than respectfully confronting someone, it’s easier to tell someone else about it, send that person a snippy email (and make it worse by copying others) or complain to the HR unit. This is destructive and actually cowardly behavior. The right approach – at least most of the time – is to go directly to the alleged offender and talk it out.
I believe it was Stephen Covey who coined the phrase “loyalty to the absent”. In other words, not bashing the individual who is not currently in the room. Imagine what others might think who hear Harry bash Sally. It might occur to them, “I wonder what Harry is saying about me when I’m not present. Hmm.” The solution, of course, is to find ways to constructively confront the other person. Only that has the potential to bring health and healing to a situation. Give it a try.