Featured Article of the Month

 Stay Interviews
A Retention Strategy for Innovative Organizations
Has anybody ever thought about the logic of asking people why they are leaving when they have one foot planted out the door? I remember on my exit interview when they asked me why I was leaving. Part of me wanted to say, “Geez, because my manager is such a hypocrite that I would rather be boiled in hot oil than have to work with her another day.” I did, however, know better. Why burn a bridge (although the bridge has since been torched)? No, I gave some answer about want to move on, etc. My only thought was I wish somebody (other than my manager) had asked me while I was there and maybe I could have stayed within the consulting firm in a different area. Oh well, c’est la vie!

Read more Stay Interviews

One Word Story

How the Exercise Works

• SELECT to participants
• CHOOSE a topic for a story
• Have participant A start the story with one word.
• Participant B carries on.
• CONTINUE until the story reaches some form of conclusion or closure.
• PUT a HAT on one of the participants, then a second one on the other team member.

NOTE: If time permits have as many as possible take part in the exercise. As a variation, inject one person into the team or add a third or fourth part to the group.

DEBRIEF exercise. As part of the debrief, ASK these question to promote dialogue:

Did you try to control the story – where it was going?

Could you control the story even if you wanted to?

What about the team – did it work – why or why not?

Did you feel silly – did you care?

What affect did the hats have on “you”?