Jennifer Mitchell Earley

You've heard the adage, “The squeaky wheel gets the oil,” meaning that the loudest people gain the most attention. The complaining shopper gets free credit at a store. The crying sibling gets more sympathy from her parents. The co-worker with the best boasting skills receives the promotion. According to Wolfe J. Rinke, Ph.D., an experienced executive leader, management consultant, professional speaker, and author of Don’t Oil the Squeaky Wheel, it’s time to throw away your oil can. In his book, Rinke notes that if you’re spending more than 5% of your time on trouble makers, you’re messing up. He maintains that if you want your team members to be positive, trusting, turned on, and tuned in, then you must spend the majority of your time with the people who behave that way, and while they are doing that, help you succeed faster. There will always be “squeaky wheels” passionately objecting to change . However, it is important not to allow these detractors to sidetrack the team fr...

Effectively onboarding new hemployees is critical to their success as well as to the success of your organization. It allows employees to feel welcomed and comfortable in their new role, on their new team/department, integrated into the culture of the organization, and acquainted with the organizational mission, vision, and objectives. Additionally, employee onboarding provides pertinent information such as specifics concerning employee roles and responsibilities, who/where to go with questions, relevant departmental protocols and procedures as well as fosters employee confidence. Thus, helping employees adapt faster to their new role, environment, and expectations. This is also true for newly Elected Officials. In 1997 as a newly Elected Official, I was thankful to have my dad to help me navigate my first four-year term. For many newly Elected Officials, this is their first foray into public service. It’s an exciting time, but without having prior political knowledge or the wi...