Front-line employees often see obvious ways to affect Critical Numbers, but we want them invested beyond the obvious and think like owners. We teach the employees at our restaurants to use MiniGames™ to improve aspects of performance that would not otherwise receive focus.

(reprinted with permission from NCEO.org) ESOPs can be an ideal business transition solution for many business owners, providing a way to preserve their legacy with employees and the community, get a fair price, retain a role in the company if they like, and get unmatched tax benefits in the process. But while ESOPs are not right for many companies, over the years, we at the NCEO have heard a lot of unconvincing or downright incorrect reasons not to do an ESOP. Unfortunately, too many business owners decide not to do an ESOP based on these bogus rationales. Here at the NCEO, our goal is not to convince anyone to implement an ESOP but to help people make a well-informed, sensible decision. With that in mind, below is a list of twelve reasons you might have heard about why not to do an ESOP that are just wrong, followed by seven very legitimate ones.

This is the first in our series of weekly blogs on the Annual Gathering of Games, the world's largest conference on open-book management. This year marks the 26th anniversary of the event, which attracts business leaders from companies of all sizes, in all industries, from all over the world, who recognize that they can transform their businesses by valuing and elevating their greatest resource: their employees. These articles are written by Great Game employees to highlight some of the highest rated sessions at the 2017 conference. We hope to give you a flavor of the content-rich sessions that can be found at The Gathering of Games. Click the link below to hear the entire audio recording from this breakout session.

It’s hard to believe we’ve had 25 years of The Gathering and are on our way to the 26th. This year was our biggest and most amazing event yet! If you didn’t make it out this year, we hope to see you there for 2018! From the sessions to the networking, we had a blast and wanted to share some of our top takeaways from the event.

Employee engagement can bring a true competitive advantage to organizations that make it a priority; however, increasing employee engagement levels, and maintaining them, takes time, commitment, and investment. Having said that, developing a game strategy to do so doesn’t have to be overwhelming – and can actually be fun!

In 2007, we rolled out the Zingerman’s 2020 Vision with much fanfare. As the written picture of what success would look like for our organization, we included such lofty headers as "Radically Better Service," "An Education Destination," "Changing Our World" and ... "We Put the F U in Fun." In the year 2020, Zingerman’s is planning to have increased the level of fun at work by at least 380%!

Breaking up is hard to do. But when it’s in the best interest of both parties, it makes parting a little easier. Staying current with your organization’s technology not only makes it easier to access important information, but also keeps your employees engaged through the devices they trust and use most.

Imagine your team walking into the weekly company huddle to find themselves as a contestant on Jeopardy competing for real cash prizes! How about feeling like they just walked onto the set of one of the most popular current reality shows. Or what if your staff meeting was a spoofed, miniature production of the Tonight Show? These are just a few of endless ideas to add a little spice when needing to reignite what may have become the “dreaded mandatory weekly meeting.” It is also a great way to honor those special employees in a most memorable way.

Rewards are essential to The Great Game of Business® and for improving work culture and engagement. So much so that we should begin with its definition. Reward: To make a gift of something to someone in recognition of his or her services, efforts or achievements. Reward systems recognize staff members who excel in areas, such as customer service, loyalty and sales ability. There are many reasons to begin a reward system, for example:

While you’re still basking in the afterglow of the Gathering of Games, we wanted to share with you an additional opportunity to build relationships with some great leaders who have a deep commitment to values and collaboration from our friends at the Small Giants Community. (A number of whom are Great Game of Business practitioners.) It’s a quick turnaround, but definitely worth your effort. The 2015 Small Giants Summit in Dallas on September 20 - 23 has attendees from South Africa, the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, Japan and Brazil and is an excellent opportunity for global learning on an intimate scale.