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Eric Britten

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President, Britten & Associates, LLC

697 points

Eric established Britten & Associates, LLC based on his deep convictions that all business owners and managers want to make their businesses function smoothly, operate profitably, grow sustainably and provide a secure future for their owners and employees.

Eric spent his ...

Eric established Britten & Associates, LLC based on his deep convictions that all business owners and managers want to make their businesses function smoothly, operate profitably, grow sustainably and provide a secure future for their owners and employees.

Eric spent his career developing and using the models and skills that he employs in his practice drawing on resources from Fortune’s 100 Best, Forbes and Malcolm Baldridge Award winners, the International Productivity and Quality Center and the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative. He truly believes that by partnering with his clients, they can turn their organizations into higher performing businesses delivering better results critical to their success.
Eric is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

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WEB: BLOG

Eric Britten and 104 other people answered this question

Aug. 4, 2011

What do you think successful people do that others don't?

Richard ... it sounds as if you are saying they are successful, but do they? Back to square one - have they defined success ... or possibly more appropriately, have they RE-defined success? Many people accumulate wealth, power and fame because they always just assumed ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Eric Britten recommends this answer by Charlie Judy

June 20, 2011

Red, Blue or Purple: Do you reveal your political viewpoints openly with colleagues?

Generally I believe it's a slippery slope that tends to lead to nothing really positive. I think the question that needs to be asked is whether you stand to gain anything by being open. Unless that gain is easy to identify and justify, I'd recommend ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Company Culture

Eric Britten and 9 other people answered this question

May 18, 2011

Can voluntary attrition be good for a company?

Charlie. I don't disagree with you ... (love double negatives) meaning I agree with you ........ that a company should have a goal to develop a retention program that works. As you point out, if a company has that, then when a valued employee leaves, ... more

Human Resources

Employee Engagement

Eric Britten and 7 other people answered this question

May 18, 2011

When you retire, how will you measure the success of your professional career?

I'm with Paul and Alan. To sum it up, the question I will ask myself is "Did I make a difference?" That applies to both my personal and professional lives. And that is a question I will continue to ask myself as I now near ... more

Human Resources

Career Developement

Work Life Balance

Eric Britten and 9 other people answered this question

May 13, 2011

Can the culture of a company be dictated by top level management?

Doug: Very good points. Culture really isn't very simple, is it? As a matter of fact, many companies are just finding out how complex it really is. There are some who feel that culture can be carefully engineered through organizational values, principles, and management behaviors. ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Company Culture

Eric Britten and 1 other person commented on this post

May 10, 2011

How much can you rely on the Voice of the Customer?

Hello, Maz:
That's quite a thoughtful post. I understand your perspective. You are correct. Customers only can tell you what they think at the moment. I have used VOC HOQ (House of Quality) frequently in many different projects, and I almost always recommend VOC in any ... more

Customer Experience

Eric Britten and 5 other people answered this question

April 28, 2011

Survey methodology: what is your preferred number of points on a rating-scale?

You're referring to a Likert Scale, and normally we see somewhere between 4 and 10 point scales. Some psychologists disagree that the 5-point scale is the most effective, but it's one we see frequently, and it's the one I prefer. I use it the most ... more

Customer Service

Data Collection

Eric Britten and 6 other people answered this question

April 19, 2011

Does hiring "nice" people create a culture of high organizational performance?

Charlie: Based upon the answers posted here, I think most others agree with you. "Nice" really is an ambiguous term. It just happened to be where we went during the roundtable discussion.
In my hiring experience, the closest I have gotten to "nice" is "fit", ... more

Human Resources

Company Culture

Eric Britten and 17 other people answered this question

April 19, 2011

How can busy business professionals achieve a true work life balance?

Work life balance is extremely subjective, as was pointed out by Bruce. What is a good balance for one person might very well be suntenable for another. Over the years, however, I have developed a tool that helps me stay balanced, even as my priorities ... more

Human Resources

Talent Management

Work Life Balance

Eric Britten and 4 other people answered this question

April 19, 2011

What are some sustainable ways to engage employees in realizing an organization's desired culture

Wow! You all made some excellent points. Each of you point out that management sets the example in developing and exhibiting desired attributes consistently and creating an environment where they, and the behaviors that support them, are fostered.
One question that arose during the roundtable ... more

Human Resources

Company Culture

Employee Engagement

Eric Britten and 3 other people answered this question

April 19, 2011

If culture shift caused companies to cease to be relevant to their workforces how can they reconnect

Jannell and Guy .... good thoughtful answers. Thank you. We discussed this issue from several perspectives during the roundtable, and do think it has to do with connecting, empowering and interacting. We also discussed that management can foster an atmosphere that supports the development of ... more

Human Resources

Corporate Culture

Eric Britten asked a question

April 4, 2011

What is "customer-centricity" and what role should it play in the corporate culture?

Human Resources

Eric Britten and 10 other people answered this question

April 1, 2011

Why is it important to provide a reason for your connection invitation on LinkedIn?

Relevance! I don't know about others, but my LinkedIn philosophy is quality, not quantity. I don't send invitations to people I don't know, and I don't accept invitations from people I don't know. It's important to me that my LinkedIn connections are relevant to my ... more

Eric Britten and 2 other people answered this question

March 30, 2011

What is your busiest point in the day? How do you prepare for it?

Hi, Paul:
Rather than allow my schedule to control me, I work to plan my schedule so it matches my needs and habits. I'm a morning person, so my most productive time (and the time when I have the most energy and ability to focus) is ... more

General Management

Eric Britten and 6 other people answered this question

March 29, 2011

Rank by importance - then why for #1 and #3: cost reduction, revenue growth, or margin improvement

Haroldo: You're right. And your post about aligning with organizational strategy is certainly on target. Strategy is where it all begins. In our responses, each of us is making assumptions about what the situation might be in a given organization. I just tried to answer ... more

General Management

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