Early Behaviors 💼 Shape a Reputation 👀 Faster Than Any Résumé

Passion becomes visible — in how you show up, how you contribute, and how you lead.

When I first started at the Golden Nugget, Steve Wynn told me to meet leaders across Las Vegas and learn how they ran their operations. I met all kinds. One kept his desk on a riser so visitors had to look up at him. Another walked the same route from his car to his office every day, never deviating. A third spent much of his day walking the floor, talking to employees, and listening.

After interviewing more than 20 senior leaders, I reported back. It wasn’t surprising that Wynn — and I — felt the floor‑walker was the strongest leader. He showed up with presence, humility, and curiosity. And people noticed.

Getting started on the right foot matters. People watch new leaders closely, and first impressions set the tone. As an HR leader, I always believed orientation and onboarding were essential — but what happens after those formal introductions is what truly defines someone.

In those first weeks, people watch and quietly ask themselves:

·       Are they listening, or just talking about what they did before

·       Are they humble, or are they selling themselves

·       Are they learning the culture, or clinging to old habits

·       Will they lend a hand, or hide behind a job description

These early behaviors shape reputations quickly. Fair or not, labels form fast.

That’s why HR leaders and supervisors must spend time with new employees — explaining the culture, answering questions, and guiding them toward the organization’s best behaviors. It gives people the strongest chance to succeed, blending their passions and strengths with the company’s needs.

Helping people succeed isn’t just good leadership. It’s good business. Every day. Starting today.

Robert “Bob” Marley (1945 – 1981): Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist who was one of the pioneers of reggae.

Passion Is a Daily Decision — Not a One Time Revelation 🧠

Once you know what you want, passion becomes a daily decision — not a one‑time revelation.

Like most adolescents, I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. In high school I joined Key Club and volunteered as a teacher’s aide in a Head Start program. Teaching kids to read and appreciate nature. Classes held in a small Episcopal church and city parks. A young seminarian intern named Brian playing guitar and talking about giving back. That was the first spark — the moment I realized how good it felt to be of service to others.

That led me to a college major in personnel and labor relations. It was the late 1960s — civil rights, anti‑war protests, environmental activism — and I joined a band that sang about peace and equality. It was a time when you could actually meet the poets, academics, clerics, and troubadours you read about in the papers. People who believed they could change the world. People who made you want to try.

From there came a career in Personnel — and I watched it evolve into what we now call Human Resources. I was fortunate to work for a company that believed employees mattered and proved it every day. In an upstart casino industry that understood a simple truth: happy employees make happy customers who drive the bottom line.

At some point in all our lives, we get to decide what we want to be. And that decision gets tested every day. Sometimes it leads to change. Sometimes it leads to reaffirmation. But it’s always ours. Others can mentor, coach, and inspire — but nobody can choose our passion for us. That’s what gets us to show up. That’s how I became the Mayor of The Mirage.

Know what’s right for you. Hold onto it with real passion. And when the time is right, help others find their way. Because once you know what you want, passion becomes a daily decision — not a one‑time revelation. Every day. Starting today.

Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865): 16th president of the United States (1861 – 1865) He led the United States through the American Civil War. Abolished slavery. And was assassinated in office.

Success Follows Passion — Not the Other Way Around 🧠

Passion begins with self‑knowledge, not comparison. It’s personal, internal, and chosen. And when you find it, that’s enough.

The Lazy Person’s Guide to Success argues that success comes from working smarter, not harder — focusing on what truly matters, simplifying your life, and defining success on your own terms. It challenges the old belief that grinding is the only path forward, suggesting instead that clarity, efficiency, and contentment are far more sustainable.

Its core ideas are simple but powerful:

• Work less, think more — slow down long enough to choose wisely.

• Selective avoidance — let go of what doesn’t matter.

• The 80/20 rule — focus on the few things that create the biggest impact.

• Redefine success — prioritize freedom, happiness, and peace of mind.

The real takeaway is this: when life or work is happening fast, pause. Breathe. Think before acting. Passion can’t be found in the noise — only in the quiet.

But passion itself is different from efficiency. Efficiency is a strategy. Passion is a spark. One helps you succeed; the other helps you choose what’s worth succeeding at. Passion is the fire in the belly that tells you what you’re meant to do — not because it’s easy, not because it’s profitable, but because it feels like home.

If you’re lucky, you’ll love what you do and be good at it. But even if the world never hands you the trophy, loving the work is its own reward. Some people don’t need the cherry on top. The sundae is enough.

Let self‑awareness guide you to your passion today.

The Lazy Person's Guide to Success: How to Get What You Want Without Killing Yourself for It: (Published 2002): Ernie J. Zelinski 

https://www.amazon.com/Lazy-Persons-Guide-Success-Yourself/dp/1580084362 [1]

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[1] "This book explains how anyone can become more creative, more productive, wealthier and happier by working less and thinking more."-Fort Worth Morning Star Telegram "Ernie Zelinski helps others find the time to live." -Boston Herald

Market Success 📈 Starts in the Breakroom 🤝

Every leader wants to win in the marketplace. Most spend the majority of their time focused there. But market leaders almost always start somewhere else: they win in the workplace first. High employee engagement and a strong internal culture are prerequisites for external success, superior customer service, and sustained financial performance.

Key Aspects of This Philosophy

·      Employee‑First Focus: When employees feel valued, supported, and engaged, performance rises — and customer experience rises with it.

·      Internal Trust & Excellence: Investing in well‑being, trust, and development creates a competitive advantage competitors can’t copy.

·   Connecting Purpose: When employees understand how their daily work contributes to the company’s goals, they become passionate brand advocates.

When Conant took over Campbell Soup in 2001, employee engagement was the lowest in the Fortune 500 — and market performance matched it. Over the next decade, engagement rose to top‑tier levels, and shareholder returns followed. The lesson is unmistakable: employee experience drives business results.

This wasn’t new to me. At Cornell, I was a teaching assistant for Professor Harrison Trice[1], whose research on alcohol‑related workplace issues helped launch the first corporate Employee Assistance Programs. Campbell Soup was among the earliest adopters — and we implemented the same program at the Golden Nugget that same year. Those early efforts helped cement a simple truth: caring for employees increases engagement, loyalty, and performance.

Employee satisfaction supports customer satisfaction, and together they support higher company performance and profitability. And you don’t have to be a big company to care about your people. This works everywhere — large, small, and everything in between.

If you want to win in the marketplace, start by winning in the workplace. Start by caring for your employees today.

Douglas Conant (born 1951): American businessman (President and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company) and author (The Blueprint: 6 Practical Steps to Lift Your Leadership to New Heights).

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[1] https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/EAD/htmldocs/KCL04332.html

Job Descriptions Should Not Be Handcuffs 🔥

Getting people to take responsibility beyond their own job is easier said than done. Over time, we’ve turned job descriptions into rigid contracts — documents followed so literally that they unintentionally discourage the very engagement today’s quote calls for.

I recently completed a consulting project reviewing and rewriting job descriptions. Many hadn’t been touched in years, and both managers and employees were surprised by what they found. And not in a good way.

So I suggested a different approach:

·       Be realistic about Education and Experience Requirements.

If a degree is truly necessary, require it. If experience matters more, say how much and adjust the degree accordingly. This must reflect the labor market, not wishful thinking.

·       Document Duties and Responsibilities based on reality, not assumptions.

Ask employees what they do each day. Their answers often differ from what managers believe. If you’re going to write and use these documents, make sure they reflect what’s happening, what’s best, and what’s agreed upon.

·       Limit Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities to what you can objectively observe.

If you can’t ask a question about it or see it in action, it doesn’t belong here. Move the rest to a new category: Post‑Hire Expectations — the things you’ll evaluate during the introductory period.

·       Add a second new section: Other Related Duties.

These are the shared behaviors and responsibilities that make organizations work — smiling and making eye contact in service roles, coordinating with colleagues who serve the same customers, and knowing when to step in (or step aside). This may be the most important section of all. Customer experience depends on people understanding the shared nature of their work.

And then comes the leadership part.

Train and coach employees on the absolute necessity of working together, beyond their own job. Talk about it in meetings. Evaluate it regularly. Coach it continuously. Engagement grows when employees understand that their role is connected to others — and when managers stay engaged in reinforcing that truth.

Being responsible for more than your own job isn’t just an employee expectation.

It’s a cultural expectation.

And leaders are the ones who make it real today.

David Ducheyne:  Founder of Otolith, a boutique advisory firm that assists organizations and leaders in developing effective leadership.

Inclusion Isn’t Politics — It’s Performance 🎯

Inclusion — people feeling accepted, respected, and able to work together — is one of the most powerful drivers of engagement. When employees feel heard and valued for who they are and what they contribute, their motivation rises. They give more, stay longer, and commit more deeply to shared goals.

Why this matters:

• Belonging creates psychological safety. When people can bring their authentic selves to work without fear, their confidence and engagement grow.

• Trust fuels motivation. Leaders who listen and communicate openly build trust — and trust is one of the strongest predictors of engagement.

• Different perspectives strengthen teams. Inclusion improves collaboration, communication, and innovation because people feel safe contributing their ideas.

• Feeling valued increases commitment. When employees know their work matters, they stay focused, energized, and far less likely to burn out.

• Supportive cultures reduce turnover. People remain where they feel respected, recognized, and part of something meaningful.

Inclusion is not a political word — it’s a performance word. It’s the catalyst that turns a diverse group of individuals into a high‑performance team. Whether the diversity is in thinking, skills, backgrounds, or beliefs, the evidence is clear: people working together do more, produce more, and achieve more.

I saw this firsthand at Wynn, where our initial employee‑branding work proudly referred to Wynn Employees as WE (short for Wynn Employee). What began as a simple identity choice quickly became a cultural signature. Employees embraced it, repeated it, and carried the spirit of “WE” into every corner of the business — from service interactions to back‑of‑house teamwork to the way they talked about their work and each other. 

That single word shifted the mindset from “the company” to our company, from “their standards” to our standards, from “those employees” to us. When people see themselves as part of a collective “WE,” engagement isn’t something you have to push — it becomes something they naturally protect.

Whatever you call your people — employees, associates, team members — refer to their achievements as “we.” It reinforces the truth: engagement grows when people feel they are part of something bigger than themselves. Make that part of your culture today.

 

Daryyl Dioso: Managing Partner at HR4U, a fractional human resources management, recruitment, and consulting firm.

Momentum Starts With One Decision 🚀

These were the last words Sam Bennett’s father shared with him — later tattooed on Sam’s forearm and seen by millions during the 2023 Masters. It became a simple, unforgettable reminder: act now. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Don’t wait for conditions to be ideal. Don’t wait for certainty. Opportunity rarely arrives wrapped neatly.

To be your best in moments like these, it helps to have a clear approach. Set goals you can act on. Put in consistent daily effort. Keep a positive mindset when obstacles show up. Take responsibility for your choices. And stay committed to learning and growth.

When opportunity presents itself, remember these four rules:

• Set Clear Goals and Plan Ahead: Know what you want to achieve so your effort has direction.

• Take Consistent Action: Do something every day to move forward — motivation often follows action.

• Develop a Growth Mindset and Self‑Discipline: Treat challenges as data, not verdicts.

• Practice Self‑Responsibility and Persistence: Own your outcomes and keep going, even when it’s hard.

In the mid‑1980s, Golden Nugget saw an opportunity to think differently — and didn’t hesitate. While others played not to lose market share, the company committed to a bold new idea: The Mirage. That decision changed Las Vegas. And the momentum from that choice carried forward to Bellagio, setting a new global standard. It was a masterclass in critical thinking, courage, and acting before the moment felt “perfect.”

Engagement requires initiative. Big or small, the right mindset puts you in position to do something meaningful today.

Mark Bennet (1969 - 2021): American amateur golfer Sam Bennet’s father.