Speaking Clearly – How to Make Your Point
As a leader, you have to communicate, persuade, and sell your ideas – and you do it all day every day. Maybe you’re speaking one-to-one with an employee. Or, you might be bringing up a motion for approval at a board meeting. And, how about those times when you have to step up to the […]
Appreciation – Lavish it On!
Here’s what I think: Nobody ever goes to bed at night feeling over-appreciated. Think about that. Do you? Neither do I. As a leader, this is helpful to know. (As a human with personal relationships, it’s also helpful to know!) Appreciation is a primary employee motivator, as well as a relationship builder. So with appreciation […]
You Reveal Your Leadership Style When You Play
Sometimes you can get excellent leadership lessons from a fun little teambuilding game. If you think about it, you reveal your leadership style when you play. And play isn’t just for kids – it’s a great way to analyze and improve your leadership style. I attended a meeting over the weekend that had a “zoom” […]
Teamwork and the Weird Thing about Harmony
Your people all have different roles and personalities, yet you want them working together. It would be easier if they all saw eye-to-eye, but that’s not how it works. I learned a great lesson about teamwork when I sang in a quartet. Let me explain the weird thing about harmony. Each member of a quartet […]
Frustrating, yet Fortunate Failure
Waaaaa! She was really looking forward to the taste. She was so careful, but she dropped her ice cream cone. The specifics don’t matter. As a manager, you’ve been there. Maybe it was a project you tried, a job you wanted, or an event you planned. You worked. You prepared. Yet, you failed. Try to […]
Think about Stress as a Verb
When I’m delivering conflict resolution training, I ask participants about the meaning of stress, They give me answers like tension, trouble, misery, or lack of control. These factors are outside of their control – things that they just have. They are describing stress as a noun. Try to think about stress as a verb instead. […]
5 Ways to Avoid the Great Resignation
Managers have always worked hard to keep their business fully staffed with trained people. Trying to keep just the right number of employees in the right positions to run your business is a challenge. But lately, you’ve found it harder to get good people and even harder to keep the ones you have. Let’s drill […]
Stay Focused – You’re the Pilot
I was soaring my hang glider above Cape Kiwanda on the Oregon Coast. But I didn’t stay focused. The sun cast a sleek shadow of my thirty-foot wingspan on the sand dune below me as I passed. Because I was so engrossed looking at my shadow, I didn’t initiate my turn at the end of […]
Customers or Employees – Who’s More Important?
Customer service is very important to business success. So as a leadership consultant and employee trainer, I’m asked to provide customer service training frequently. Employers want their employees to serve their clients or customers better to increase revenue. But here’s an important question for every manager to consider: Of your company’s customers or employees – […]