- The Power of Teamwork
Want to understand the power of teamwork? Look at this picture briefly, and then turn away. Write down every item you can remember. How many out of the 20 did - Refresh Burned Out Employees
Have you noticed your employees are distant, detached, exhausted, irritable, sick, and/or depressed? Those are signs of employee burnout, and it’s pretty common these days. Let’s talk about simple techniques - Aspirations, Not Resolutions
Many business leaders have given up on New Year’s Resolutions. Why? Studies show they don’t work. Try aspirations, not resolutions. They say the top reasons for failed resolutions are things - Year-End Leadership Review
As a leader, you probably conduct a review of your people every year. But to really get the flock flying in formation and ready for the year ahead, take time - Great Leaders Give Presents of Presence
The greatest holiday gift or year-end bonus might not come in a package. Great leaders give presents of their presence – and they do it all year long. Employees won’t - Leaders Need to Know Dining Etiquette
I was at the final banquet of the National Speakers’ Association Conference. The room was set with a formal flair appropriate for some of the big-name speakers in attendance, with - Your Questions and Your Quest
Questions and quest – what is the link between the two? Asking the right questions will reveal your quest – in leadership and in life. Your quest is your journey, - Your Leadership Style Behind the Scenes
Leadership is difficult! There are a lot of moving parts that go into your leadership style. It helps to stand back and watch yourself from various perspectives. Let’s peel back - Feeling Over-Appreciated?
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 - Do Employee Surveys Demotivate Your People?
Managers and business owners alike are struggling with their workforce. Trying to fill open positions is hard enough, but trying to keep your current employees engaged and productive so they - Spark Creativity in Your Business
Creativity does not come easily to everyone. But during these dreary days, it may be just the workplace inspiration you and your people need. Let’s talk about how to spark - Six Ways to Tune Up Business Performance
Great business leaders refresh their basic leadership skills often to tune up business performance. It’s part of life-long learning. It’s part of improving…and part of being effective. You won’t have - Get More Applicants – Without Increasing Wages
Everywhere I go these days I see “help wanted” and “we’re hiring” signs. Businesses report there are not enough applicants to fill the open jobs. Leaders think the problem isContinue readingGet More Applicants – Without Increasing Wages
- Relator Roles and Knee-Jerk Responses
My mother and I were on the phone. She was telling me about a difficulty she was having with someone else. It had her very upset. I was being a - Advice about Advice
It’s like getting hand-me-down clothing. When I advise businesses as a consultant, I think about it that way. And this also applies to advising your employees, co-workers, or even spouse. - Mistakes – Get Over Them
I made a mistake. – it can happen. But then I made a bigger mistake – I kept thinking about it. Here’s a lesson on mistakes – get over them! - 7 Ways to Show Grace Under Pressure
Grace is an attractive leadership quality – it’s pleasing and elegant. It exudes civility and kindness. A leader exhibiting grace seems calm and confident from the inside out. He or - 5 Reasons to Get a Business Coach
What good is a business coach? I get asked that a LOT! Well, first I bring expertise from a long and varied background in business management. Plus, I am someone - How to Increase Your Energy
Want to know how to increase your energy? Where do you get energy, anyway? Is it merely a diet, exercise, and sleep? I don’t think so. You get energized by - Don’t Avoid Turbulence
As a leader, do you try to avoid turbulence and conflict? Well, when I first learned to fly hang gliders, I liked predictable conditions. Smooth, stable air – that’s what - Need to Lead on the Fly? Get Prepared!
Leadership is not for wussies! It’s not simple – nor is it stable. Sometimes you need to lead on the fly. So get ready for it. If you’re prepared for - Networking for Introverts
Do you cringe at the thought of attending one of those networking events? Too many business professionals would rather throw money into advertising when there is a less expensive way - The Power of Your Smile
Consider the power of your smile. Recently, I received this email: “Hi Chris, I saw you in *** on Friday, and am sorry to say I did not recognize you - Think You’re Being Pushed?
What happens when you think you’re being pushed? Try this fun little demonstration when you’re discussing conflict at a staff meeting: Get a volunteer, we’ll call him Jack. Stand in - Improvise Your Way to Better Teamwork
At work, your teams have to take diverse, oddball, and sometimes disagreeable ideas – from each other, their bosses, their boards, or a regulator – and merge them into cohesive - Be Careful – When you Focus, You Filter
Have you ever watched a newborn baby take in his world? His wide eyes are looking at everything, but not focused on anything yet. What he sees must be overwhelming. - Six Ways to Deal with Distractions
Distractions happen! Do you welcome anything that breaks the routine? Or do you hate getting interrupted when you’re on a roll? It usually depends on what you’re doing and how - Avoid Trigger Word Problems
Some of the words we use trigger emotional responses in others. If you are aware of them, you won’t get unwanted reactions from someone you’re trying to relate to. Let’s - Don’t Eliminate Conflict
Great efforts are made to reduce or eliminate conflict. Maybe it would be helpful to change our perspective. Don’t eliminate conflict. Learn to see its benefits. Try conflict appreciation for - Time Management is a Waste of Time
Forget time management! You can’t manage time. Time management is a waste of time. Leaders and teams alike are pressed for time – this scarce resource. I get many requests - Show Interest and You’ll Get Interest
Here is the key to getting more out of the people around you. Take an interest. Be interested. Show interest and you’ll get interest. My clients who are business managers - Making Moments Matter
I like to ask people what they do to keep their lives in balance, and I usually get answers about family, spirituality, or hobbies. One day I asked Mariah, my - Customers Are NOT Always Right
I managed a group of tourist attractions and we strived for excellent customer service. So I told my employees that “the customer is always right.” Sounded like good management at - How to Get Your Confidence On
It is one of those traits that empowers you when you have it and undermines you when you don’t. You perform better when you feel self-confident, and your team performs - How Not to be a Sleazy Salesperson
Eeeewwww! There is such a negative stigma about “salespeople.” Why? Because they are often seen as gushing, insincere, and shallow. They care about you until you turn down their deal - Don’t Follow the Golden Rule!
Here’s a lesson I learned early on – don’t follow the golden rule! As a young manager, I wanted to reward my employees because they reached a lofty sales goal. - A Counterintuitive Guide to Improvement
When you think about improvement, do you focus on weaknesses? Here’s a counterintuitive (and much more rewarding) guide to improvement. Ask most people what about their lives they’d like to - Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
For learning, take a lesson from a baby – get out of your comfort zone. How does a baby learn to walk? She takes baby steps. First, she learns to - What Good is a Positive Attitude?
What good is a positive attitude? I’m not talking Pollyanna-type optimism, but a positive leaning. The answer is better performance. As the leader, your attitude is your approach to a - An Eye-Opening Guide to Listening
Listening with your eyes as well as your ears is so important. Whether you’re the boss or the employee, the parent or the spouse, you’d better be a good listener, - The Problem with Setting Goals
Traditional wisdom tells us that the key to success is setting specific, measurable, and time-sensitive goals. You should know where you’re going and when you’ll get there. But there is - Optimize Your Workforce Talent
People – they are your most expensive and powerful business assets. Optimize your workforce talent and you create skilled leaders, dream teams, and productive and loyal employees. That will launch - The Secret of Your Perception
Want to know the secret about your perception? I’ll illustrate it with an old joke, which is funny – and it’s true. A tourist pulled over to the side of - How to Increase Skill Retention
Whether you want to increase the skill retention of your employees or your customers, the secret is the same. – periodic workforce development. Wouldn’t it be nice if you trained - The One Thing to Know About Stress
You learn it in music – it’s the most important thing to know about stress. If you are playing an instrument or singing, and you want to accent a particular - Motivation Made Easy (and Free)
It’s easier to get cooperation from people if you know what motivates them. And – surprise! – it doesn’t cost money. Read on for motivation made easy (and free.) Whether - Business Goals are Moving Targets
Think of your business goals as moving targets. Like shooting ducks at a carnival booth. Be sure you really want them before you get specific goal-oriented. Sometimes they don’t turn - Working Together in Harmony
Your people all have different roles and personalities, yet you want them working together harmoniously for optimum performance. Here are a few teamwork skills I learned singing in a quartet. - Creative Process – The Right Way
When considering the creative process, what is the right way? What is the best approach for a big project? I asked myself this question when I sat my “flying by - Career Coach Yourself from the Inside Out
I tell young people to career coach themselves! I ask them if they know an older adult who hates his or her career. Most of them do. Then I ask - Take Initiative and Move Beyond Normal
During this COVID era, it’s especially easy to wait for normal before you get on with business. Don’t. Instead, take initiative. Be proactive. I was playing the part of Cinderella’s - Build Rapport Subliminally
I watched a couple of young lovers in a restaurant the other day and got a refresher course on how to build rapport. This couple sat across the small table - Customer Service Skills – Avoid the #1 Problem
Customer service skills are on many business leaders’ minds, so I am asked to deliver customer service training frequently. I recently asked employees in a department store what they thoughtContinue readingCustomer Service Skills – Avoid the #1 Problem
- 4 Leadership Behaviors that Affect Staff Development
Your leadership behaviors impact staff development and employee performance. Let me illustrate. A pool of students, who all tested the same academically, were divided between two teachers. Each teacher heardContinue reading4 Leadership Behaviors that Affect Staff Development
- Get Lucky – In Three Easy Steps
It’s easy, right? Getting lucky seems as simple as falling out of bed when other people do it. But, identifying opportunities in the changing conditions you face is about as