Posts tagged as:

Communication

Don’t Kill Productive Meetings by Dragging Them Out

January 20, 2012

My friend Sally works for a company that holds monthly small-group “open forum” type meetings for cross-sections of various company departments. The purpose of these meetings is to promote cross-departmental communication. Each month, leaders from different functions in the company moderate the discussion. In general, Sally enjoys the meetings, except for one aspect: they are [...]

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3 Keys to Keeping a Virtual Open Door Policy

December 9, 2011

Recently I wrote a post about what happens to employees’ brains when they cross the threshold of their workplace door. In a happy coincidence, at about the same time, I was connected to Kyle Lagunas, who wrote an excellent post on his blog about doors and workplaces: how to maintain an “open door policy” when [...]

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What Type of Angry Boss Are You?

September 24, 2011

My kid came home the other day and showed me some artwork that he drew while waiting for his classmates to finish their math tests. He drew a series of random dots, connected them and then created a cartoon out the resulting shape. His first shape resembled an angry person screaming so he labeled it [...]

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Is Faulty Wiring Frying Your Gut-Check?

June 10, 2011

Even the most plugged-in leaders get it wrong sometimes. This fact was driven home to me the other day as I listened in on a phone conference led by a regional manager named Pete who manages a group of customer service teams spread across the northern half of the United States. My purpose in joining the [...]

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Great Speakers Form Authentic Relationships

April 26, 2011

A Book Review of Speak Up! by Heather Stubbs Most books on public speaking emphasize external attributes— projecting one’s voice confidently, maintaining eye contact and telling spellbinding stories. These are all important factors says author Heather Stubbs, but to be a truly powerful speaker, you need to first get your internal house in order. That’s [...]

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Office Politics CAN Be Positive

March 14, 2011

Later this week I’ll be speaking with the Grand Rapids Area Professionals for Excellence on the topic of Office Politics. It’s sure to be a lively event, as nearly everyone I encounter with has a story about colleagues maneuvering in some Machiavellian way to gain power, recognition or some form of “currency”. We love to [...]

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Doing Things the Hard Way

March 8, 2011

Workplace Interactions Aren’t Always as “Easy” as They Seem When was the last time you faced a tough choice when deciding how to respond to a co-worker? Chances are it wasn’t very long ago. Tricky interpersonal situations crop up all the time. As you consider your options, no doubt some choices seem easier to make [...]

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Supervisory Transition: Roles, Relationships and Remarkable Principles

February 15, 2011

A Conversation with Guy Harris on His New Book “From Bud to Boss” Last week I talked with Guy Harris, co-author of the new book From Bud To Boss: Secrets to a Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership. In the book, Guy and co-author Kevin Eikenberry craft a comprehensive treatment of the topic. It’s a practical [...]

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Discovering Pez

December 30, 2010

What An Interactive Candy Teaches Us About Leadership and Coaching Christmas time always provides many fun memories and this year was no exception. Santa left Pez dispensers in my kids’ stockings—for the first time. My daughter was very excited to try out her new Pez “toy”. With my background as a corporate trainer, I’m a [...]

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Black Friday and Employee Burnout

November 26, 2010

Early in my career I was a Human Resources Generalist for Marshall Field’s department stores. Autumn was a busy time for the HR department as we ramped up the hiring and training for the seasonal staff. Black Friday was the official start to our industry’s busiest time of year—a fiscal “make it or break it” [...]

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