Personal Effectiveness

How to Help a Co-Worker Struggling With Depression

December 6, 2011

December marks the start of a busy holiday season for many people in the United States and no doubt you’ve seen an uptick of holiday festivities in your workplace. While it’s a myth that suicide rates increase in the month of December, there’s no still shortage of stress that comes along with the added activities [...]

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Be Out Loud with Your Gratitude

November 24, 2011

Today is the American holiday of Thanksgiving. I love a holiday that celebrates gratitude. Novelist Gladys Bronwyn Stern once said, “Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone”. I agree with Gladys. Don’t be silent. Let someone know how much they mean to you. It doesn’t need to be a grand gesture. Just [...]

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5 Reasons Leaders Fear Embarrassment

September 30, 2011

And Three Ways to Deal with It “The rate at which a person can mature is directly proportional to the embarrassment he can tolerate.” Douglas Engelbart, American Inventor I was in a strategic planning meeting being led by a Regional VP named “Henry”. His boss was there, as were all 55 of his team [...]

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Leaders – Keep Your Mind Clear for a Magnetic Personality

July 29, 2011

Whenever there’s a discussion of “what makes a great leader?” invariably the trait of “charisma” surfaces— that special “something” that is appealing and makes people want to follow that leader. I recently read something that helped me think about the ways in which leaders attract people to their cause. The reading comes from an essay1 [...]

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8 Dimensions of Leadership Book Offer

July 19, 2011

If you read The People Equation with any regularity, you know that this blog is about helping leaders and organizations “master the people equation”. And, although this isn’t really a commercial site, today, I’m bending the rules a bit to share with you an offer that might be of interest to you. . .one that [...]

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The 3 Myths of Office Politics

July 12, 2011

Whenever I facilitate a presentation or workshop on navigating office politics, I start off with the question, “When you hear the phrase ‘office politics’, what comes to mind?” Typical responses include: Back-stabbing People who are in it for themselves “Run for the hills” Slimy self-promotion Favoritism Does this line up with your thoughts about office [...]

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June 2011 Leadership Development Carnival– Commencement Edition

June 5, 2011

In early June, a ritual occurs at many high schools across our country— graduation ceremonies, aka the commencement exercise. Commencement means “the act of starting something” and I can think of no better metaphor for leadership development than that of getting something started. This carnival is dedicated to the Class of 2011—they are the future [...]

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Thank You. 4 Ways to Make Those Two Words Count

May 9, 2011

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. Along with a wonderful day enjoyed with my family, I received an unforeseen bonus from an unlikely source: my son’s Little League coach. Imagine my surprise when I opened my email yesterday to find a genuine note of “thanks” from Coach Bob to all the mothers on the team. People appreciate [...]

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What Bugs Us At Work

May 6, 2011

I heard a great review on NPR the other day of a book called Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us. The book covers the science of why things like loud cell phone conversations and fingernails on a chalkboard are universally annoying to us. As I listened, I realized that a big part of my [...]

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Teamwork. How Hard Can It Be?

April 21, 2011

To me, springtime means track meets. Back in the day, I used to run track for my high school’s girls 440 relay team. Even all these years later, I can close my eyes and feel it: legs churning, heart pounding, as I round the curve, ready to pass the baton. I’m reaching my right hand [...]

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