Strappy heels or comfy flats? Ivy League or state college? At first glance, one choice is relatively simple, the other more fraught with complex decision-making. Look more closely, and you’ll see that sometimes even the “easy” choices are difficult. If you’ve ever struggled with what seems an obvious choice — say, “fruit cup or chocolate…
Personal Effectiveness
Research that Supports Being “Good with People”
For years, I’ve written about how to “master the people equation” to make a positive impact in your work life. It seems obvious (to me, at least) that people who “get along” with others are more effective at getting stuff done. People aren’t real fond of Negative Nellies and Neds. They don’t like to work…
4 Tips for Staying Humble
One of the biggest egos in the cartoon world belongs to the character Plankton from the Nickelodeon cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants. Plankton’s over-inflated sense of worth (and his never-ending quest to steal the coveted Krabby Patty recipe) leads him to run roughshod over the inhabitants of Bikini Bottom. To wit: It’s funny in cartoon-land. But the…
Manners in the Workplace are a Competitive Advantage
In 2005, university professor and communications expert Dr. Beverly Langford published The Etiquette Edge: The Unspoken Rules to Business Success, to positive reviews. Fast-forward a decade, and Langford has once again stepped into the spotlight with a second edition of her book, The Etiquette Edge: Modern Manners for Business Success. In this age where manners…
10 Simple Phrases that Cast Sunlight
Last week I wrote about how we are naturally drawn towards positive people because they inspire us. In nature, that’s called the “heliotropic effect,” which describes how plants grow or move towards sunlight. This week, I penned a similar piece, but this time from a leadership angle. I bet you can easily think of managers…