The other day I attended a webinar led by Al Switzler, co-author of the books Crucial Conversations and Influencer. During the webinar Al made this point about interacting with colleagues: If your response to frustrating conversations is to increase the frequency of your key point or the volume of your delivery, but you don’t change…
Personal Effectiveness
Command and Control Just Won’t Die
For nearly two decades, management gurus have been heralding the death of the “command and control” mentality in Corporate America. Personally, I think it’s very much alive. Over a year ago, I wrote that the so-called “death” of command and control management is nothing but an urban legend. Now, a recent article on the Forbes.com…
Stack Your Phones at the Next Company Meeting
There’s a new game making the rounds these days called Phone Stack. Have you played it? The basic gist is this—when you dine out with friends, everyone puts their phones in the middle of the table and then embarks on a huge game of chicken— who can resist the siren call of their phone for…
How to Help a Co-Worker Struggling With Depression
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…
Be Out Loud with Your Gratitude
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…