Have you ever noticed how pervasive “perfection” is in our language? The phrase “perfect storm” is used to describe a “rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically.” Baseball pitchers strive for throwing a “perfect” game We describe something we think is beautiful as “picture perfect” Two people who have never met before are…
Workplace Dynamics
How To Accept an Apology at Work
Has anyone ever said anything to you at work that was really hurtful or snarky? It’s an experience we can all relate to. Sometimes it’s an intentional slight or power-play. But here’s the thing. More often, it’s an unplanned quip and your colleague wishes they could take it back. There are a couple of different…
4 Ways to Gain Team Input
So I’m sitting at a large round table, talking with a team of eight senior-level leaders who work for a large corporation. These are smart, sophisticated people, who have both street cred as field operatives and many years’ experience leading various types and sizes of work groups. We’re discussing the best ways to gain team…
7 Things Employees Want to Know In a Department Reshuffle
Is there a big department reshuffle on the horizon? As a leader, you may have become blasé about corporate restructuring, especially if you’re a survivor of numerous downsizing/outsourcing/right-sizing battles. Trust me on this one when I say: You may be feeling chill (or resigned) about the latest company reorg, but the employees who report to…
Are Unspoken Issues Creating Mischief on Your Team?
When the results of Google’s research on team effectiveness (called “Project Aristotle”) were revealed earlier this year, the conclusion was surprising: the best teams have just one thing in common. Factors such as clear goal-setting and team member dependability are certainly important, but they’re not what definitively sets great teams apart from their average counterparts….