In the 20 plus years I’ve been presenting workshops to both managers and employees, I’ve always advocated Assertiveness as the way to stand up for yourself in most situations. Although being passive or aggressive might be the best option in some situations, when it comes to dealing with a disrespectful boss or bullying co-worker at […]
One of the shortest words in the English language is also one of the hardest words to say for many people. NO! I’ve written blog posts in the past about WHY you should say no and given a few examples of HOW to say it, but I wanted you to have more ways and examples all […]
If you have a business, one of your top goals is probably customer retention, but guess what? Your employees are driving customers away every day and you probably don’t even know it. Let’s face it, no matter your industry or type of business, you have competitors. There’s another business like yours on the next block, […]
One of most quoted lines from the movie, Clash of the Titans, is RELEASE THE KRAKEN. In the film, the Kraken is a huge, multi-limbed sea monster that Zeus unleashed on the world to teach humans a lesson for their bad behavior. The quote has taken on a lot of different meanings over time, but […]
Some of you who follow me on Facebook or Twitter know that about a year or so ago, we got a new dog . . . Guinevere who is also known as Gunny, Gummy Bear, and most famously, the #WPIA (Worst Puppy in America.) When she came to us, the #WPIA was covered in mange, […]
We all face conflict in every aspect of our lives. We might have family feuds at home and war waging in the workplace. We have conflict (or potential conflict) over parking spaces and spots in line. When it comes to conflict, you have a choice to make. Do you want to be the water or […]
Many people can relate to the frustration of receiving a voicemail message that is unclear, incomplete, or so long-winded that even the sender wouldn’t want to hear it again. That’s probably the reason so many of us only listen long enough to find out who called and then delete the message and call the other […]
I was presenting a customer service program last week when a participant asked how to handle customers who exhibited “bad cell phone behavior”, i.e., continued to talk on their cell phones while she tried to help them. “Isn’t that rude?” she asked. She was obviously a nicer person than I am, since she had to […]
Please. A simple word that shouldn’t require a reminder. Our mothers demanded it when we were children. “What’s the magic word?” “What do we say when we want someone to pass the broccoli?” “No thanks,” perhaps. As we get older, move out on our own, and no longer rely on our mothers to keep us […]
In my consulting work with organizations, I’m often asked to work with leaders who are having “issues” with their relationships with their employees. In many instances, these leaders aren’t doing anything overtly wrong in WHAT they’re communicating with their employees, rather it’s the way they’re communicating and the impact that their poor relationships with their […]
