Over the past eight years or so, I’ve fostered more than 700 animals for my local animal shelter and some that I’ve taken in through my nonprofit animal rescue, Starlight Outreach and Rescue. In fact, to continue to do this “labor of love,” we sold our home of almost 20 years last year and moved […]
In my workshops, I often hear business owners and leaders lament that “There’s no loyalty these days.” Sometimes they’re referring to their employees. Sometimes it’s vendors or customers. A few times, it’s been a family member. So is it true? My answer is no, I don’t think it’s true. I think there’s a lot of loyalty […]
You’d think in an age where you can post a job on an online site and get hundreds of applicants within a few days, that the process of hiring a new employee that’s a great fit for the job would be easy . . . not so. I started thinking about this when my daughter […]
Over the past few years, many of my clients have come to me, wringing their hands, saying, “We’ve got an experience gap. Our top leaders and managers will be retiring in the next 3-5 years and the next generation is just not prepared to take over.” In the past few months, these complaints are on […]
Most of the conflict I have experienced in my life, both firsthand and secondhand, has not been the result of factual disagreement, but of differing perceptions. Every day we interact with others, “notice” their behavior, and then proceed to draw conclusions about what it is, what it means, etc. Our interpretations, and thus our final perceptions, […]
“I’m sorry,” is one of the first things we’re taught to say when we’re children. However, something happens to many of us as we grow up that makes it harder and harder to offer an apology for our actions. Whether it’s an unwillingness to admit we’re wrong, or a dislike of taking responsibility, we instead try […]
In my workshops for new supervisors and business owners, I’m often asked if it’s “okay” to be friends with your employees? My quick answer is NO. However, it depends on how you define friendship. If you define friendship as a mutually beneficial relationship where both parties support each other in achieving their goals, then yes. […]
From facial expressions and body language, to our vocal qualities, clothes, and even how we use or misuse time, our nonverbal communication speaks “loud and clear,” whether we want it to or not. Here’s why: First, it is our primary mode of communication. Before you could speak, you “communicated” how you felt using body language, […]
As a trainer, I often get calls from leaders who want me to teach them how to “fix” employees, or worse, want me to “fix” their worst employees myself. One of the main purposes of training is to help people learn new skills. If the person needs new skills, I’m in. However, training cannot fix […]
In February, I wrote about the need to clear your communication clutter and get rid of what’s unnecessary. Well, getting rid of unnecessary or toxic relationships is just as important to your success and happiness. Relationships with people are like our relationships with cars. You have a reciprocal relationship with your car. If you care […]
