This week, I’m heading to the biggest conference of the year for professional speakers, the National Speakers Association’s Influence 2017 and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to see old friends and meet new ones. As a professional communicator, you’d think starting a conversation with a new person is easy for me, but it’s not […]
Let’s face it, most people would rather have a root canal than add another meeting to their calendar. With the average business person attending about 62 meetings a month and finding that over 50 percent of meeting time is totally wasted, it’s no wonder that most people hate meetings. However, there are a lot of […]
Women represent 50% of the population, 60% of college degree earners, 47% of the US workforce, and hold 52% of professional jobs. However, when it comes to leading organizations, women only hold about 14% of leadership positions. There are a many reasons for this leadership gap, from over-emphasis and under-valuing of gender differences, to the […]
Over the past week, the word “Accountability” has come up over and over again. First, it was a client who was looking for a customized program for her leadership team to help them learn how to hold themselves and their employees accountable for their actions. The second time was when I was having a discussion […]
Motivation. The elusive Holy Grail of managers around the world. “Why aren’t my employees motivated?” “How can I motivate my employees?” “Why can’t I keep motivation going?” At least once a week I’m asked one of these questions by a caller, client, or workshop participant. The Gallup organization estimates that disengaged, unmotivated workers cost businesses about $300 billion […]
On Monday, I was lucky enough to attend the opening keynote address at the Government Finance Officers Association which was presented by Jim Collins, leadership expert and best selling author of several books, including “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t.” I have no intention of repeating his presentation by […]
As far as I’m concerned, communication is the key to success in everything we do. From our relationships to our work, communication is what keeps us moving forward, learning, growing, overcoming obstacles, and it’s what makes life worth living. The abundance of quotes on the topic proves to me that I’m on to something, so […]
I doubt there’s anyone reading this who hasn’t heard the saying, “honesty is the best policy.” It’s a simple statement about telling the truth, but living the policy isn’t always so simple because people’s perceptions of honesty differ. Is a little-white lie okay? Is hinting at the truth the same as stating it? For those who […]
Sometimes I feel like a social media lurker. I know I’m supposed to be actively posting on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc., and I’m supposed to also be commenting on others’ posts, liking posts, and responding to questions others pose. Here’s the problem. When I have an idea or opinion and am just about to hit […]
Today I facilitated a workshop for one of my favorite AND my longest- running client, Harris County Texas! It was a great group and our topic was dealing with difficult customers. One of the “difficult types” that resonated with so many people was the “Blamer,” that person who doesn’t see their role in situations, doesn’t […]
