BLOG ARTICLES BY AMY
The #1 mistake that causes meetings to fail
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 […]
Tired of workplace whining? Here’s how to make it stop
In my “Monday Motivation for Performance Communicators,” email this week, I wrote about why we need to stop doing so much whining. But what if you’re not the one whining and instead, you find yourself being the sounding board for others’ gripes and complaints? How can you make it stop? Of course, I’m not talking […]
Top 6 Communication Mistakes That Keep Women From Becoming Leaders
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 […]
Accountability is the Language of Successful Leaders
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 […]
It’s Time to Stop Believing These Motivation Myths
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 […]
Four Lessons Learned from Jim Collins – Applied to Communication
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 […]
When Communication Fails, Look in the Mirror First
If you’ve ever seen one of those “When Animals Attack,” reality television shows, you know they’re based on stories and sometimes graphic video footage of animals attacking people. Sometimes the result is humorous, with the human simply being embarrassed by the encounter. Other stories end in tragedy. Many who watch these shows walk away concluding that the animals were […]
My Top 10 Favorite Quotes About Communication
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 […]
If the truth hurts, should you be honest?
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 […]