Last week, I shared some common mistakes many meeting facilitators make when conducting meetings and I shared tips on how you can avoid them. For those of you who are tired of reading about meetings, you’ll be glad to know this is my third and final reason your meetings are not as effective as they […]
How many times have you sat through meetings where discussions got off track, tempers flared, and the meeting ran longer than scheduled? These are just some of the frustrations meeting participants feel about a poorly run meeting. That’s why the second reason your meetings suck the life out of everyone is: poor facilitation. Last week we […]
“Hey, I’m having a meeting this afternoon, do you want to come?” “Yes! HOORAY! Thanks so much for asking!” Said no one ever. Millions of meetings occur in the U.S. every day and most professionals find that they lose approximately 31 hours a month to ineffective meetings. Why, you ask? Because most people who conduct […]
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, […]
Without even realizing it, you may have let wimpy words and powerless phrases sneak into your vocabulary. These words and phrases tell others that you’re unsure of yourself, your ideas, and your position. The result? They’re likely zapping your personal power and credibility at work. If you want to project confidence and authority and need […]
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, […]
