Last week I gave readers the opportunity to take a communication style quiz that helped them identify whether their primary communication style was passive, passive aggressive, aggressive, or assertive. Many of those who took the assessment have sent me emails and messages lamenting their styles and asking how to “fix” them. First off, with the […]
Everyone has a communication style when interacting with others. It is their primary, “go to” approach to dealing with situations. It’s the main tool in their communication tool box that they reach for instinctively in a difficult situation. Some people are passive, letting others take the lead or win arguments. Some people are aggressive, viewing everything […]
For those who don’t know it, when I’m not training on communication, customer service, and working relationships, I foster animals for my local animal control facility. Right now, I’m fostering a mother Chihuahua and her four puppies, who turned 6-weeks old this week. They’ve just gotten to the age where they’re really a lot of […]
I’ve done many blog posts on how to be a better leader and supervisor as well as some that help readers identify when they’re not being at their best. However, I hadn’t thought about turning the tables and looking at the issue from the employee’s perspective, that is, what you should do if you have […]
Over the past two 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.” There are many aspects to preparing the next generation […]
The holiday season is upon us and even though it’s relatively early, you might already be feeling stressed out, worried, and wishing it was over already. Don’t let this year be another year where you feel you have to just “survive” the holidays. The words holiday and stress do not have to go hand-in-hand! Here are […]
As today is Veteran’s Day, I’ve been reflecting on the many benefits I gained in the form of skills I learned while serving in the military. For one thing, I owe the Air Force my master’s degree in communication, which was the foundation for building my speaking and training business and the basis upon which […]
We’ve all come across people who seem to love conflict. They seek it out, jump into it even if it has nothing to do with them, and start it for no reason at all. However, the vast majority of people would prefer not to deal with conflict at all and will do just about […]
Gossip is one of the many things that can lower workplace productivity. It can also create an environment of mistrust and can damage working relationships. Even if we don’t start the gossip, listening to it, passing it on, or standing idly by while it’s happening, makes us part of the gossip and helps perpetuate it. When […]
Last week I wrote a post with advice on how to offer a sincere apology. Since then, I’ve had several readers contact me complaining, not about the steps I offered, but because they didn’t understand WHY they should have to apologize in the first place. “Great advice, but why should I apologize if I didn’t […]
