One of the things I’ve noticed about the organizations I’ve served in more than 20 years in business, is that the organization’s “conflict culture” is almost always a direct reflection of the dominant conflict style of the organization’s leader. If the conflict style is weak or negative, it becomes a cancer in the organization, destroying […]
How many times have you been in a situation when a person’s mouth said one thing, but everything else about them seemed to be saying something else? For example, when you ask your boss if she has time to discuss a problem, and she looks at her watch, lets out a heavy sigh, and says, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Right now, I’m writing this post from a hospital waiting room while my best friend is in surgery. Sitting with her in pre-op and listening to the doctors and nurses running through their “checklists” and explaining how her procedure would go, reminded me of this blog post I wrote in 2015. It’s as applicable now […]
