I was facilitating an employment interviewing workshop the other day and as we were discussing why people were taking the course, one participant said, “I want to learn why the person I hired isn’t the person who shows up on the first day of work?” It’s all too common to have the prince or princess […]
When you were a child and were angry, upset, hurt, or frustrated, you probably didn’t have the words to express your emotions. It’s a rare kid who can say, “Mother, I’m infuriated and disillusioned with your decision to deny me that chocolate torte for my midday repast.” Instead, a child will huff and puff, scream, cry, throw things, and […]
The first step in bridging the workplace generation gap is understanding that you have one and how extensive it is. By identifying your employees’ generations (no, don’t ask how old they are), you can take the first steps toward bringing your team together. Next week, we’ll identify specific steps for bridging the generation gap at […]
Most people don’t put much thought into what typeface they use when sending an email or creating a document. Some might avoid Comic in a professional correspondence and instead select Arial or Times New Roman, but beyond that, I’ll bet most people have never even considered what their choice of typeface says about them. Well, employers have. In […]
In a recent post, I advocated “Getting Rid of Dead Weight Once and For All.” However, for many people, it’s one thing to know you need to dump some dead weight from your life, it’s another thing to make it happen. Making the decision to end a friendship is never easy, even if it’s a bad or toxic friendship. […]
Over the years, I’ve seen an evolution in terms used for negative feedback. The first term I remember hearing is “constructive criticism.” The problem was, most of the criticism wasn’t constructive, so it was really just criticism. Then someone decided to soften the term and call it “constructive feedback.” However, once again, it wasn’t very constructive, so […]
Whether you categorize yourself as a “good” communicator or just “okay,” it’s important that your communication skills constantly evolve. You have to make a daily effort to improve your communication skills. It’s not enough to just be “okay” at it- you have to be great at it– your life depends on it. Although that may seem a bit […]
Last week I wrote about the importance of apologizing when you’ve wronged someone. However, there are times when an apology can actually make the situation worse, such as when the apology is insincere, sarcastic, or flippantly delivered. To ensure your apology is accepted in the spirit with which you intend it, be sure to follow […]
For the past two years, I’ve planted a vegetable garden. Last year, I really tended it. I watered every day, fertilized, fussed, and worried over it. My reward? A whole lot of nothing. I harvested one zucchini from my zucchini plant before worms demolished it. My cucumber plants turned gray and withered, and a mouse (and […]
My daughter called me the other day very excited that she’d had a tremendous personal revelation recently. Her revelation reflected much of the advice I give in my workshops, specifically to customer service providers, on the power of positive thinking and its impact on the outcome of customer interactions, but on one’s own physical and mental […]
