Everyone’s striving for excellence these days, or at least that’s what they tell people. So why is it that we so infrequently experience excellence? I think it’s because we’re focused on the wrong thing. We should be focusing on consistency rather than excellence and here’s why. I recently spoke to a man who was very […]
Listening is probably our most important, but most underutilized communication skill. Part of the problem is that people are selfish and would rather be the one talking than listening. However, I also think people are bad listeners because nowhere along the line as we’re growing up, does anyone teach us how to be good listeners. […]
Effective communication is criticial to success in just about every facet of our lives and at the top of the list of what makes communication is SPECIFICITY! So much of our miscommunication comes from lack of specificity. We THINK we’re being specific when we say: Get it to me at the beginning of the month. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
As a trainer, I often get calls from leaders who want me to teach them how to “fix” employees, or worse, want me to “fix” their worst employees myself. One of the main purposes of training is to help people learn new skills. If the person needs new skills, I’m in. However, training cannot fix […]
