“How do you resolve a conflict quickly?” You may think this answer is counter-intuitive, but it's true: To solve conflict quickly, you must slow down. Just about everything I do professionally centers around resolving conflict, improving communication, enhancing leadership and inspiring teamwork. I work with teams of all kinds: work teams, non-profit teams and even … [Read more...]
If Anything, Learn THIS Important Lesson on Election Day
If you live in the United States, you have to know it is Election Day. Direct mail, yard signs, neighborhood canvassers, radio and television ads and more – all add up to an important day in the life of a democracy. But this post isn’t about politics. The lesson today is something what we, as organization and community leaders, should not do. I am struck by how much of … [Read more...]
Do You Communicate Like You Rake? Little by Little or All at Once?
Fall foliage is beautiful, so if you are lucky enough to live in an area that experiences it, like me, I consider us very lucky. Still, while the trees are beautiful as their leaves turn from green to yellow, orange and red, they pose a problem too—if you're responsible for removing them after they've fallen. Most yards, parks, green areas and so on, contain different … [Read more...]
6 Steps to Confront Negative Behavior at Work
If you choose to look the other way when employees exhibit bad behavior, remember this: Failure to confront a negative behavior is a subtle acceptance of it and an encouragement for it to continue. I absolutely prefer encouraging good behaviors over punishing bad ones. Encouragement is more comfortable to me, and that might be the problem. Behavioral analysts find that … [Read more...]
Learn to Disagree Without Being Disagreeable
When you interact and work with other people, you will eventually disagree with someone. Sometimes, the disagreement will be over minor issues that you can easily ignore. Sometimes, however, you will disagree quite strongly about an issue that is vitally important to both sides. It might be about what course of action to take to turn around the company, which candidate to … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Build Your Confidence as a New Leader
If, as a new leader, you're feeling nervous, overwhelmed and out of your element, you may need to "fake it until you make it." In other words, you may need to pretend you're confident until you actually feel that way. But how do you go about doing that? It's not about strutting around like a peacock or proving to your employees that you have all the authority and power. In … [Read more...]
Managing Tricky Conversations in the Workplace
We are living in complicated times, friends. People seem to be up in arms over everything. Take this week's brouhaha over Nike deciding to include Colin Kaepernick in a new campaign. There seem to be two very distinct opinions regarding the company's decision, and neither side is pulling any punches. Once upon a time ago, our opinions were kept to ourselves or shared with a … [Read more...]
It Can’t All Be About Work
You want to be an all-star manager, so it’s natural that your brainwaves—at least while at work—are concentrated on your team’s goals, progress and accomplishments. While it’s great to be focused on your work, don’t lose sight of this fact: Your employees are people. As a leader, your job isn’t just to motivate your team to meet and exceed expectations; it’s also to build … [Read more...]
It is Necessary to Like Your Coworkers?
"I have to work with them, but do I have to like them?" That question pops into most people's heads from time to time. After all, you aren't going to like everyone, all the time. Nor do you have to. People don’t have to like each other to work together successfully and productively. While liking is preferable, it shouldn’t be a goal. Rather the goal for both you and your … [Read more...]
Train Employees to Do More Than Just Offer Ideas
I love hearing people’s ideas. I love outside-of-the-box thinking, and I regularly—my teammates might think too regularly—ask for people’s input. So just to be clear, I want people to offer ideas. That said, I’m less than excited when people send ideas—and nothing more. They don’t offer any insight into how an idea will be executed. They don’t consider obstacles. In some … [Read more...]