“Are you ready to be a transference object?” Fred hesitated. The coffee shop seemed to become dead silent. One week earlier, Fred had been offered a dream job, as part time CEO of a startup, working for a proven star…
Blog Archives
Master the Four Stories of Transcending Conflict
My friend Les was at odds with his church, and their mutual disagreement was heading for a big, ugly showdown at the annual leadership election. Everyone’s passions were high, and neither side was listening to the other — I became…
Build Trust by Setting Expectations
If you’re normal, the biggest opportunity your team faces is trusting each other even more. Until they can say anything to each other, and everybody can listen open-mindedly and never ever take offense – until you build your team up…
Leading isn’t Coddling – How to Manage Someone who Can’t say “No”
“Aren’t I coddling him?” asks Sara, my client. I’m coaching her on handling her emotionally explosive subordinate, Joan, who a week earlier had erupted in a fit of yelling, then had dropped her ID card on Sara’s desk and gone home.…
5 Steps of Negotiation – with Karen O’Keefe – Oct 28,2011
Five Steps toward better Negotiation – we revisit this topic with expert Karen OKeefe. OKeefe spent 20 years negotiating logistics contracts in one of the most competitive industries, and brings her experience to us – including how to prepare for a ne…
Dealing with Difficult People
CEOs have to deal with difficult people all the time — and sometimes they themselves are the difficult ones. What are some proven ways to deal with difficult people? To find out, I interviewed Pamela Cournoyer, founder and CEO of Communicate with CLAS…
Nice Teams Finish Last
Think your team is great because you all get along so well? It could be a sign your team is under-performing.As Brian Cole Miller describes in his new book Nice Teams Finish Last, niceness is often a cover for fear of straight talk, for low trust…
The Thrust of Two Widows: How to Make Your Conflicts Constructive
In fencing, there is a maneuver called “the thrust of two widows” — where the fencers both lunge, neither blocks, and they each succeed in killing the other one. It’s generally considered something of a failure. Fencing students are warned against it…
Conflict Competence
How to be a leader who handles conflicts well, and how to build a team that embraces constructive conflict. I interviewed Tim Flanagan, Director of Custom Programs, and his co-author Craig Runde, both of the Leadership Development Institute at Eck…
- On Lying to the Boss Thu 23-May-2013
- Write a Perfect Thank-You Note, Again Tue 21-May-2013
- Why the Boss is Always Wrong Tue 07-May-2013
- On being Firm Thu 18-Apr-2013
- Six Steps to Solving a Problem Mon 15-Apr-2013
- The Changing Face of Luxury Sun 07-Apr-2013
- How to Harness Visual Leadership Sun 31-Mar-2013
- Stop Putting People First – Put Profit First Wed 27-Mar-2013
- Why your Employee is Always Right Tue 19-Mar-2013
- When is Anger Okay in the Work Place? Thu 14-Mar-2013