I was asked, “Some employees resent ‘forced fun’ outings. Is there a better way to help team members connect? What are some examples of innovative ideas for teams to connect?” If you really want your team members to connect, there…
Blog Archives
Six Steps to Solving a Problem
Paula and her boss Sue were driving each other nuts. (As their coach I got to see it up close.) Paula needed to hire more staff. Her “reasonable” proposal got “shot down” by Sue, who sent it back with a…
How to Harness Visual Leadership
Smart people in a hurry become stupid. (Or at least act stupidly. My work with busy executive teams tells me that this phenomenon is universal — and I see it in myself daily.) When we need our busy co-workers and…
When is Anger Okay in the Work Place?
When is anger okay in the work place? Never. Anger is so seldom acceptable — it’s so rare for it to be non-harmful — that I start by saying it’s never okay. Contrary to my counterpart at NURA, who suggests…
Start Benchmarking in Five Minutes
The hardest part of starting to track your performance is to just start. So, just start quick and dirty. It’s worth it — you’ll dramatically boost your odds of achieving your goals by spending 5 minutes setting up benchmarks. My…
Evaluating Staff Performance, Redux
It’s the end of Q4 and leaders are once more pondering staff performance evaluations. Most people evaluate too little too late. Here’s how you can get way, way ahead of the curve for 2013. As I’ve mentioned before, you’ll make…
How to Participate in a Meeting
I always hear how much meetings suck. (If you lead meetings, you’ll find detailed guidance on making your meetings better here, here, and here.) But what if you’re not leading the meeting — what if you’re just suffering through it?…
How to Pick Good Metrics
For every leader who loves numbers, there is a skeptic. They both have points — without measures, we cannot tell how we are doing, yet many metrics seem arbitrary or measure the wrong thing. Meanwhile, often the right goals seem…
How to Manage your Boss
My friend Michelle has been thrust into a no-win situation at work. She asked me how to best “manage up” — i.e. how to manage her boss — to salvage the situation. Here’s what to do and what not to…
How to make your Team more Strategic
CEOs often have senior leaders who don’t “get a seat at the strategy table.” These are usually Directors or VPs who oversee support functions — this happens most notoriously with directors of HR and IT. It’s a tremendous lost opportunity,…
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…
Three Mandatory Meetings
Good meetings are the nerve centers of a good organization. Here are the three meetings every organization should have – and how to make yours better. Meeting 1 – the Daily Huddle Duration: 5 to 15 minutes. Purpose: Prepare…
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…
Connecting Strategy to Workforce Management – Feb 17,2012
I interview Carl Hoffmann and Tim Ringo, authors of the new book “Calculating Success: How the New Workplace Analytics Will Revitalize Your Organization.” Carl Hoffmann is a former Partner and Vice President of IBMs Global Business Services group. Cur…
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.…
- Smarter Hiring and Work, Life, Family Tue 18-Jun-2013
- Should we Introduce Napping? Mon 10-Jun-2013
- Mandatory Corporate Fun Thu 30-May-2013
- 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