“Teamwork remains the one sustainable competitive advantage that has been largely untapped.” ~ Patrick Lencioni, Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Jossey-Bass, 2005) Corporations increasingly organize workforces into teams, a practice that gained popularity in the ’90s. By 2000, roughly … [Read more...] about The Quest for Better Teams
Managing
Accountability Essentials
Is accountability becoming even more important in 21st Century business? In an age of ubiquitous social media and cell-phone videos, Big Brother’s watchful eyes seem to loom large. Rudeness, politically incorrect slips of the tongue and outrageous conduct are digitally captured and immediately … [Read more...] about Accountability Essentials
Improve Your Email and Phone Messages
Clear communication with people you know is challenging enough, but influencing those you’ve never met is even more difficult. “Just as previous generations struggled to integrate first the telegraph and then the telephone into their lives, we’re struggling to integrate email into ours. We’re using … [Read more...] about Improve Your Email and Phone Messages
Genius or Genius-Maker?
How Smart Leaders Bring Out the Best in People
Do you work for a genius? Are your organization’s leaders really smart, and do they focus on bringing out the best in other people?
Some corporations have made hiring the most intelligent individuals a core strategy on the basis that smarter people can solve problems more quickly than the … [Read more...] about Genius or Genius-Maker?
How Smart Leaders Bring Out the Best in People
How to Get the Most Out of Meetings
Meetings, like death and taxes, are an inevitable fact of business life. Many, unfortunately, turn out to be a huge waste of time. Instead of generating ideas, engagement and commitment, meetings often zap team members’ energy, replacing it with apathy and boredom. (photo courtesy … [Read more...] about How to Get the Most Out of Meetings
Coaching Conversations:
Teaching People to Think
One cannot teach a man anything. One can only enable him to learn from within himself. ~ Galileo Galilei
With so many employees being paid to think, leaders and managers should find ways to cultivate their staffs’ cerebral capabilities to boost workplace performance.
But most leaders wouldn’t know … [Read more...] about Coaching Conversations:
Teaching People to Think
Inside the Mind at Work:
Manage for Progress
“So much of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to do work.” ~ Peter Drucker
As any fan of The Office can attest, negative managerial behavior severely affects employees’ work lives. Managers’ day-to-day and moment-to-moment actions also create a ripple effect, … [Read more...] about Inside the Mind at Work:
Manage for Progress
Clash Points at Work:
Geeks and Geezers
Baby Boomers are lingering in the workplace. Economic uncertainty has caused many to remain on the job.
The younger Gen X and Gen Y are growing impatient to ascend to leadership responsibilities, and new graduates are knocking at HR’s door in record numbers.
Until we see the … [Read more...] about Clash Points at Work:
Geeks and Geezers
In Search of Executive Wisdom
"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go but ought to be." ~ Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady Every person in an executive role aspires to be wise and is expected to exercise wisdom in their decisions. Unfortunately, far … [Read more...] about In Search of Executive Wisdom
Drive: What Really Motivates Us
I love animated videos. Here's one with a message about motivation, from Dan Pink's wonderful book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. The animator is RSAnimate, and it's fascinating to watch. If you're an executive coach and need content on this topic for your e-newsletter … [Read more...] about Drive: What Really Motivates Us