Why do we admire celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer and Bill Clinton? They make you feel like you’re the most important person in the room. They excel at listening—a skill that separates great personalities from the near-great. (photo courtesy Michal Marcol / … [Read more...] about Be A Better Listener
articles for coaches
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
The Work Paradox:
More Play, Less Pain
“In a culture that sometimes equates work with suffering, it is revolutionary to suggest that the best inward sign of vocation is deep gladness—revolutionary but true.” ~ Parker Palmer, The Courage to Teach
People prefer leisure to work—no surprise there. What is surprising is that they report more … [Read more...] about The Work Paradox:
More Play, Less Pain
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
The 2nd Half of Your Career:
“Has Anyone Seen My Passion?”
“We hear a great deal of talk about the midlife crisis of the executive. It is mostly boredom.” ~ Peter Drucker, management expert
At some point in your career, you may sense a creeping malaise. You’re no longer enthusiastic about the day ahead. Perhaps you’re experiencing a mid-career crisis—the … [Read more...] about The 2nd Half of Your Career:
“Has Anyone Seen My Passion?”
A Dashboard for Managing Complexity
Leading people and organizations is fundamentally more complicated than it was 20 years ago—and it’s not getting any easier. Economic and global uncertainties, along with innovative technologies, complicate efforts to run a business. Businesses are also becoming more intrinsically complex. It’s … [Read more...] about A Dashboard for Managing Complexity
Confidence: Get It and Keep It
Having confidence is a huge advantage in careers, life, and relationships. It's the key to attracting the right job, the right people, the right decisions from others, and getting what we want. Like money, everyone wants more confidence. Some people naturally seem to have it; perhaps they were … [Read more...] about Confidence: Get It and Keep It
Leadership Resilience: The Art of Bouncing Back
“Some of the most important and insightful learning is far more likely to come from failures than from success.” ~ Former Procter & Gamble CEO A.G. Lafley, interviewed in Harvard Business Review (April 2011) How we respond to failures and bounce back from our mistakes can make or break our … [Read more...] about Leadership Resilience: The Art of Bouncing Back
8 Strategies For Success: Build A Better Brain
You can build a better brain at any age. With the advent of fMRI brain scanning techniques, we now know that brains are continually learning and growing new neurons. Because of centuries of ignorance, however, many people view our brains as a mysterious structure incapable of change. We've been … [Read more...] about 8 Strategies For Success: Build A Better Brain
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