What has been your experience with confrontations? When did you last initiate one? Confronting someone for their behavior today is no easy feat, especially when emotions are easily triggered and opinions vary. When expectations are left unmet—including protocol infractions, civil disobedience, … [Read more...] about Confrontations that Create a Win-Win-Win
communications
Essential Communication Skills for Leaders
Leaders continue to assume greater responsibilities and pressures as markets and technologies call for increasingly faster commerce, responses and results. Information overload and business volatility have become the norm, requiring nimble management and staff interconnection. Leadership success … [Read more...] about Essential Communication Skills for Leaders
Disentangle Difficult Conversations
Why do we avoid difficult conversations? At some point, many of us have had to deliver the dreaded line, “We need to talk.” And this often precedes an argument rather than any conversation. Why are some conversations so difficult that we’ll do anything to avoid them? Possibly because: We are … [Read more...] about Disentangle Difficult Conversations
How Improv Comedy Improves Conversations at Work
Conversations at work can often feel more like political debates and battles between egos. People with strong points of view argue and debate without anyone moving toward solutions or common goals. Collaboration is difficult when conversations are competitive. Instead of dialoging together, … [Read more...] about How Improv Comedy Improves Conversations at Work
Communicating Better:
4 Social Signals
Successful people are great communicators who recognize that conversations are part of an evolving social process. They aren’t just skilled listeners; they’re attuned to subtle social signals that are more revealing than words alone — and they use them to their advantage.
We’re more connected than … [Read more...] about Communicating Better:
4 Social Signals
The Human Factor:
A New Era of Relationships
Human interactions rule our lives. Our social skills may be even more valuable than we realize. In a world where technological advances increasingly provide solutions and perform jobs, our social skills can increase or diminish our value at work.
But most of us—professionals, employees and managers … [Read more...] about The Human Factor:
A New Era of Relationships
The Creative Power of Questions
Asking creative questions can change everything. A big, beautiful question can generate ideas, inspire action, influence engagement and participation, as well as solve problems and spark creative genius. Provocative questions can answer most conundrums of life and work. Einstein allegedly said … [Read more...] about The Creative Power of Questions
The Tricky Art of the Apology
Who hasn't said something in the heat of the moment that they regret? Everyone makes mistakes. We make insensitive statements, we speak before we think, and we let our emotions get the best of us. No workplace is perfect. Managers berate subordinates in meetings. Colleagues make snide remarks about … [Read more...] about The Tricky Art of the Apology
How Great Leaders Manage Perceptions
As a leader, how adept are you at communicating your true intentions and managing perceptions? Even at the highest levels of government and business, leaders struggle to communicate their intentions. Most of us have some demonstrable deficiencies when it comes to influencing others. “You can … [Read more...] about How Great Leaders Manage Perceptions
The Under-Management Epidemic
Are you part of the under management epidemic, or are you a truly engaged manager? A recent survey reports 9 out of 10 managers are providing insufficient oversight—a problem that consultant Bruce Tulgan calls the “under-management epidemic.” Ten years ago, research from Rainmaker Thinking, Inc., … [Read more...] about The Under-Management Epidemic