April 25, 2022 | Originally posted September 4, 2020 You want to be on your boss’s good side to get a great performance review, right? And you want to work “as one” with him/her whenever you are both working on an initiative for your organization. And sometimes, you have needs that she/he can meet, and […]
To be on the “top of your game” every day, you must have your thought patterns in the right place. Your thoughts turn into feelings with turn into actions and then into your results. What kind of mindset could you adopt, to better assure this will be a successful Monday (or any day!)? I will […]
What is EP? Executive presence is a combination of personal traits and outward behaviors that create an image of leadership competence and trustworthiness. Executive presence is how one acts (gravitas), speaks (communication) and looks (appearance). It’s a group of traits and behaviors that starts with you and emanates outward to create a perception of your ability […]
You’ve got that restless feeling. Your job doesn’t give you that same positive feeling that it used to. Problems seem to outweigh victories. You have tried to hang in there, but it does seem like thoughts of looking for something new are increasing these days. You need a filter to help you sort out those […]
When I facilitate retreats for organizations and teams, I usually start out by having the group come up with their own ground rules by which to operate with each other throughout the time together. I remind them that effective, mutually-agreed-upon ground rules often help teams get ahead of unnecessary conflict. My personal bent is for […]
Life throws you curve balls and many days you may feel off-kilter. And that may affect your self-confidence or make you tempted to hedge your bets and play it safe. Too much of that fear then casts a shadow on the rest of your team and can negatively spread like a virus. That’s why it’s […]
In a recent trip to Portland, my son took me to a downtown vintage arcade that carried all the token-operated games from 80’s. There was also a loft that had dozens of pinball machines–more my style. While I played, I was reminded not to shake the table too much, which, as you know, leads to […]
Each of us wields tremendous power with the words we speak. We can make someone’s day–or spoil it if we aren’t careful. Here are some word-weapons to keep locked away so that they don’t cause damage in your relationships: The flame-thrower: uncontrolled venting, like a tantrum of emotionally-hostile words The sniper rifle: pre-meditated digs or […]
I can’t tell you how many times I get the response “putting out fires” when I ask how a leader’s work life is going. Getting tired of that tyranny of the urgent? To break out of that exhausting, reactive state: Write down every issue that has led to a reactive leadership action. After you get […]
“We often rationalize away the real reason we choose not to confront: we are cowards….We would rather harbor resentment than risk rejection.“ Whoa! How about that quote for exposing us?! So, we get offended by someone, and we have a choice to make. We could confront the person and tell them how hurt we feel, […]