Leading trough bifocal lenses means being able to see both near and far. To put it another way, seeing both the details and the big picture. Abraham Lincoln said, “If I only had an hour to chop down a tree,
Compassion and Giving Feedback
Compassion is the key word when giving feedback to employees. If you think of feedback in terms of compassion, you will think differently about it. Many managers dislike giving negative performance feedback because they don’t want to make people feel
Recognizing the Cycle of Chaos
The cycle of chaos can be defined as a recurring issue that disrupts the workplace and comes to a boiling point followed by the illusion of change and then regression. The cycle of chaos is exhausting. Not only that, it
3 Ways to Manage a Micro-Manager
Is there anything worse than a micro-manager? Your work is never good enough; they always have a better way of doing your job. You feel like you are constantly under a microscope. They watch your every move; seemingly waiting for
Culture: Is your workplace healthy?
Culture can be defined as the personality of an organization or department. Just like a person’s personality, the personality of an organization is a blend of nature and nurture. An unhealthy culture doesn’t happen overnight. It develops little by slowly.
Delegate: How to Identify Tasks
You feel busy, you know you do a lot of work, you want to delegate, and you even have people who are looking for more work to do but when you try to think about what you can delegate you
Ditch the ‘Wich: Switch to a Feedback Formula That Works
Are you familiar with the “sandwich technique” for giving feedback? It goes like this: start with a positive; share a negative; end with a positive. It can be effective, if used correctly. Unfortunately, too many conflict-avoidant leaders use it to
Emotionally Intelligent Communication Habits for Leaders
We’ve all seen it. The leader who receives bad news in a meeting and with a loud outburst of disgust, slams their fist on the table. Or, the leader who becomes overcome by their emotions and breaks down in tears.
Got a Minute? Stop Interruptions With a Simple Method
“Hey, got a minute?” How many times a day do you hear that? I call these “Got-a-Minute” meetings. If you accept every “Got-a-Minute” meeting you get invited to it’s hard to get anything else done. No wonder, researchers at the
Motivating the Unmotivated
When Mary started with the company, she was enthusiastic, energetic, and consistently the top sales person on the team. She got along well her co-workers and was known for her superior customer service skills. Over time something changed. Mary began