Posted: November 19, 2025 | Categories: Leadership, Management, Team Building

I was 19, and it was a hot summer day in Southeastern Kansas.  I was working a summer job in a bottling plant and I was finishing up a long day.  My final duty for the day was helping the route drivers empty and refill their trucks.  All of the drivers had been working hard since 5am, and often, when they drove in, they weren’t always in the best mood.  There was one exception:  His name was Tim.  No matter how hot the day had been or how sore his muscles were, Tim came in with a smile thaat brightened our day.  He would call us by name, had a great sense of humor, and was kind and respectful.  He was the kind of person that inspires good will in others, and me and the loading team would always go the extra mile for him.  He inspired us to do our best.  You may wonder what happened to this young 21-year old as time went on.  I know what happened to him:  He married my sister and they were married for 51 years until her death in 2019.

When I think back to that day in the bottling plant nearly 60 years ago, I realize that every fine leader I have coached has those same qualities that Tim had.  He was positive, friendly, helpful, respectful, and genuinely interested in others.  It is no surprise that he spent his entire career in high-level leadership positions in major corporations.  Tim knew how to “start by starting”, work hard, and work well with others.  Wherever he was planted, he knew how to bloom, and take others along with him.

Posted: October 17, 2025 | Categories: Leadership, Management, Presentation skills, Self-Improvement

 “Hope for the best…prepare for the worst” – Chris Bradford

A prominent leader was once asked what the most important advice he could give someone to have a successful career. He replied, “Prepare relentlessly”

Have you ever found yourself getting jittery about an upcoming presentation or event?  If you are, my question to you is: “How prepared are you?”

Several years ago, I experienced a cheap lesson in the value of being over-prepared.  I was scheduled to facilitate some training at the headquarters of a major corporation.  I had put together a PowerPoint presentation and I was assured by the event coordinator that all I needed to do was bring the presentation downloaded on a thumb drive.  As a backup, I decided to bring my laptop.  It is a good thing that I did!  When we began setting up for the session, the tech set-up person ran into some difficulties.  The system would not work.  He began to panic.  I didn’t.  Instead I pulled out my laptop and it saved the day.  The session went smoothly, and I felt good about it afterwards.

When you are anticipating a future event, here are two questions I have:

1. What are you concerned or stressed about?
2. What can you do about it?

Answering that second question can lead to some additional research or rehearsal.  I will leave you one of my favorite quotes from Dale Carnegie:

“When you go through life unprepared,, you won’t go alone…FEAR will be your constant companion”

Posted: October 9, 2025 | Categories: Customer service, Leadership, Team Building

Growing up, I remember my father’s toolbox.  My favorite tool was the vice grip.  It was a powerful tool that could get off any nut or bolt no matter how beat up or rusted it was.  Although the vice grip was my favorite, I learned to be careful how I used it.  It would usually damage whatever I was trying to get off.  If I wanted to re-use the nut or bolt, I would use a gentler tool like a box wrench.

Today we have many communication tools we did not have in my youth.  Texts and emails are the most common advancements that come to mind.  Like any tools, we need to use the “right tool for the right job”.  If not, we can do damage.  Here is an example:

Several weeks ago, one of my coaching clients received an email that was not of a friendly tone.  It also contained judgment and insults.  My client (Pam), emailed her back in response.  Very quickly, she received a response email that was even more acerbic.  At this point, Pam stopped, went down the hallway, and talked with the other person one-on-one.  With a good conversation, they came to common ground.

In my working with teams, I find that texting and sending emails can be a good idea or a bad one.  Electronic communication tends to work well when the message is transactional.  You can confirm schedules, send attachments or even give a few instant “Pats on the back”.  On the other hand, if you receive a nasty email, I recommend you respond with “Jane…let’s talk”.  Doing so can help keep small conflicts small.

Posted: September 23, 2025 | Categories: Leadership, Self-Improvement, Team Building

Think of a time when you were working or interacting with someone and they “snapped” at you.  It was unexpected, and it took you off guard.  You may have reacted by saying or doing something that you would later regret.  Instead of reacting, I think there is a better way to respond in such a situation.

When I was in my 30’s, I was reading an article on Roy Rogers, the most popular TV cowboy of the early 50’s.  Roy had a full career and a wonderful life.  People loved working for him.  He and his wife Dale treated everyone like family.  His kindness was legendary.  To illustrate, one day he was talking to a team member, and they were getting tense and frustrated.  Instead of reacting, Roy paused with a loving sparkle in his eye and said, “Let’s take a walk”.  They did, and Roy just listened.  It should come as no surprise that his team member was struggling with something personal, and it was showing up in their demeanor.  Roy Rogers knew the value of taking a pause and listening to understand.  No wonder his team was so loyal!

Whether at home or at work, we will all have days when something is “eating” us.  It may relate to a challenge with a relationship, finances, or even health.  Whatever the issue, we need to not let it affect our work.  When another is showing irritation or frustration, we may want to take a Roy Rogers time out and get in sync with the other person.  If we do, we will be taking a step towards a more positive and productive team.

Posted: September 9, 2025 | Categories: Customer service, Leadership, Management, Team Building

In my decades of team coaching experience, one of the most important capabilities of a highly productive team is clear and timely communication. The good news is that there is something we can do to have near-perfect team communication and it will only cost us $15. Permit me to explain:

Last Saturday morning I bought a dozen donuts and took them to the shop that does my car repairs. They had just completed working on my car, and the job they did was above and beyond. I wanted to show my appreciation so I bought the service team donuts. The service manager smiled, thanked me, and simply took the box of donuts and put them on the desk behind him. Within two minutes, I saw this large group of team members moving towards the office area. I thought management must have called an important meeting. Nope. The group was headed in a beeline straight for the box of donuts. How did this happen? I hadn’t observed any texting or phone activity. The information spread quickly and was communicated with resounding accuracy.

I am not suggesting we can build our team communication on a solid flow of fresh donuts. Not only is that impractical, it would probably be unhealthy. My questions is: “What can we do (feasibly) that will create the quality and the clarity of the communication generated by that box of donuts?”  If we can answer that question, we can save our company those costly errors caused by poor communication.