Posted: December 10, 2015 | Categories: Leadership, Self-Improvement, Team Building

When I was in my late 30’s, I was attending a 6-week leadership seminar and learned a valuable lesson:  Be careful when you tease.  The subject was teamwork, and the instructor brought up the topic of teasing.  He said, “Teasing can be one of the most subtle forms of cruelty.”  He went on to say, “Have any of you ever been in situation where someone said something to you in jest, you chuckled, and then later had second thoughts?”  “You may have thought to yourself, “I wonder what he meant by that”.Read More…

Posted: December 4, 2015 | Categories: Leadership, Management

Have you ever worked for a boss where you felt you couldn’t do anything right?  Then there is the other extreme:  The boss who never says anything.  You don’t know if what you are doing is right or wrong.Read More…

Posted: December 1, 2015 | Categories: Leadership, Networking, Self-Improvement

“Did you ever feel like the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?”  – George Goebel

Picture this:  You just started a new job or joined an organization.  You don’t know anyone.  It is time for you to attend your first social event.  As you walk in, you hear talking and laughter.  Folks are clustered in groups engaged in conversation.  You want to be a part of your new group, but you can’t figure out how to get started.  Just when you are starting feel completely invisible, an energetic, radiant individual springs from one of the groups.  She approaches you smiling, extends her hand, and introduces herself.  She then starts asking questions.  She wants to know what you do and why you enjoy it.  She then says, “C’mon, I want to introduce you to some folks.” Read More…

Posted: November 27, 2015 | Categories: Presentation skills, Self-Improvement

Now that we are approaching the end of the year, you are probably looking ahead to your professional development plans for 2016.  As you work on your plan, you note that it includes attending a seminar or training program to sharpen your skill or knowledge in a particular area.  Let’s say this program costs $650 to register and you would like your company to sponsor you.  How would you approach your boss?  Here’s one way:

“Mrs. Stanton, I need you to write a check for $650.   Why?  Because I need to attend a class”

I would not recommend this approach.  I have found it has a low batting average.  Let’s try another one:Read More…

Posted: November 25, 2015 | Categories: Management, Team Building

Have you ever worked in a culture where there was constant whining, finger-pointing, and excuse making?  If you have, you know how such behavior affects team performance.

A few years ago I had someone in my management class who was struggling with a negative team environment.  People would continually come up to him and complain about other people not doing their job.  They often had a complaint, but seldom proposed a solution.

As we discussed this challenge, I introduced him to the 4 problem solving questions I have spoken of before.  These were developed by Leon Shimkin nearly 100 years ago, and have stood the test of time:Read More…