Illusion of Certainty
Just got back from a couple of weeks of vacation, a large family reunion in Manitoba and a road trip there and back. A bit of excitement when my son Ryan, a new driver hit a deer that jumped out from the side of the highway. Fortunately he reacted quickly and avoided an accident and […]
MoreSuccess disguised
Your greatest success might be disguised. That was the case for William Wrigley, Jr. You recognize the name from Wrigley chewing gum. What you might not have known is that Wrigley started out as a soap company, using chewing gum as a promotional giveaway inside the box of soap. Perhaps your greatest success is […]
MoreEmployees Listen With Their Eyes
Whenever a leader is within the sightline of his or her employees, communication is occuring. What message is your face and body language communicating without you even having to open your mouth? Communication continues to be a problem for virtually every organization. You would think that after recognizing the problem for this long we would […]
MoreFrustrations be gone
Do you want to be less frustrated at work? An engineering manager shared an insight in a leadership course I was teaching a couple of weeks ago. He said that being frustrated is simply a sign that you are avoiding dealing with an issue or concern. Dictionary.com shows a number of definitions for frustration […]
MoreFrom Doer to Leader
When a great employee becomes a team leader, supervisor or manager, the transition isn’t always smooth. This week we examine some of the challenges and advice for moving from doer to leader. Great workers can become mediocre leaders if they don’t acknowledge that some of the characteristics of being a great worker can work […]
MoreCharacter or Caricature?
My daughter and I had our portraits drawn as caricatures. It is a cartoon-like mocking, exaggerated portrait. Sometimes when you meet someone, you get the gut feeling that they are trying to be someone they aren’t. An overcompensation for a deep seated fear or anxiety. As leaders, our employees and team members will […]
MoreIndependence Day at Work?
With the July 4th Independence Day in the USA and July 1st Canada Day holidays happening in the next week, let’s see what role independence has on employee motivation. This week we celebrate independence in North America. How much independence is there to celebrate in your workplace? A friend sent me the link […]
MoreKnowledge Hostage: Should organizations be held hostage by experienced staff?
Is it really worth it to bend over backwards to accommodate an employee who has a ton of knowledge and experience but brings little else to the organization? Over the years I have seen companies label individuals as “untouchable” because of their organizational history. This is despite clear evidence that the person can be destructive […]
MoreMassacre of Morale: How to Diagnose and Repair a Rapid Decline in Morale and Attitude
It caught me by surprise to see a dramatic change in morale and attitude with a client I have worked with on a number of occasions. When I last met with them in early 2008, everything was very positive and productive. Then, just recently I came back in to do a refresher session and was […]
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