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Sometimes we have the impression that being an effective leader means that we have to be macho when in fact taking a macho approach can actually hurt results.What Does Macho Mean?The tendency for a manager to think that they must always be tough, push hard for results, be the smartest person in the room and […]

With national elections in both Canada and the United States, the question on most voters’ minds is, “Who will be the best leader?” Business owners, managers and supervisors can learn from this scrutiny to strengthen their own leadership skills. While leading a department, division or company may not be in the same league as Prime […]

Most companies focus on doing things faster and cheaper than before – are you saying this isn’t the best strategy? Many managers are using the rifle approach – focusing on how to deliver their products and services faster, better and cheaper. This nose to the grindstone approach can be detrimental to the business in the […]

In the spirit of the Olympic games, it is interesting to think about whether your performance at work would deserve a gold medal and how to achieve greater excellence. 1. Be absolutely clear in your vision and goal – Many of today’s medalists finished out of the medals in previous games. They trained and came […]

While we were in New York City, I attended the National Speakers’ Association Convention. There were 1,800 professional speakers and trainers from 10 different countries. As I sat through the sessions, I was reflecting on some tips for individuals to become better presenters in front of groups – whether you aspire to be a professional […]

We have now visited amusement parks and other sites in Cincinnati Ohio, Williamsburg Virginia, Washington DC, and currently New York City and I want to talk about customer service. If you are in customer service or you manage an organization that deals with customers, here are some ideas to become more customer focused. 1. View […]

It’s summer vacation season and there are still managers and key employees who find it a challenge to take time off – and in many cases can’t take more than one week at a time. Some managers and employees love their work so much that vacation time is more of a chore than a benefit. […]

Managers say that they want employees to be more accountable – what does accountability mean? Accountability is where you are given responsibility for a particular area and you are expected to generate results. It also means that you are prepared to suffer the consequences – good or bad – based on your area or department. […]

We revisit communication from a slightly different perspective. In almost every organization people will complain about communication. The challenge is that communication is such a broad term that it rarely results in a good solution to a problem. 1. More communication doesn’t always mean better communication – when managers and executives hear that they have […]

I am writing from Houston Texas where I just finished facilitating a team building program called the Pit Crew Challenge. This is an awesome program that uses a real Nascar racing car to teach some valuable lessons and I thought I could share a couple of those lessons. Coaching – In the Pit Crew Challenge […]