The leaders in some industries thrive on sarcastic communication. Usually the reason for sarcasm is to lighten things up and inject some humor into a stressful situation. Sarcasm by definition, is when the tone and underlying message don’t match. Lesson learned: I remember back to my first supervisory assignment. My insecurity made me more sarcastic […]
Category: Supervisors
How to Avoid Being a Bad Boss
In the Front Line Leadership training program we ask participants to think back over all the managers and supervisors they have worked for and tell us what percentage of all those leaders were effective leaders. The consensus is that for most people, half of their leaders have been effective and half were ineffective. So it’s […]
The Importance of Explaining WHY
Dr Ellen Langer, Harvard Psychology Professor, did an interesting experiment using lineups of students waiting to make photocopies in the Harvard University library. In round one of the experiment, she had one of her graduate students go up to the front of the line and ask, “Can I get in front of you to make […]
Three Tips to Help You Become a More Curious Leader
Of all the significant leadership characteristics and behaviors, one of the most important is curiosity. Take the example of a driver cutting off another driver in traffic. Most reactions would be one of anger or aggravation. A curious person might wonder what kind of day that person is having or wonder why they’re in such […]
Dealing with Passive Employees
More common than the aggressive employee is the less offensive, passive employee. Passive employees are usually easy to get along with but they still might not fully meet your expectations as a leader. A passive employee tries to avoid conflict by telling you what they think you want to hear by following the rules and […]