Communication
Are your policies coming between you and your customers?
In my line of work, I’ve experienced many white-knuckle negotiations. You can imagine, then, my frustration with a popular telephone company while trying to get one simple task accomplished. It’s a negotiation that lasted six hours. My wife and I recently welcomed my aging mother into our home. Mom’s one request is that she be…
Read MoreIf you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail | A leader’s vision check for 2020
Imagine we’re sitting down for coffee and I ask, “…are you completely happy with the progress you made in 2019?” We hope that you are. We hope this was a banner year for your organization, but I have a follow up question, “…was it intentional or accidental?” Without intentionality, all results are accidental. A year…
Read MoreGood leaders know it’s not about me, it’s about we
Are you concerned that your people are not engaged? Your people want to do more, not less. They eagerly want to take a seat at the table and make a meaningful contribution. If this is not the case, then there is an extremely high likelihood that you encouraged them to be disengaged. Humans are naturally…
Read MoreSeeing is doing
If you see it; you will do it. People do not normally intend to aimlessly wander around and spin their wheels. If you see this happening in your organization, it is a clear sign that success has not been well defined. It is also a sign that there is not a simple, clear way to…
Read MoreConflict and communication rarely coexist
One of my favorite sayings is that “conflict and communication rarely coexist.” Humans generally want the same thing. Conflict arises between people because one person believes that what they want and another person wants, is somehow mutually exclusive. If you get more pie, I get less. What if, instead, you could both make the pie bigger? Then…
Read MoreGreat leaders know their opinion doesn’t matter
One of the things I consistently see leaders do that undermines their team’s effectiveness is freely expressing their opinion. The best leaders know that their opinion doesn’t matter. What matters is the mission. In most organizations as soon as the leader speaks, everyone is focused on pleasing the leader. At that point, the focus is on…
Read MoreGreat Cultures Are Built On Purpose
In order to lay the foundation for great workplace culture, two essential questions must be answered. The first, is your organization making the world a better place? And the second, is your team aware of and focused on that purpose? When you think about what attracts you to a brand or a company, is making…
Read MoreIs Your Team Dysfunctional?
In his now classic book, “The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team,” Patrick Lencioni lays out the 5 key ways in which teams undermine their effectiveness: 1. Absence of Trust 2. Fear of Conflict 3. Lack of Commitment 4. Avoidance of Accountability 5. Inattention to Results My friend Nathan Lozeron does a great job explaining the…
Read MoreEffective Communication: Can You Actually Overcommunicate?
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” -George Bernard Shaw Business leaders, speakers, and authors often talk about the importance of overcommunicating. I’m not convinced it’s possible. If you think communication is a one-way process of talking at people, then maybe there’s some merit to it. I prefer…
Read MoreTap into the power of dreams: A solution to get great employees to stay
In his New York Times best-selling book, “The Dream Manager,” Matthew Kelly states, “It’s foolish to hope employees will be passionate and engaged about their work if they’re not passionate and engaged in their lives–yet a staggering number of people are not enthusiastic about their lives.” Research shows that employees are more likely to stay…
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