There’s a New Sheriff in Town…

Remember the last time you hired a new manager or supervisor and welcomed him into the fold? The way you inculcate a new manager can make a big difference in how the person adjusts and makes a positive impact in the new position, no matter what the level.

Even though the job responsibilities are usually straightforward, the unstated duties are often the ones that a new person may miss. These unstated tasks are often wrapped into your organization’s culture – things that are more subtle and less tangible – but whose nuances make a difference to success.

Evaluate Critical Thinking

Have you ever hired employees whose technical skills haven’t turned out to be all they were cracked up to be? I’m using the expression “technical skills” to describe the subject matter expertise that a person brings to the job.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s an attorney, a contractor, a sales professional, or an IT consultant. The bottom line is that it’s up to you to determine if your prospective employees really have the expertise that they claim they possess.

Persuasion: The Business of Influencing People

I teamed up with The Complete Leader program as a facutly member to talk about leadership competencies. In this short video I discuss some of the characteristics that a leader should possess in order to persuade effectively.

Has Presenteeism Crept into Your Organization?

Several of my clients have key employees who come to work every day and produce at a sub-optimal level. Their firms are operating under competitive pressures and need everyone to do their best to get the job done. These particular employees have essentially stopped trying.

This is a form of presenteeism, a condition when people come to work but just go through the motions. This term originated from people coming to work when they’re sick (as opposed to staying home) and who don’t produce at the same level as employees who are well.

Do Something. Make it Better.

To do their jobs well, leaders need to be self-starting and self-directed. Rarely do you have a playbook that guides you on what needs to be done and when. One of the many qualities that good leaders possess is the ability to step up, filter what’s going on, take action, and be accountable. How do you stack up?

As someone in the business of advising executives, I’m intrigued when I come across people in senior roles whose perceptions of what they should be doing are so clearly different from the realities of their organizations.

No Regrets

Have you ever looked back at decisions you made and second guessed what you did? Of course you have. A wonderful client and friend inspired this topic recently. She has crystal clear clarity about living life with no regrets.

Although this philosophy typically arises in the context of personal decision-making, it has many constructive applications for leaders.

What Good is Planning if You Don’t Do Anything?

If you’re like me, you’re probably in some state of disbelief that the first half of this year seems to have evaporated. Have you taken time to look at the goals you set or plans that you made to see how you’re progressing?

So many people set goals, make plans, declare their intentions….and then nothing happens. OK, maybe I exaggerate: very little happens. It’s great to plan, but planning is nothing without execution.

“He Said, She Said”

One of the more challenging (and least pleasant) aspects of management is dealing with interpersonal conflicts. Whether it’s internal squabbles among team members or challenges between staff and clients, you end up in the role as referee and arbiter of encounters.

These situations are particularly difficult because often they boil down to one person’s word against another, the classic “he said, she said” dynamic. You’re put in the position to sift through truths, lies, embellishments, irrelevancies, and a lot of drama.

Fear of Feeback

When was the last time you got excited about delivering challenging feedback? Probably not too often. Even though leaders are expert at stewing over what bothers them, for some, the act of conveying the message can be grueling.

But haven’t you noticed that after you step out of your comfort zone and do the difficult deed you feel so much better? In many cases it empowers you. After all, if you’ve been dragging around the dread of the conversation, you feel lighter and more energized after it’s over.

Surprise and Delight

We all experience bad client service from time to time. Usually anger or resentment or some other negative emotion lingers for a long time after. In reality, little can be done to reverse and remedy the bad impressions that are implanted from such an experience.

I’m a client of a firm in a specialized niche. My initial experience was excellent and met or exceeded my expectations. A few months ago, I purchased some additional services and unfortunately, my experience as a client dropped precipitously.