A few weeks back, I was at a presentation of Janyne Peek Emsick, and she reminded us of a great quote from Karl Lewin: To know,and not do,is to not yet know. Have you ever explained how to tie your … Read More
A few weeks ago, I shared an unusual incident involving an appliance installer, and the Facebook discussion after I shared it online. After the post, there was a bit more discussion, and I also finally offered my thoughts on the … Read More
Sometimes people feel disconnected from us, because we come off as “too busy.” Good news – there are three words that can reverse this dysfunction. A piece of equipment went missing, and I wasn’t told about it. I found out … Read More
An earlier post discussed the perils of the use of the word “don’t”. “Don’t” is negative, and can also be dismissive. It is direct (that’s good) and easy (that’s why it’s frequently used). There’s a nice alternative, though, that can … Read More
Hannah was a young person volunteering at a community dinner. She sure seemed like she didn’t want to be there. She was listening to her iPod and had earbuds in both ears as she served peas to the public. She … Read More
When I was young teacher, I often found myself in the middle of student disputes. My response was always something along the lines of, “You need to learn how to solve your own problems.” I was thinking I was doing … Read More
When I read the (rightly) popular Good to Great, I found myself agreeing with nearly everything in principle, but thought that some concepts were a little too idealistic for a small- to mid-sized organization. Massive businesses, like his examples, have … Read More
If you are a leader, it is your job to keep your people motivated, and stave off any demoralization. But what if YOU lose your mojo due to some cranky folks in your organization? It’s so easy to be derailed … Read More
“Hey, Tom, if you could get some of those account reviews done by Thursday, that’d be great.” Sometimes to sound “nice”, we make requests like the one above. It’s casual (good), general (bad), with a deadline (good), but without a … Read More
Everyone has moments, or even periods, of insecurity. Situation One: Once, about 15 years ago, I was struggling to