Taming a Frenzied Workplace, Part III: Reframing a Tattler’s Tale
Have you ever had to work with a tattletale? Some of the parallels between childhood tattling and workplace tale-bearing came to mind while I was visiting a friend whose child kept appealing for adult...
View ArticleHear the Meaning, Not Just the Sound
When people talk to you, do you hear everything they’re communicating? Do you recognize the meaning in people’s voices as well as their words to understand what they’re really telling you? Once you’ve...
View ArticleHow to Work with Over-Reactors, Part II: Shifting from Reactivity to Reflection
If you suspect you’re an excessively reactive manager (see last week’s post, How to Work with Over-Reactors, Part I: Driven, Hard-Driving Managers), you may wonder how to slow things down to help...
View ArticleHow to Work with Over-Reactors, Part III: Keeping Your Cool, and Then Some
It can be very appealing to have an over-reactive person on your team because of their strong drive for accomplishment and their very quick response time whenever there’s a problem to be solved. But...
View ArticleCrazy-Making Boss Behavior
Every once in a while someone tells me a story of dysfunctional, disruptive, unprofessional, plain old odd boss behavior. Here’s an example, along with some suggestions for how to normalize things with...
View ArticleAn Invitation to Interact: The Power of One Person
It’s amazing how much impact a single individual can have on an organization’s service or teamwork through a combination of personality and thoughtful action. That impact can’t be taken for granted, of...
View ArticleHow to Use Emotional Data at Work, Part I: Face It! We’re All Human
Anyone who says feelings have no place in the workday might as well say that breathing has no place in the workday. A human without either one is a corpse. The feelings are there. Feelings are facts....
View ArticleHow to Use Emotional Data at Work, Part II: Managing Your Own
Emotions in the workplace: You may not like them, but they’re there, all right, and you can’t get rid of them. “Feelings and emotions” reminds me of those “ring around the collar” ads for Wisk back in...
View ArticleCrazy-Making Boss Behavior, Redux: Have You Gotten Any Better at That Yet?
A reader asked me to revisit my earlier post about Crazy-Making Boss Behavior and provide details about how to cope with some of the extreme behaviors. Let’s start with the “Have You Gotten Any Better...
View Article“That’s The Way (I Like It)”: When Customers Sing the Wrong Song
Perhaps we’ve trained customers to believe that they’re always right or “king” so thoroughly that some of them feel “special” enough to violate institutional norms with impunity. Some of the behavior I...
View ArticleThe Connected Leader, Part I: Dodging the Disconnect
Whether you’re a new leader or you’re challenged by a team that’s not responding as well as you expect, the first rule of becoming a connected leader is that you have to make the connection — and keep...
View ArticleThe Connected Leader, Part II: Two Reasons to Listen for Connection
After reading part I of this series, you’ve begun getting to know your followers, whether they actually report to you or are constituents of your organization. You might even be starting to feel more...
View ArticleThe Connected Leader, Part III: How to Accept Feedback Gracefully
As a Connected Leader, you’re usually open to hearing whatever your team members have to say. You know them well and you’re skillful about encouraging them to speak. The challenge is to be able to...
View ArticleThe Connected Leader, Part IV: Making the Future Clear
Most people want to know how and where they fit into the various groups they’re affiliated with — and they really want to know where and how they’re supposed to fit in at work. They crave information...
View ArticleThe Connected Leader, Part V: Sponsoring Persistent Progress
Let’s say your team feels deeply connected to you, and all of its members are committed to the same things you’re committed to. Your team feels comfortable enough with you to express disagreement not...
View ArticleBaby Steps in Management: Four Routes to Effective Employee Development
Why are we so tolerant of certain kinds of unsuccessful behaviors in children, but not in adults? When a child is learning to walk, and stumbling and falling, no one says, “Don’t fall down, you bad...
View ArticleCatalyst for Connection: Try Being a Foul Weather Friend
So many companies and institutions claim that they are — or want to be — customer-centric. They stress how seriously they take the importance of relationships. But then they focus more on acquisition...
View ArticleThe Perils of Textmania
When texting was first adopted in the workplace, it was used primarily for emergencies, such as resolving critical customer problems, rescheduling crucial meetings, dealing with service interruptions,...
View ArticleClosing the Curtain on Employee Drama
How can you keep yourself from getting hooked by employee drama — especially if you’re a hero type who naturally likes riding to the rescue? It’s particularly difficult if dealing with an urgent or...
View ArticleHow “Clear and Compelling” Outdoes “Nice and Neutral”
It’s always risky for employees when managers are “too nice” and don’t give clear and helpful feedback about expectations, preferences, or necessary improvements. In effect, these managers stand by as...
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