Orient Yourself Towards Others And Relieve Pressure In The Workplace

In my new book Leading at Light Speed I talk about the concept of leading through others to relieve pressure in the workplace. What do I mean?
Think of flying on an airplane with an open seating plan such as Southwest. You’ve come across an aisle seat. The middle and window seats are [...]

Assessing Team Communication

You can use the following anonymous survey to assess team communication.
Use the following scale to answer each question: A score of 1 means you do not agree with the statement; 4 means you agree with it; a 2 or 3 means your opinion falls somewhere in the middle.
Your survey results are confidential. Keep the [...]

What to Do When Your Team Gets “Stuck”: 7 Ways to Get It Moving Again

There is no question about it. A team can be a powerful vehicle for accomplishing a major project, guiding a unit to superior performance, or bringing together diverse perspectives to solve a pressing problem.
Have you ever been a member of a smooth functioning, high performing team? Those of you who have, no doubt, harbor fond [...]

What if We Brought in a Facilitator?

Is your upcoming meeting a strategic planning session? A sales or project launch? A departmental communications day? Or, perhaps, teambuilding for an intact management or project team? Whichever it is, it undoubtedly involves a significant investment.
“Facilitation is different from
public speaking and training.”
First you have the value of the participants’ time, more precious than ever [...]

Want Greater ROI From Your Meetings?: Six Questions That Will Make The Difference

First there’s the suffocating volume of e-mails. That’s complaint number one. But the next biggest gripe I hear from my clients is that they are spending way too much time in meetings.
Do any of these comments ring true about meetings where you work?

too long
no agenda (or, if there is one, we don’t follow it)
rambling, [...]

Kickstarting a Brand New Team

Do you remember the last time you attended the initial meeting of a new task force or project team at work? No one could agree on the goals. A couple of people complained about all their other work demands. Someone was pushing a personal agenda to become the team “leader.” After a couple of [...]