As a young man, I was drawn to the sport of wrestling. I started at a very young age and practiced through my college life. I have medals and messed up ears to prove it. I liked wrestling because there was a degree of personal accountability unlike any other sport. The wrestling team worked out…
It seems to be a “no brainer” that better mid level managers and supervisors will, by the way they lead their people, yield better results. Yet this relationship has been very little researched, formally and academically. A study published in August, however, does shed some light on this. It is available through the (U.S.) National…
In my workshops,training sessions and coaching on communication, emotional intelligence, people skills and team building, I find that one of the key factors that gets in the way of companies and organizations being positive, productive and profitable involves how they deal with conflict. In this article, we will explore why conflicts start and how to…
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. – Henry David Thoreau The year was 1947 and to date no one had broken the sound barrier. Most believed that it could not be done. Some argued that the sound barrier was a literal wall that once hit at 760…
Recently I spent two days teaching front-line managers in an installation service company how to have effective conversations around job performance. The training included an approach that was new to the managers and thus involved for them a new way of thinking. Instead of telling, they were to do a lot more asking of questions…
In my teambuilding workshops, one of the exercises I often do is to ask the participants the following questions, “What does good teamwork look like?” and “What do I need from my co-workers?; What do I need in terms of personal satisfaction?; and What do I need in reference to worthy work in order to…
Thanksgiving is when one species ceases to gobble and another begins. – R.E. Marion A story is told of two men who were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit, and it was soon apparent that…
So let’s say there is a skills gap in your company. If budgets allow, your first inclination might be to hire someone from outside the company to close that gap. After all, there are some people who know how to look great on “paper”, and a stunning resume can make any company leader salivate over…
A Vice President I worked for years ago, reflecting on her rise to the C Suite, stated that she thought it was more stressful to be a middle manager than an executive. The difference, she said, is the senior leader has more autonomy over things than do managers further down in the hierarchy. We know…
The endless assortment of messages, feelings, and attitudes we bring from our past into our present influences how we see ourselves. It also directly impacts our ability to relate to others. While growing up, we learned to judge ourselves and our capabilities based on how others saw us. Whether their judgments were complimentary or condemning…
Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays – Søren Kierkegaard The stated mission of the United States Military Academy is to “educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a…
“Building confidence in yourself helps you develop the right mindset to master life’s challenges, opening the floodgates for an outpouring of opportunities to make enduring connections” If the thought of interacting with others sometimes takes you out of your Comfort Zone, you’re not alone. Most people are susceptible to moments of self-doubt. Nothing is…
Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith – Henry Ward Beecher I read a story about a man back in 1835 who visited a doctor in Florence, Italy. He was filled with anxiety and exhausted from a lack of sleep. He…
Having just made a well-educated and difficult career transition, I had a chance to experience the job seekers world in 2012. I met corporate recruiters who asked qualifying questions irrelevant to my skill set, was offered large cash bonus offers, and received the “why our company is the best” speech from CEOs. None of it mattered! In the…