Employees Listen With Their Eyes

Whenever a leader is within the sightline of his or her employees, communication is occuring. What message is your face and body language communicating without you even having to open your mouth? Communication continues to be a problem for virtually every organization. You would think that after recognizing the problem for this long we would…

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Four Steps to Becoming the Ultimate Manager

Be kind to people on the way up- you’ll meet them again on your way down. – Jimmy Durante It was recently reported in USA Today that 48 percent of employees believe that being courteous leads to advancement at work. And in a recent AOL article, business writer David Schepp writes, “with five applicants for…

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Three Keys to Exceptional Leadership

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome – Booker T. Washington In a recent Sports Illustrated story honoring Pat Summit and Mike Krzyzewski as Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year, a fascinating story of hope and encouragement…

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Great Interactions

I think we can all agree that leadership is an art form: a dance, a painting, a well-executed pass play. The best leaders know the moments in which to interact. More to the point, an employee’s valuation of their company comes down to a few moments (and their direct report is usually part of them).…

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It’s Time For A Fresh Start

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. – Helen Keller A story is told of a young Greek artist named Timanthes studied who under a respected tutor some 2,000 years ago. After several years the teacher’s efforts seemed to…

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Keep in Touch with Your Best Former Employees

It’s been a smart idea for years. When good employees leave your organization for greener pastures and the departure is amicable, why not keep in contact? You never know, some may find that that grass isn’t, in fact, greener and that your firm was a pretty good place to work after all. A recent WSJ…

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A Way With Words

Words do two major things: They provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness. – Jim Rohn Listed on the Merriam-Webster website is the 2011: The Year in Words. The list reveals defining moments in politics, culture, sports and more that spiked lookups in words because of events in news. A…

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How Far Will Your Vision Take You?

Vision is the world’s most desperate need. There are no hopeless situations, only people who think hopelessly. – Winfred Newman About 350 years ago, as the story is told, a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town…

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Perseverance is not just a cheesy motivational poster

When I hear the term perseverance, it’s hard not to think of those “motivational” posters proudly displayed in so many offices. You know what I mean; the posters usually showcase a mountain or a sailboat with a slogan that says something about persevering no matter the hurdles, etc., etc. I don’t know about you, but…

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Keeping Connected in a Connection-Challenged World

As we increasingly live in the fast lane, a few road signs might be useful to guide us along the way-words warning us when good connections are being overlooked, threatened, or endangered. Some possibilities might include: Yield to Connection, Stop to Connect, or Use Caution … Relationships at Work! Following these signs could make the…

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Job Squeeze Is Real. Talk about it

My alma mater, the Industrial and Labor Relations School of Cornell University recently hosted a conference on “The Quality of Jobs.” They looked at how trends in what they call the “intensification” of work, the restructuring of jobs, and classic downsizing have impacted the quality of jobs and the levels of satisfaction employees (who are…

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Three Invitations Every Leader Should Send

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. –          Abraham Lincoln In Readers Digest, a story is told about Mercedes Ruehl seeing her first Broadway show when she was in grade school. Her family was in New York visiting relatives and driving through Times Square. On the…

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Keep Your Customers Coming Back

In a recent survey titled, why do people give up on your company? it was noted that 68% quit because of an attitude of indifference toward the client by the owner, manager or employee. This indifference comes about because we tend to forget that to stay employed and succeed in our business or organization we…

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Should you manage like Steve Jobs?

Reading about Steve Jobs’ management style is like reading about exactly how you are not supposed to manage people. He openly and viciously criticized the work of employees and then would take some of those ideas and present them as his own. When he couldn’t persuade or seduce someone into doing what he wanted he…

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