The research and consulting firm, BlessingWhite, is currently offering a complimentary 2 1/2 hour session, called “Impacting Engagement in 2011: The Leader’s Role,” in many major cities around the U.S. Here they reveal an advance peek at the results of their brand new global survey on employee engagement. Check out the time and location in…
DetailsReferrals are an excellent source of new business but most salespeople don’t deserve to get them! Yes, you heard me right. Why do I feel they don’t deserve them? Because they do nothing to earn them. Too many salespeople are like waiters. You know the ones. They show up at your table to take your…
DetailsBy Margaret J. Wheatley Berrett-Koehler, 2005, ISBN #978-1-57675-317-0 Reviewed by Ian Cook Margaret Wheatley, back in 1992 with her book, Leadership and the New Science, was one of the first writers to bring into mainstream discussion the idea that organizations share a lot of the characteristics of living, self-organizing systems in nature. Large weather systems,…
DetailsAh, Mark Zuckerberg. The brainchild behind the product that everyone wishes they created. Okay, when you think of a leader, Mark Zuckerberg is probably not the first person you would automatically draw inspiration from. He’s not the best speaker, wears t-shirts no matter the occasion, and gives mediocre interviews. And as a result there are…
DetailsSo much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work. – Peter Drucker A story is told of a man flying in a hot air balloon who realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon and shouts, “Excuse me, can…
DetailsI recently had the opportunity to hear author Meg Wheatley speak about her book, Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future (Berrett-Koehler, 2002). She reminded me of a very important lesson about the power of community. Senegal, Africa, with a population of 8.5 million, ranks as one of the worst…
DetailsAny marketing person will tell you that sex sells. Well, I’m here to tell you that sex doesn’t sell; sex simply gets your attention. After your attention has been aroused, it’s one of the other two primary motivators, or dominant buying motives, that drives you to buy. Those two dominant buying motives are desire for…
DetailsSome organizations, especially ones that are more bureaucratic can begin to develop a culture where the punishment for mistakes exceeds the praise for success. Organizations can get bogged down because employees are focused on playing it safe, fearing career-limiting consequences for making mistakes. In sporting terms, they play defense more than offence. This hiding tendency…
DetailsYou seldom hear the word “fear” in management development workshops. Of course the word is not welcome anywhere in organizations. It’s the “F word” in offices and plants. Odd, isn’t it, since fear is always lurking in our workplaces, especially during the last few years of economic hell?
Have you ever thought about how many of your policies and procedures exist because a few people broke the rules? In a similar way we all have to endure travel headaches because of the actions of a few individuals. Some policies, procedures and regulations are helpful in establishing expectations. Sometimes we go too far and…
DetailsAugust seems to be the month for annual treks to see family, rediscover roots and take vacations. If you’ve tried to do business this month, then I’m sure you discovered clients and colleagues who were “on vacation/visiting family back home.” My entire life during the first week of August, my family has traveled from all…
DetailsIsn’t it funny what we assume about leaders in senior positions. They no longer have anything to learn about interpersonal relationships or leadership. They have arrived, proof positive of their skill level! Furthermore, only a fearless few people will give them the honest, useful feedback that self-development requires. The “culture” expects them to be role…
DetailsBe a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected. – Steve Jobs While you may be familiar with the many inventions of Thomas Edison which include the incandescent light bulb and the microphone, but there is a back story to one invention that is of great significance. It…
DetailsThis blog is an excerpt from a feedback session with a client who was seen for coaching to improve his ability to develop interpersonal relationships. He is in his mid-20’s and not currently involved in a significant relationship. He reported a previous experience with a 16-Type measure that indicated a preference for ISTJ (which was…
DetailsMany people believe that psychological type consists of four pairs of opposing preferences. Learn the pairs and the behaviors associated with each one, and that’s all there is to it. When you read Jung’s (1921/1971, paras. 570, 571, 575, 588, 608, 637, 736, 764, 956) Psychological Types, you discover there is a lot more to…
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