Google, I’m sure you will agree, is a business built on metrics and analytics. Well, they recently completed an comprehensive, rigorous internal study about what made great managers…at Google. The New York Times article says that Google wanted to build better bosses. Now, that certainly strikes a positive chord for me and boy does it…
DetailsSince my introduction to type as a professional in 1992, knowledge about type has proven incredibly valuable in my home and work life. Using the multiple lenses of type (see Figure 1) my personality type code ENFJ, provides shorthand for capturing the following rich information.
One of the hiring traps many companies fall into is letting HR hire salespeople. I apologize if this blog annoys HR practitioners but the simple truth is that most (not all) HR people are unqualified to hire salespeople. What they are extremely good at is managing the hiring process and understanding the legal aspects of…
DetailsFor all the productivity improvements technology has brought us, there is a dark side and it is impacting employee engagement and management effectiveness. I’m talking about the tendency to send emails instead of going and talking to people.
DetailsTheir name says it all. They believe they have all the right answers and know what’s best for everyone. The problem is deep down, they know that they really don’t know it all; their behavior is a cover-up for their feelings of inadequacy. They pretend to know everything; being right makes them feel validated, which…
DetailsIf the title of this article makes you scratch your head, consider for a few minutes the concept that a strong team with a high degree of trust requires its members to challenge one another. Ian Thomas, a professional speaker from South Africa was using the illustration of a pride of lions and the lessons…
DetailsEmployee engagement is all the rage these days. It’s commonly touted as the key to transforming an organization from good to great. When a new organizational effectiveness ‘truth’ comes along there are two common responses.
DetailsAt a recent workshop I delivered and facilitated, we had a brainstroming session to answer some key questions about what constitutes excellent customer service. Here are the results of the brainstorming from the attendees. How can we make it easier for our customers to do business with us?
DetailsI’m usually not a big fan of asking leading questions of a referee. But when I’m doing reference checks for sales candidates, I’m all for priming the “witness” before conducting the interrogation. Why? Because it helps avoid getting those sometimes ill-deserved, glowing reports during your reference-checking process.
During a recent teambuilding and communication workshop I delivered one of my clients stated, “50% of all our obstacles to success center around team dynamics.” In other words you can have the best plans, strategies and initiatives, however if everyone is not team oriented, working well together and getting along, it will be difficult at…
DetailsThis question has been studied for decades and no direct relationship has been established. Despite what would seem to be a slam-dunk connection, happier workers don’t necessarily result in a bumped up bottom line. A recent study by researchers at Cornell, however, has mapped a path between the two. It is not a direct route.…
DetailsSince so many of you liked last month’s blog post (Connect In Before You Connect Out) about the importance of authenticity when connecting, I thought I would go a little deeper on the concept of connecting inward before you connect outward. There really is truth in the age-old wisdom of treating your body as the…
DetailsRate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 on the statements below: 1-Never 2-Almost never 3-Sometimes 4-Almost always 5-Always
DetailsEvery great author has a trilogy and this is mine. Well actually I’m not really a great author, but this is part of a trilogy. This is the third article on the topic of onboarding salespeople. For the uninitiated, “onboarding” is what happens after you successfully complete the arduous process of hiring a new salesperson.…
DetailsIn his epochal book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins talked about “Level 5” leaders, the ones who generate the very best results, consistently, over time. Most interesting is that they embody seemingly opposite characteristics. On the one hand, they are modest, humble and self-effacing. Yet in the same person dwells a ferocious resolve to…
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