The first reaction on the Kubler-Ross Change Curve is Denial. This piece is characterized by disbelief and evidence the change isn’t true. Comments from people in this phase can include: “There must be a mistake.” “That’s not possible.” “Are you sure you understood correctly, because that doesn’t seem right.” “No way. This can’t be happening.” Oftentimes, … Read more
We are creatures of habit, yet we experience change in every facet of our lives. Some of these changes are good, some aren’t, but regardless of where the changes fall on the spectrum, they all require a mental shift. In her ground-breaking book Death and Dying, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross discusses the stages of grief. She identified five non-linear … Read more
Here’s an idea for a team-building activity, with an added bonus— It can start the conversation about how important and welcome performance feedback is. First, ahead of time, ask each participant to come prepared with examples of two bits of feedback they’ve received in their career: One item that seemed harsh at the time, but … Read more
A brief one today; a reflection on three quotes I heard in the Cy Wakeman interview for The Leader Campus. “Change is only hard for the unready.” “Stay in a state of preparedness.” “Stop saying ‘I know change is hard.’” I need to add these thoughts to my rumination on The Psychology of Change. Change … Read more
Leaders avoid these two words (except in one situation): Never Always Why? Two reasons. One: They’re emotionally charged words. Think about the times you’ve used those words. “You never offer to help.” “I’m always on time.” “I never go in without a plan.” “You always run red lights.” We’re often stressed and maybe have a … Read more
When you survey people, formally or informally, beware this common trap: All responses are equally credible. Leaders can get distracted when looking at customer surveys, or employee engagement surveys, based on their own frame of mind at the time. Sometimes, we’re looking for the best, perhaps for reassurance, or to confirm our own biases. In … Read more
My wife, Julie, turned me on to a web-based app called RescueTime. The app tracks your activity during the day to see how efficient and effective you are, and how much time you waste. One thing I’ve learned is that I spend a stupid amount of time on email. Many days, one third of my time is … Read more
Most of my programs come with a participant follow-up email series that underscores some of the points of a training. Hundreds of these emails go out in any given week, and people read them (or not), then discard. Most of the time. Sometimes, though, they respond. And some of those responses are quite amusing. One … Read more
“What if feedback were so frequent that performance reviews became irrelevant?” This is one of my tweets from awhile back. I don’t have the data anymore, but it was the most re-tweeted tweet of my entire tweeting career. It struck a nerve. At the recent Professional Development Conference for the Central Iowa Chapter of the … Read more
At the recent Professional Development Conference for the Central Iowa Chapter of the Association for Talent Development, Sarah Noll Wilson served as the opening keynote speaker, and I’d like to share my favorite takeaway from that speech, because it fits so well with previous themes. Bottom Line Up Front: In every conversation, we are on … Read more