Deadlines are kind. They give people a way to prioritize their time and efforts. Priorities are also kind. Not setting them becomes fertile ground for frustration. Without priorities, people are led to think one of two things: 1- All of my tasks are equally important. 2- None of my tasks are important. The result? The … Read more
Some think a weekly one-on-one is just for the corporate environment, between full-time, salaried workers and their supervisors. There’s a lot out there on that – including this great guide from Manager Tools. One-on-ones truly work in a variety of environments, though. I’ve had a client in a medical clinic who added monthly one-on-ones with … Read more
Hersey and Blanchard’s concept of Situational Leadership dictates that we provide a level of leadership and attention that is appropriate to a follower’s levels of expertise and motivation. Often, leaders believe they are “empowering” and “granting autonomy” by being hands-off, and letting people learn on their own. While that sounds good, it only works in cases … Read more
Is this a typical small-business hiring process? (…is it limited to “small” businesses?) -You’re too busy. You need someone to do some things, so you advertise and hire someone who seems good. -You hire that person, and get that person up to speed on the tasks right away so he/she can start making your life easier as quickly as … Read more
The blog is back! 2014 has been a reality check for us at Group Dynamic. By June, it was clear that this year, we would exceed all goals and projections. So, we (and it is “we” now) have scaled up, re-prioritized time use and projects, clarified and expanded offerings, incorporated (S-Corp, for you curious business … Read more
Thank you for checking out my blog. If this is your first time here, I encourage you to read the Group Dynamic Primer. Chapters 1-8 are the foundation upon which Group Dynamic philosophy is built. ~ Alan Feirer
This morning, I ordered a coffee from someone who made no eye contact and waited for the customer to initiate the order. I watched this go down with the three people ahead of me in line. They stepped up, placed their order with this cashier who looked down with her finger poised above the buttons. … Read more
When the question is“What do you want more of from your leaders?” the answer is very often “To initiate more on their own – to do more of what needs to be done without being asked.” Well, here are two truths: 1-You have to ask. In early stages, very specifically. In later stages, it can be … Read more
Recently I was asked to be a guest blogger for a business leader focused blog. (www.upatdawn.biz) I provided an older post from this blog that I’m pretty proud of, but Jeffrey Kirk over at Up At Dawn helped me understand that his audience was different from mine. Nonsense! My audience is also business leaders, right? … Read more
Last week we dipped into Five Dysfunctions of a Team; this week we dive. I take you through a high-level overview of the Five Dysfunctions, and tell a short story about their accidental impact. This is a touch longer than 90 seconds, but I’ve gotten feedback that folks are hungry for more on this topic, so … Read more