The final two phases in the Kubler-Ross Change Curve are Experiment and Decision. If you look at the curve, you’ll notice these two phases are on the upswing, following the lowest point, the Depression phase, or Moment of Resignation. The Experiment phase is the initial engagement with the change. You don’t have their buy-in yet, … Read more
Happy Valentine’s Day! I will celebrate that with you by sharing a book report about the translation of The Five Love Languages into the workplace. The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman and Paul White I read something good, and I want to share it with you. It’s a quick read. … Read more
In my former profession as a high school band teacher, I attended a professional development session on classroom management. It was called “How to Have Pin-Drop Quiet Classrooms” or something like that. I believe in highly disciplined classroom environments, because that’s when you have the most fun. You can have discipline and positivity at the same … Read more
Leaders know that encouragement is important, but it tends to be too rare and fall into just one or two categories: I believe you can do it. (Spurring someone on to meet their potential when they’re discouraged or not measuring up.) You are exceeding expectations. (Praising someone who has gone above and beyond, exceeded standards, … Read more
At 90 Ideas, Tej Dhawan started off with a key idea: Give first. He was mostly talking about the ethic in the start-up community, how entrepreneurs help each other out as a habit. A great Iowa example is EntreFest, an annual program for entrepreneurs with dozens of sessions led, pro bono, by entrepreneurs who are … Read more
I have a tradition—the Tuesday before Thanksgiving my friend Matt Pries and I engage in the Annual Night of Gluttony. Click here to view a presentation I did on the tradition. We want to grow old staying young, and maintain our connection with each other in the midst of our busyness. This tradition helps. The … Read more
I admire Scott Raecker; he’s a great speaker with wonderful stories and spot-on content. His work on character education has touched many. And when he had the floor for five minutes at the 90 Ideas event, he shared two big insights with us, and one of them was unexpected: Drink water. I’ve blogged about … Read more
If we’re not careful, we might let debate become about winning and losing. And when that happens, we are distracted from finding the truth and end up in a political battle.
People who offer more praise look for opportunities to compliment others and recognize their contributions. Some leaders think that praise is a waste of time, or that good work is enough of a given that praising good work will make it seem like acceptable performance is somehow exceptional. But this flies in the face data … Read more
People who are driven tend to urge others to move quickly and can be annoyed when people lack a sense of urgency. The alternative is to remain “low-key” when it’s time to execute. On business teams, this is common when the leader/manager errs on the side of staying hands-off, saying things like, “I don’t like … Read more