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
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 … 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
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
The following is an example of a common scene in my sessions with leaders. Me: Raise your hand if you’ve ever said or thought something like this: “If someone has an issue with me or my work, tell me to my face. Don’t hold back or talk about it behind my back; give it to … Read more
There are certain words and phrases that can get us on the defensive before we even know what the topic is. One of the big ones is “No offense, but…” And related cushions followed by the word but. Remember that people on tight teams can handle tough talk. It’s okay for you to deliver tough … Read more
In the December 29 Business Record, my friend Sarah Noll Wilson shared her thoughts on intentions. I’ve learned this year that sometimes we have sneaky, shadow intentions that may influence our actions and conversations without even knowing. Now when something doesn’t go quite right, I ask myself what my real intention was in this situation. If … 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