I was recently at a formal event where a few dozen individuals were honored with a “once-in-a-lifetime”, very selective, award. Presenting the awards were leaders from the various sponsors of the event. And, on several occasions, honorees’ names were pronounced wrong. Some were difficult, or confusing, but still it was clear that some presenters simply … Read more
A fellow consultant and I once worked with a small services firm that had some retention and engagement problems. At first, everything seemed in place – the people were good; the quality of their work was sound; the CEO and leadership team cared about their folks. But, looking closer, there were some misguided notions in … Read more
While flying last week, the man sitting to my left kept accidentally jabbing me with his elbow – repeatedly. I’m empathetic; he was in the middle seat. Still, there are “rules,” and he was often in my space. With his elbow, with his newspaper, and with his leg and feet. He was a textbook example … Read more
These posts, and thousands of books, explore ways to engage and lead others better. Let’s be clear; these techniques and skills work for the vast majority of folks. But not for all of them. We are plagued by “The Ten Percent.” It seems so common, that we might call it a general rule; in any … Read more
My first week on the job, Alan sat down with me to tell the story of Group Dynamic. Its past, present, and the future he sees for it. He did this, as you may recall, to ensure I was a good fit. We discussed the core values of the company and agreed to come back … 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
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
This week’s book is Leading at a Higher Level. Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership model is a simple way to figure out what kind of leadership is needed for a particular individual.
Matt and Alan talk about the danger of dwelling on things.
Sarah and Alan talk about a technique to cut down on passive-aggressive and/or sarcastic speech from the people around you. Related post: Ignore the Tone