A Case of the Listening Ears

Summary:  Lessons learned after being given a case of “listening ears” – lost my voice. Listening is important to succeed. You need to listen to your clients if you want to serve them. You need to listen to your suppliers to ensure you will receive what you need. You need to listen to your employees […]

The What and How of Saying It

Summary:  The message to our people can get lost in the “how” of “what” we said. Don’t let this happen, here are a few tips to keep you on track. This is the dilemma we usually face isn’t it. We want to focus on the “what” of our communications and our people focus on the “how” of […]

Who are your “behind the scenes” people?

Summary: In the circus there are people dressed in all black who make the show doesn’t stop. In business we also have these “behind the scenes” people. Who are yours? How do you acknowledge their work? Each November we embark on our own family tradition of going to the circus. We have been doing this […]

Do you have values?

Summary: Are your values posted on a wall where no one pays attention? Some ideas to work them into your organization and how to live them. When working with companies on setting up their HR department/policies, one of the questions I ask is “Does your company have Values?”  I am not talking about the personal […]

Are you a Good Listener?

Summary:  Are you a good listener? You hear what they are saying but are you listening? How to turn it around. Are you a good listener? Most people when asked this question will say “yes” or “of course”. I hear what everyone tells me. You may indeed hear what they are saying but are you […]

Decisions, decisions, decisions

Summary:  People make decisions differently, understand how if you want an answer quickly. Ever notice how people make decisions? How some can make decisions on the spot and others take what feels like an eternity? How is this and does it matter? We make decisions every day, they can be as mundane as “Do I […]

Finding Your Leadership Style

Summary: Whether a new leader or becoming more effective – it starts with finding your “internal leader”. You may be new to leadership or we may be interested in being more effective as a leader, either way it is important to determine your style. I almost hesitate to call it a style since that makes […]

The Suggestion Box is Dead

Summary:  The Suggestion Box was once a way to solicit ideas from employees. Three ways to get people to contribute. Once a great way to get employee feedback about what could be done to improve the company has turned into another object collecting dust. I think it is safe to say the traditional Suggestion Box […]

3 Tips for Creating a Team with Remote Workers

Summary:  Having a remote team in convenient however creating a team can be challenging. These three tips should get you on your way. Aahhh…the convenience of working with a remote team. They don’t need office space, they live near your clients/potential clients and no complaints about the commute! The difficult part is keeping in touch, […]

Uh oh…I’ve been promoted

Summary:  The promotion you have been working hard on has come through…now what…do you have that feeling “what did I get myself into” The promotion you have been working on has come through. Your hard work and effort has paid off. It’s your first day on the job and you are getting a realistic view of what […]