So, you’ve just landed a new job! Congratulations! Now it’s time to learn more about yourself as a person and as a leader—no matter what your formal position is. That’s right: You’re a leader! I said it! Whether you know it or not, you have the potential to influence the people around you, whether they’re […]
If you have ever been through traditional sales training, you no doubt remember the attention given to closing skills. These techniques frequently featured directive (dare I say manipulative) questions sales types unveiled when they felt it was time to shut down an interaction, create a sense of urgency and (one way or another) “move on.” […]
I dove (headfirst!) into the training industry during the summer of 1981. So, if nothing else, one sentence into this “walk down memory lane,” it should be abundantly clear that I have been around more than most, but admittedly not quite as long as a few. Most of my time (i.e., the overwhelming majority) has […]
The “Great Resignation”—the ongoing phenomenon of millions of employees voluntarily leaving their jobs over the past several months—is well underway and shows few signs of abating anytime soon. And, in a clear departure from the old adage, “Don’t quit your job until you have another one lined up,” a not so small number of employees […]
Regular check-ins should be in place for every leader in your organization. No one can give out of an “empty well,” and leaders are the most frequently “tapped.” The healthy and the hurting are found at every level and need the undivided attention of a trusted colleague—who can also be a boss or leader they […]
If you weren’t scheduling regular one-on-ones with your team members before 2020, the peaks and valleys and twists and turns of the high-stakes roller coaster ride we have been on have surely convinced you by now that they are an invaluable touchpoint for every effective leader with their people. Perhaps your direct reports have even […]
I am proud to teach Situational Leadership® every day. Even as 14+ million managers have gone through the program in some form or fashion, it remains a comparatively untapped resource and strategy for many of the urgent leadership challenges in our world today! Yet, for those who have diligently applied the model to their leadership […]
In my humble opinion, one of the most useful (a.k.a. easy to both understand and implement) contributions to the discipline of training evaluation ever came from Mary Broad and John Newstrom. They developed something called The Transfer Matrix which was introduced in their book entitled “Transfer of Training,” published in the early 1990s. The book […]
From April to June of this year over 11,500,000 people quit their jobs. Beyond reasonable doubt, the historically traumatizing act of marching into your boss’ office and articulating your intent to “move on” while sliding your two-week notice on to his or her desk has not only been normalized, but it has also, evidently, become […]
I was naively under the impression that no one likes to deliver bad news. Or difficult news. Or news you think the person might take badly. Or any message that will put someone in an awkward or embarrassing position. That was until I met my husband. Some of you out there are like him. You […]
In a world where many try to jump into the spotlight and create the false impression they have discovered something that nobody before them has ever considered, Angela Duckworth provides a welcome alternative. First off, she is one of the best communicators on the planet. Second, her book “Grit” is a New York Times best […]
What holds you back most from getting a professional coach? I’ll bet it is “Fear of the Cost (FOTC).” Perhaps? Some of us are fortunate that our manager and the organization we work for recognize the value of coaching and make it a line item in your department’s (or Human Resources’) budget. Unfortunately for others, […]
