Posts in Leadership
How to hold people accountable without ruining relationships.
How to hold people accountable without ruining relationships.

4 Minute Read

Picture this scenario: People at work are unengaged. You can feel your direct reports whispering about you around the water cooler. Sometimes you feel walked on. And your team thinks that they can get away with anything…because you won’t do anything about it. Does any of this sound familiar?

Having crucial conversations with your team is hard. We know our employees have good intentions. But sometimes, they make mistakes, or we need to correct performance issues. And holding them accountable for missing the mark can be extremely uncomfortable.

Read More
Communication, Company Culture, Leadership, TrustAccountability, Accountability and Leadership, accountability in the workplace, accountable, accountable talk, Benefits of Accountability, communication, Crucial Confrontations, Crucial Conversations, Employee Accountability, employees, holding people accountable, leader, leadership, Leading, relationships at work, Support, top blog, trainingComment
You're not my boss! - How to deal with your micromanaging coworker.
You're not my boss! - How to deal with your micromanaging coworker.

3 Minute Read

Every company has one. The micromanaging coworker. You know who we’re talking about. The one employee that has his hands in everything. He’s the go-to for all the questions you have. But also a bit of a control freak. Things that aren’t his job easily become his job, because he can’t let go. He checks up on your work and he’s always questioning what you’re doing. Sometimes, you might even start to wonder how he has time to do his own job when he’s spending so much time trying to do yours. And here’s the worst part…You don’t even report to him! Therein lies the dilemma. How do you keep your working relationship intact, yet still be firm enough to set your boundaries? It’s time to deal with your micromanaging coworker.

Read More
Communication, Leadership, Trustboss, bossy coworker etiquette, bossy coworker ettiquette, bossy people, building relationships, colleagues, controlling coworker, coworkers, Crucial Conversations, jealousy, job, micromanaging coworker, office, politices, rudeness how to deal with a bossy coworker, teamwork, top blog, Trust, work, working together, workplace
Shake It Up...
Shake It Up...

During a recent conversation with the leaders of a company, we asked them to imagine that their department was not a part of the overall company, but a stand-alone business having to provide value to its customers and make money to continue. Then we asked the question, “How would you organize the company related to positions, roles, and responsibilities? And how would you measure effectiveness?” This is what we call disrupting the org chart.Some leaders had to be reminded that every minute someone is working costs money. They then considered how to measure productivity in service-related areas. They recognized that their employees tend to come to work and most are busy. But they’re not necessarily busy with things that are high-payoff or things that move the needle, related to value and time. They came in to do their job.

Read More
Change, Leadership, Retaining Employees, Strategyculture change, disrupting the org chart, disrupting your organization, disruption, retaining employees, shake it upComment
Who is responsible for your career development?
Who is responsible for your career development?

3 Minute Read

There are all kinds of studies that show the main reasons people leave their jobs. One of the top reasons in almost every study is for lack of career development. So as an employee, you might ask yourself, “Who is responsible for my career development?”

Research by EdAssist and the University of Phoenix looked into that very question. Most workers (74% of them, actually) believe their company or manager is responsible. On the other hand, most managers (98% of them) said that employees have to take responsibility for their own career development. Those statistics alone show why so many companies fail at career development. Each party believes it’s the other person’s responsibility. So which is it?

Read More
Leadership, Motivation, Trainingcareer development, developing your people, top blog, trainingComment
Conflict: Moving from Cowardice to Confidence
Conflict: Moving from Cowardice to Confidence

3 Minute Read

Experiencing conflict is a part of everyday life. A common response is avoidance. Most people say they just don’t like confrontation. It makes them uncomfortable, and some even become physically ill at the thought of discussing a challenging issue face-to-face. How then can you become more productive with conflict while still keeping your emotions in check?

Read More
Communication, Leadershipconflict, conflict management, confrontation, dealing with conflictComment
The Value of Dutiful Followers
The Value of Dutiful Followers

4 Minute Read

Doris was the type of employee you could set your watch to. She arrived at 7:50am each day and left no later than 5:10pm. Her day was spent doing administrative work—much of it routine, identical to the day before, and the day before that. Through the years everyone got used to her reaction to change. If her schedule was interrupted, you needed to give at least a 48-hour notice. Larger interruptions, such as painting the office or a software upgrade would require a series of one-to-one meetings, coddling, and accommodation.  Reading this, one might think that people resented Doris when, actually, the opposite is true. The vast majority of employees liked and valued Doris. She was punctual to a fault, extremely dependable and as emotionally predictable as they come.

Do you have people on your team like Doris? How about the person who isn’t exactly a ball of fire, but also doesn’t make waves? What about employees who don’t want to become supervisors or even team leaders? They just want to do their job and go home.

Read More
Leadership, Motivationdutiful followers, follow the leader, followers, leadership Comment