Listening with Purpose
Listening is a lost art. Few people know what it means; never mind how to do it. If actions truly speak louder than words, then the absence of the latter proves the former. Sitting in silence demonstrates that the purpose of doing so is to profit from whatever the other person has to say. Contrast this with what modern day listening has become. Conservations consist of people interrupting and talking over one another, and finishing the sentences of others. It’s not about learning; instead it’s about using the time while another speaks to gather your own thoughts so that you can express...
Read MoreHow to Get the Results You Want with Quality Feedback
Probably the most effective way to get the results you want from someone is to give quality feedback. What does that consist of? Two things. The first is that it must be timely. The second is that it must be appropriate. Timely feedback Whether you have children or not, you know that the best time to give them feedback on their behavior is at the time you observe it. You praise them for good work and correct them when it isn’t up to scratch. And you know that they have understood what you said by what they do the next time. But imagine for a moment what it would be like if you...
Read MoreInnovative Leadership
In 2009, David Meerman Scott revealed the 325 most commonly used words and phrases found among more than 700K press releases issued by North American companies in the previous year. These expressions he termed gobbledygook because their meaning had become so diverse and watered down that no one could be certain what was intended. Pride of place went to the word “innovate” with more than 51K uses. Thus, this idea of organizational innovation led by an innovative leader is obscure at best. In truth, it can mean almost anything; and so before we think about what leaders need to do, we need...
Read MoreHow to Kill Employee Motivation
Managers are at a loss as to how to motivate the people they supervise. It seems that nothing they do makes any difference. What does a lack of motivation look like? Lethargy is a primary characteristic. These employees generally have no ambition and no goals. They appear to be more interested on the clock on their desks. Demotivated employees tend to run in packs, too. It’s rare to find one person who is like this, while everyone else is upbeat and excited about working for the company. This is important, and we’ll come back to it a bit later. Fatigue There are several other reasons why...
Read MoreSpring Cleaning
You may be one of those who at the end of the year reviews your goals, notes which ones you achieved and which ones you didn’t, and from them creates new resolutions. Maybe you’re even among the few who actually keep them. But if you’re like most people, then you slipped back into your old habits before February was out. Maybe you’ve repeated this cycle for so many years that you don’t even bother to look at your resolutions until after the next Christmas. Well, it’s time for you to take another approach. Why lose nine months? That’s the time between the end of March and the...
Read MoreCompetence through Coaching
Athletes do it, actors do it; even executives do it. What do they all have in common? They all hire coaches who can help them to improve their performance. No matter what you hear or read in the press or popular literature, no one is self-made. They all had help. They had a mentor, an experienced friend, or a coach that helped them find their way through the various challenges in their paths – to get from where they were to where they wanted to be. Time is the one thing that most people can’t get enough of, and so if someone who has done it before – whatever it is – can be found,...
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