Coaching From a Distance
With the sudden, COVID-inspired shift to WFH, one topic that has come to the fore is productivity. How do we get it? How can we possibly verify and measure it in light of physical separation? How can we coach people to better outcomes? Fair questions. One emergent point of view is that the manager/leader should […]
Restarting America
As business advisors / owners, we’re as eager as anyone to press the ignition, shift into drive, smell some commercial exhaust, and begin putting COVID-19 in the rear view mirror. Any right thinking adult knows that every minute we sit motionless we lose our collective ability to pay (for anything), competitive position, and worse, our […]
Leading from a Distance
see our keynote and workshop on leading from a distance If you’re a manager, right now your leadership skills are being tested, and evaluated (by those you lead), like never before. Add to that the challenge of trying to lead from a distance, and… well, I don’t have to tell you… The US Patent and […]
I’d Do Anything For Love (of country) But I Won’t Do That!
In announcing that he wouldn’t go along with the crowd of Republican partisans in his impeachment vote against the President, US Senator, Mitt Romney (R-UT) might have used words popularized by rock singer, Meatloaf, “I’d do anything for love, but I won’t do that“ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X_ViIPA-Gc , but he didn’t. Still, pulling no punches, Romney, in […]
Employee Engagement: Two Reasons Why ‘Getting Sticky’ Matters
(This piece generally represents the text of a letter sent to some of our firm’s leadership coaching clients this week.) Too often I see HR professionals and the organizations they are apart of throwing around the expression, “employee engagement” like medical terms used by healthcare professionals, without first clarifying what the term means, and why […]
Please Put Your Own Oxygen Mask On Before Assisting Others
Yesterday, on International Flight Attendants Day, I was reminded of two things: My admiration and appreciation for the women (mostly) and men who work hard to assure our safety and relative comfort when traveling by commercial air. The phrase that I’ve heard them use more than five thousand times in the interest of safety: “Please […]
Hugs, Your Space, and the New World Order
What Like bolts from the blue, less than a month before the expected announcement of his Presidential plans, former VP Joe Biden, who has been in the national spotlight for nearly fifty years, and under the watchful eyes of a U.S. Secret Service detail for the last decade, is beset by allegations that several years […]
Stop Ghosting, Keep Your Word, Your Reputation. It’s All You’ve Got!
Lately, I’ve observed unprecedented levels of people ghosting scheduled appointments. One involved a wasted 400-mile drive (grr!). I learned of others in conversation with two independent businesswomen, both of whom complained of NCNS by clients with confirmed appointments. Still others reported that post-interview ghosting by corporate recruiters remains very much in vogue, and as aggravating […]
Leadership Development Exigencies, Circa 2019
Our work with leaders in the healthcare, hospitality, and financial services sectors often begins with some derivative of the statement, “I can’t get enough managers (all levels) hired, trained, and performing adequately. Can you help?” Though the perceived need often is for the delivery of more or better leadership development, the reality is that’s often […]
Playing Favorites
Several of our recent employee engagement survey projects have indicated the presence of elevated levels of perceived favoritism within the surveyed population. It has occurred enough to cause us to pause and probe further for understanding. We’ve not yet wrapped our arms completely around the universal (as opposed to organization-specific) learnings, but here’s one consistent […]