Miscommunication can easily happen when two or more human beings attempt to achieve a common understanding. A few years ago, I decided to brighten up my office with a new coat of paint. I subscribe to Architectural Digest Magazine and had seen a color I really liked in one of the photo spreads. It was… Read More >>

Managing remotely can have many challenges. One is the “Dreaded BOB Syndrome.” BOB is not an acronym, it’s the name of a childhood friend of mine, who, as an adult, moved in across the street from my wife and me. We renewed our friendship and occasionally socialized with him over the next ten years. (he… Read More >>

While the nation passes through the COVID-19 crisis, many people are working from home or working under stressful conditions on the job. There is a high probability that if these conditions continue we will see declines in morale. This is something we all want to avoid because when morale falls, productivity declines, customer satisfaction plummets… Read More >>

In his widely acclaimed book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, Dr Stephen Covey describes the concept of emotional banking. This is the psychological process where we maintain a bank account inside our head on everybody with whom we have a relationship. From our spouse and our children, to our bosses, to our customers,… Read More >>

I was recently asked, “How should you conduct virtual difficult conversations?” This is a good question because many of us work on teams that are spread out around the city, the state and sometimes the world. Difficult conversations are challenging enough when you are in the same room. Doing them virtually only raises the odds… Read More >>

I just read a Harvard Business Review article called “Managers, You’re More Intimidating Than You Think” by Megan Reitz and John Higgins. They talk about the fact that as managers, we can sometimes come across to our subordinates as more intimidating than we think, even if we’re sure we’re the nicest people in the world.… Read More >>

(SNAFU = Situation Normal All Fouled UP) Have you ever asked someone to do something and the results they produce show that somehow, the message got lost in translation? The temptation here is to blame the other person and think, “Weren’t you paying attention?” “What is wrong with you?” Or, if you’re a magnanimous sort,… Read More >>

Working with an underperforming employee can be challenging. I recently came across an article in the Harvard Business Review by Sabina Nawaz titled “How to Talk to an Employee Who Isn’t Meeting Their Goals,”. She suggested an approach I really like which is to ask the employee to evaluate himself first before you make any… Read More >>

I was disappointed and disgusted at the Varsity Blues scandal that broke two weeks ago. Rich folks, like Full House star Lori Loughlin and Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman were able to pay bribes to get their kids into elite colleges like Stanford, USC, Yale and Harvard. It broke my heart. Varsity Blues Says Fairness… Read More >>