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 […]
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Are You An Intimidating Manager? Think again.
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. […]
Meet With New Hires In The First Week – A Must
I was perusing through some old Harvard Business Reviews and came across an article in the June 14, 2018 issue called “To Retain New Hires, Make Sure You Meet with Them in Their First Week.” It’s authored by Dawn Klinghoffer, Candace Young, and Xue Liu. They conducted a study at Microsoft and they found that […]
Communication SNAFU Avoidance Strategy
(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, […]
Underperforming Employee? Let Him Judge Himself First
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 […]
Varsity Blues: Lesson For Managers
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 […]
Onboarding: First Impressions Matter
Onboarding is the process of welcoming new employees into your organization. I’m currently reading Shaping the Future by Bill Belgard and Steven Rayner. Steve and I are really good friends, but that’s not why I’m plugging this book. It’s because they have some really good stuff in it, especially about onboarding. In particular, I enjoyed […]
When Disagreeing, Earn Yourself A Hearing
Most of us don’t like disagreement. We’ve been taught by our parents to keep the peace, go along to get along and to not cause waves. So, the very act of disagreeing often puts us out of our comfort zone. Without disagreeing, however, we don’t really make a lot of progress in terms of creativity […]