Punishment and avoidance rarely work. Approach performance issues with curiosity and empathy and you may find the discussion and solution are less difficult than you anticipated: When discussing and resolving performance issues: đźź Prepare – prepare yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally đźź Present – present the situation as you see it đźź Discover – understand what is going…
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Imagine someone close to you complaining about their shoes. They’re too tight. They cause blisters. There’s a weird bump at the toe. “Let me see,” you say as you slip your feet inside. “These aren’t too tight! And there is no weird bump!” Empathy? Not really. Unsurprisingly, their size 12 shoes are not too tight for your size 9…
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When you’re under stress, all your brain cares about is that it is on fire. Not the work you are trying to do.Not the lesson someone is trying to teach you.Not the conversation someone is trying to have with you.Not the goal you need to work on. It’s too preoccupied with the fire. It usually…
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The Managers began to talk. Openly. Honestly. It took many hours of conversation and confidence in the pledge to maintain confidentiality. And they were ready to offer insights about challenges and opportunities. They had excellent observations and suggestions. They balanced the positives with the opportunities. They were constructive. They were empathetic. They continued to speak with respect. And they were not willing…
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Tired.Frustrated.Demotivated. So much time, energy, and money expended. And yet we’re still in the same spot on the lake. I’m angry at them. They’re angry at me. I’m working hard! We’re getting nowhere. It must be THEIR fault. If one of the people in the canoe changed direction, in just a few minutes there would be more progress…
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Building relationships isn’t a distraction from the work – it IS the work. Leading people and leading change requires providing a clear destination, guiding people to align, and supporting them to get where they need to go. No matter the type or size of the change, each individual will be called upon to change how…
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Did you “go on a lion hunt” as a child? Going on a lion hunt.Gonna catch a big one.I’m not scared. Uh oh! A log.Can’t go over it. Can’t go under it.Can’t go through it.Gotta go around it! As children, we knew the best way was around, but as adults, we often get to a barricade and…
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“We don’t get a lot of complaints around here” It was true. People did not complain. – They did as they were told. – They put in the long hours needed to get their jobs done. – They made the most of the “open-door policy,” frequenting their manager’s office to ask questions and understand how the Manager…
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Why are we stuck doing things that aren’t a good investment of our time and energy? In a recent post, I noted that if you’re like many leaders, you’re spending a lot of your time, energy, and money in three main areas that are holding you back from doing your best to lead people and achieve…
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If you’re like many leaders, you’re spending a lot of your time, energy, and money in three main areas that are holding you back from doing your best to be productive, lead people, and achieve success: FIREFIGHTING 🧯 Managing emergencies, reacting to unexpected problems, trying to quickly resolve symptoms with a patchwork of temporary and…
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