lead with character - it's better.
Inspiration for my work often comes from unexpected sources. Today, it came from Peter Paphides and his piece on the eight-day whirlwind that created the charity single and video to raise money for Syrian refugees, Help Is Coming. His article is a clear description of how a good idea matched with persistent and willing people […]
Poetry Emergencies – or The Importance of Joy & Inspiration in Work Read More »
Accountability and accountable are very popular words in business today. After a conversation with a colleague about his direct reports, I realized that he was using these words interchangeably and creating confusion in his team. Accountable: adjective: subject to giving an account, answerable; I held her accountable for the damage. capable of being accounted for;
Accountable and Accountability Read More »
Among friends, colleagues and clients, the topic of success keeps popping up at an oddly frequent rate. Perhaps it’s because spring is in the air and fresh ideas are floating about; but the discussion of success, and the stresses associated with that word, seem to be on everyone’s mind more than usual. Success can be
How do you want to communicate at work? Start with a vision of what it feels like when communication works well – then you’ll be able to recognize it when it happens again.
Visualize Good Communication Read More »
Here’s a question: how many of us consider wildly subjective factors when making management decisions? Things like justifying an employee’s odd behavior because his kid just left for college; or choosing one intern over another because his name is only one letter off from your favorite author’s and that seems like a nice coincidence; or
Mars in Retrograde & Other Workplace Issues Read More »
We all struggle with how to make our lives what we want them to be. Our goals, dreams, tasks, obligations, chores and aspirations all compete for our attention. Add the goals and needs of others – spouses, parents, children, friends, colleagues, etc. – and it is a miracle our brains can possibly organize our lives
Work/Life Balance is Bunk. Read More »
I recently witnessed the birth of a cynic. It was one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen. And as I watched it happen, I felt powerless to stop it. A smart, effective, loyal employee had endured several years of oppressive management at a job he liked and was now a working for new ownership
The Sad Value of Cynics Read More »
Anybody out there work with humans? My condolences. We can be just awful sometimes. We can be wonderful, too. Most of us try to be helpful, aware and dependable more often than not. But we also have times when all bets are off and we are impeding, distracted and emotionally unpredictable. The fact that we
The Trouble with Colleagues… Read More »
A story about understanding the worth of your work The young woman walked toward my trade show booth as though a sharp stick was forcing her there. I said hello and watched her as she said, “Hi. Um, what do you do?” I told her about my work as management consultant and educator. I kept
The Value of the Blue Plate Special Read More »
I wrote this piece a year ago. I just had the same experience last week – different group, different profession, same problem. Last week I listened to a group of professionals talk about their work. They are all lawyers by training, but that’s not what they do for work. I was asked to give
