If you want to do remodeling on your house, you’re probably aware that the space that you can work with is quite limited. When you have a small house, there are methods out there that you can use to make it seem like it’s bigger. In some cases, renovating and remodeling the attic can be […]
If you want to do some home decorating, picking the right fabric is important. For example, the type of fabric you use is very important if you decide to do a theme like Oriental, Modern or Victorian.
There are a lot of types of fabric that one can use to decorate their house. If you want […]
Bravery and humility - often at the heart of fairy tales – are qualities that can inspire all of us to be the best that we can be. And, with the doom and gloom of the economic crisis, we were primed and about ready for a miracle. People want to feel hopeful again.
Chesley B. “Sully” […]
What makes someone an effective leader?
Take a moment and think of the person whom you have most admired/enjoyed having as a leader. Consider not only your work experience, but also your volunteer activities, religious affiliations, and recreational pursuits.
Take a piece of paper and jot down the personal attributes and specific behaviors this person demonstrates which […]
“Deep within humans dwell those slumbering powers; powers that would astonish them, that they never dreamed of possessing; forces that would revolutionize their lives if aroused and put into action.”
—Orison Marden
It’s 9:01 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, Friday, May 18, 2001. I am writing this on an Air Canada plane flying from Toronto to Los Angeles. […]
Optimism is true moral courage. Determining to be hopeful and positive in the face of daunting circumstances is a gutsy choice effective leaders make again and again. It’s easy to give in to negativity and pessimism when leading on the edge of chaos. Yet, resisting the tendency to give in to despair, discouragement and defeat […]
The Eastern Ontario dairy farm on which I grew up had numerous oak trees. I have fond memories of collecting autumn oak leaves colored red and orange-brown or fallen acorns for science projects during my school years. It always amazed me that such a massive plant could grow from a small acorn when planted in […]
Let s face it, there is a lot going on out there. Our economy is on the fritz and every news story tells us that one more multimillion dollar company needs a government bailout. Foreclosures are happening right and left. We have troops in harm s way, and Christmas is only a few short weeks […]
Any article about entrepreneurship includes advice to surround yourself with people who have been successful and learn from them. One of the biggest challenges, however, is finding those successful people and placing yourself under their tutelage. Here are 7 ways to do so:
1. Attend Events. Depending on the size of the city you live in, […]
It is mid afternoon. You are sitting at your desk trying to pull together this important proposal for your boss. It is due the day after tomorrow. As you wrestle with how to incorporate a complex spreadsheet from the finance department, you wonder when your quality analyst will bring in those last two key pieces […]
“Our people are the key to our success?” How so very often we have heard executives mouth these words. But then, how very often we have also heard their people mutter words such as, “Oh yeah, well, if we really are the key, how come they don’t …” Of course, it is true. In this […]
Is your upcoming meeting a strategic planning session? A sales or project launch? A departmental communications day? Or, perhaps, teambuilding for an intact management or project team? Whichever it is, it undoubtedly involves a significant investment.
First you have the value of the participants’ time, more precious than ever in this time-starved work world. Second, add […]
Do you remember the last time you attended the initial meeting of a new task force or project team at work? No one could agree on the goals. A couple of people complained about all their other work demands. Someone was pushing a personal agenda to become the team “leader.” After a couple of hours […]
So much is changing in our economic and business environment these years, is it any wonder that the nature of leadership is changing too? We’re not talking a new fad, here, folks. Fads come and they go. Leadership—as it is progressively practiced today—is here to stay! If you manage, supervise, direct or formally influence other […]
“I never get to the truly managerial parts of my own job.”
“I’m staying too late at night and working too many weekends.”
“_________ is really ready to advance but I have no job to promote him/her to right now”
“If I don’t give my best people some new challenges soon, I may lose them.”
Sound familiar? Is this […]
Isn’t it funny what we assume about leaders in senior positions. They no longer have anything to learn about interpersonal relationships or leadership. They have arrived, proof positive of their skill level!
Furthermore, only a fearless few people will give them the honest, useful feed-back that self-development requires. The “culture” expects them to be role models […]
We’ve all lived this before. Sally, the manager, asks her employee Gary to prepare a market analysis report for next week. Gary moans and says he doesn’t think he can do it by then… too much work and, besides, why not give it to Sherry who has a marketing background. The manager detects the “I […]
There is little doubt that great teamwork delivers better results than a group of competent individuals working independently. But what is it that makes a great team and how does a team leader go about developing a great team?
This issue was addressed several decades ago by Bruce Tuckman with his four stages of team development […]
Leadership has been at the forefront of topical debate for centuries; the very foundations of history are built upon iconic leaders and their influential decision-making. Some view leadership as an innate characteristic of the great men and women of our time; some as the personal relationship between the individual and the group; while others see […]
First there’s the suffocating volume of e-mails. That’s complaint number one. But the next biggest gripe I hear from my clients is that they are spending way too much time in meetings.
Do any of these comments ring true about meetings where you work?
• too long
• no agenda (or, if there is one, we don’t follow […]
Passion
Although developing proper eye-contact technique and learning how and when to pause are absolutely essential to acquiring “The Skills” - you’re not finished yet. The last element involves adding the emotional to the mechanical. What we’re referring to here is the element that works to lock in your audience once you’ve successfully engaged them with […]