Managing Remote Employees: Are You Set for Success?
Seven tips for successfully managing a remote workforce
Manipulation Tactics: Ten Traps and How to Avoid Them
In business, manipulation tactics can be subtle or blatant. They can be a part of cultural norms, or press uncomfortably into the realm of the unacceptable. We can argue that almost all of business, indeed almost all of life has elements of manipulation. A good report card might net an ice cream sundae for an…
How Not to Improve Employee Morale
It may be a rude awakening, or a creeping uneasiness, but at some point, you and other leaders in your organization may decide to make a concerted effort to improve employee morale. You may have been caught blindsided. You may have issued a survey with the expectation of stellar feedback, only to be caught in…
The Other Generation: You’re Not Crazy, and Neither Are They!
In business, communicating with “the other generation” can seem like a step into insanity. It’s hard to maintain civility when your statements or questions are met with confusion, frustration or, on occasion, downright hostility. Be reassured; you are not crazy, and, surprise, neither are they. Almost no one on either side of the proverbial generation gap…
Be Promotable – Communicating to Win!
Are you communicating to win? Are you promotable? Promotion is all about demonstrating your capability and being ready when opportunity strikes. Strong communication skills alone won’t get you the job, but a track record of poor communication can definitely handicap you in the running. Take a hard look at your track record. How well do…
Building Bridges – The Generation Gap Career
Welcome to the age of the generation gap career. Whether you’re an experienced workforce veteran, a newly arriving employee or somewhere between, the generation gap is part of today’s workplace reality. The 1958 Broadway musical, “Flower Drum Song,” features a song in which the elder and younger generations each agonize, “What are we going to…
Is Your Corporate Culture Toxic?
How healthy is your corporate culture? Are you sure? What do your employees really think and say in private? From a management perspective, things can look great. Work gets done and employees are diligent. But is this because of your organization and leadership, or in spite of it? Corporate culture and morale rest solely on…
Do Your Meetings Destroy Morale?
Do your meetings destroy morale? Do your staff members suffer a slow “death by meeting?” Meetings, whether face-to-face or electronic, are entrenched in business culture. We feel we need to keep people informed, and solicit input, feedback and buy-in. We feel meetings build morale. But do they? Are your meetings building morale or tearing down…
Power Networking: 5 Tips to Avoid Disaster
Power networking builds; thoughtless networking destroys. Visibility in person and online can attract customers, supporters and affiliates. But the wrong actions or the wrong communications can at best make your efforts useless. More likely, the unknowing steps you take can damage your business and tarnish your personal reputation. Beyond the basics, networking adheres to unwritten…
5 Leadership Landmines and How to Avoid Them
When you are in a position of responsibility, leadership landmines are everywhere. One misstep can land you in an embarrassing, humiliating and costly trap. The harder you try to rectify things, the worse things become. While some crises are unavoidable, many landmines can be anticipated and sidestepped. Just a little thought in advance can steer…