Implementing a breakthrough idea can be the pinnacle of achievement, or the train wreck of the century. You’ve explored and analyzed, checked the marketplace and competition, pulled ideas from other industries and thought way out of the box. Or perhaps a bolt of lightning struck you with a transcendent “Wow!” moment during your morning shower.…
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…
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…
Are you building credibility in your professional life? Whether you’re corporate or entrepreneurial, credibility is critical for success. We’re familiar with credibility in our roles as purchasers, consumers and customers. We gravitate toward those restaurants with rave reviews and writeups in trendy publications. We ask hairdressers what products they recommend. We seek the advice of…
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…
How successful are you at embracing failure? Failure is inevitable. No matter how hard we try, sometime, somewhere, things aren’t going to go our way. Failure can be a minor inconvenience, or it can be a disaster that churns your stomach. You can step into a landmine, and suddenly your world is flipped end over…
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…
Comparing the Baby Boomer sense of time to Millennial time can lead to the very logical conclusion that the generations exist in parallel universes. “They’re never on time!” wail the Boomers “They’re always on my case!” grumble the Millennials. In a stab for intergenerational harmony, here is one take on mutual understanding and narrowing the…
You want to win at negotiation. Even for the moderately competitive, the reality of something on the line gets the adrenaline flowing. You want to “Go for the win.” But what does that mean, and how do you achieve it? Popular wisdom says, “Go for win-win.” But why? Doesn’t that really mean “Settle for the…
Do you communicate to win, or to lose? Successful leaders communicate to win. Business is a team sport, and the success of the team and its leaders depends on communication. Top management expects results, and results depend on communication. Communication is more than words; communication is reaching understanding. And the most effective communication both reaches…