Do you know a peaceable leader? What is a peaceable leader? Think back to all the leaders you have known, in business and in other fields. Now think about those you would consider the best. What do they have in common? I have had the privilege of knowing, working with, and working for several exemplary…
Have you ever considered how to create more joy at work? Huh? Joy at work? Is this a joke? If work wasn’t work, we wouldn’t call it work, right? Well, work might not always be sunshine and lollipops, indeed, it might sometimes seem like the deepest, darkest, most inescapable imaginable bog. Yet even in the…
A great boss can bring out the best in you; a bad boss can transform the best job in the world to the worst one ever. You spend half of your weekday life in the presence and under the control of your boss. If you’re fortunate, the two of you are on the same wavelength;…
When the workplace becomes intolerably stressful, what are your career options? Often, a career path is anything but linear. You may be charging toward advancement one minute, and ready to charge out the door, never to return, the next. Most of the time, you roll with the punches. But sometimes the pattern becomes increasingly…
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…
Whether you’re corporate or entrepreneurial, firing a customer can create an emotional roller coaster. More than likely, the soon-to-be ex-customer has been a source of frustration, discord, anger and financial loss. You know everyone will breathe easier, but you can still dread the showdown. The problem customer might represent a major account, responsible for a…
How can you create workplace hygge and improve the winter experience? Hygge is, pardon the pun, the new “hot” solution to the cold and bleak long winter days. Adopted from the Danish, and pronounced “hoo-guh” or some variant depending on the dictionary, it is a quality of coziness, comfort, warmth and well-being. It’s nurturing joy.…
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…
Creating a holiday work-life balance can seem beyond impossible. Indeed, work-life balance at any time is a challenge. But for many businesses, the 4th quarter means closing out the fiscal year, meeting sales quotas and deadlines, and setting budgets and plans for the upcoming year. Meanwhile, on the home front, there are family gatherings, winter…
Finding work-life balance – welcome to the ultimate no-win guilt trip. Too much work time, and you wonder, “What am I missing? What am I working for? When will I be able to live? And what if I die tomorrow?” And in the midst of leisure, the nagging little voice says, “You’re falling behind. Associates…