Balancing the macro and the micro is an everyday challenge for leaders. It's certainly your job to keep your eye on the big picture. What's going on in your markets? How are your competitors addressing customer needs? And closer to home, how does your balance sheet look? At the same time, you need to make […]
All Posts, Decision Making, Expert Interview, Leadership, Strategy, Team Management
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where someone in your team is frequently less proactive or busy than you? Every time you look over at their computer screens, they’re surfing the web, catching up on the sports results, or sharing photos on social media. All the while, you’re frantically working on your own […]
All Posts, Communication, Problem Solving, Stress, Team Management
The Second City in Chicago is one of the world's most famous improvisation troupes, and some of the United States' greatest comedians started their careers working with this organization. When improv is done right – when the ensemble is working in harmony and confident about where they're going – hilarious and brilliant skits evolve out […]
Motivation is the art of finding out what "makes people tick," and applying that to get the best from them. As such, it’s something that we all need to understand. There are many great models that help us do this. One of the fathers of motivation, Frederick Herzberg, said that the way to motivate people […]
Picture the scene... I'm standing on a table in a conference room, arms wrapped around myself, eyes closed. Someone is holding me firmly by the shoulders, tipping me forward. A small group of colleagues (or, should I say, former colleagues) are gathered around me. "Now, just let yourself fall," says my captor. "Trust your team […]
All Posts, Communication, Creativity, Decision Making, Problem Solving, Team Management
Last year I did an introductory counselling course. I thought counselling was about giving people advice, but it's not – it's mostly about listening, and using certain techniques to help draw out information from people to help them resolve their issues themselves. One of the counselling techniques I learned is called paraphrasing – repeating back to […]
"I don't believe it! I just saw Lucy sneaking out early, again! I've got enough to do without covering for her, too. Has she forgotten that we're meeting with the head of department tomorrow and we still have to get that report ready? She's so lazy!" If there's one thing Lucy isn't, it's lazy. She's […]
What’s your gut reaction when your boss says you’re going on a team building day? My heart would probably sink, because my experience is that they tend be ineffective. You spend a day playing various games in the guise of boosting team morale and productivity, when – more often than not – the activities are […]
I met Bill McDermott on a fine autumn day in London. He had a packed schedule for his one day in town, and I got the first slot: 7:45am at the Four Seasons hotel in the Canary Wharf business district. It felt a little bit like a Hollywood publicity drive, when actors are parked in […]
Imagine that your company is about to be taken over by its largest competitor. You’ve read the press release on the Internet, but executives have been eerily quiet about what it means for you and your team. The rumor mill is predicting job losses, but you have no idea how many or for whom. Instead of […]
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