The greatest gift you can give. The greatest gift we can give to those we lead – ESPECIALLY right now – is to listen to them. When we listen, we create connection and meaning. At the same time, we receive knowledge, feedback, and guidance that we wouldn’t have gained elsewhere. Meanwhile, the one being listened…
I liked Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. It was exciting, surprising and nerve-wracking to witness who would roll the dice, what they knew and when they needed help. One of my favorite concepts was the “lifeline”. When stuck, the player could cast a lifeline to someone in their life who they felt could offer the BEST…
While moving into a new office recently, I stumbled upon four boxes of unused staples that were more than 30 years old. Flash back to my first business. I certainly knew my craft, but I hardly knew how to manage a business, yet alone how to manage a team. The details. I had a business –…
You are a bridge. As an emotionally intelligent leader, able to navigate emotions and needs, you provide a bridge to those who have diverse styles of communicating. You know how to meet people where they are. You are at one end of the bridge and at the other end of this very long bridge somebody needs to receive…
I’ve long been a fan of alliteration, and often think about leadership and Emotional Intelligence (otherwise known as emotional quotient or EQ) in terms of the alphabet. When I contemplate leadership, many “C” words came crashing into my consciousness. Commitment. Connection. Critical-thinking. Command. Control. Conversation. All great words. As these Cs began to take shape, three…
Special Note to Readers of this Post: This was originally published in 2017, as an excerpt from the anthology, Humans At Work. So much is different right now and the kinds of conversations we must have with our teams are heart-breaking. This was written for terminating people for performance issues. Much of it still applies to…
“Bad leaders care about who is right. Good leaders care about what is right.”– Simon Sinek Per the Gallup Organization, 75% of workers who leave jobs do so because of poor relationships with their boss (aka – manager). Assumption. Everyone reading this is a manager of people, process or project. Even if you are a…
I chuckle whenever I hear Emotional Intelligence referred to as “Soft Skills”. There is nothing soft about it. To acquire high level leadership skills, to master emotions, to develop relationships, to deal with humanity – these are some of the hardest skills to acquire, practice and master. Interestingly enough, they are also some of the most requested skills…
“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes… but no plans.” — Peter Drucker A commitment is the fire that sits in the center of accountability. How many times have you made an agreement with yourself – to lose weight? To get the work project done on time? To spend one afternoon to yourself?…
“There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.” – Mother Teresa Appreciation is the bread of life. It’s the sustenance that creates growth, humanity, connection and joy. Appreciation creates emotional safety and connection. It is the fuel that creates trust, commitment and willingness to engage. We’ve not spent a lot…