Companies spend billions trying to create compelling brands. Jello. Kleenex. Hellmann’s Mayonnaise. People have brands, too, and as a manager you surely have a brand in the eyes of your employees. Whether you know it or not. I recently went to my official, well organized digital card storage file …
management coaching
Shoe Hurling
I saw some video today of George Bush in Iraq. In the middle of a press conference some nutty (or pissed off) Iraqi journalist threw his shoe at him from the back of the room. And then he threw his other shoe! Wow. It was easily a twenty-foot hurl. My first thought was, “that is truly an old school, …
The Big Foam Finger
I think that every manager should go out and get one of those big foam fingers you see at sporting events. In the office, let’s call it the Flying Finger of Blame. There is an epidemic at the workplace called the blame game, where blaming someone/anyone/everyone else is now the norm. And it …
Better Communication.
'Better communication' is possibly the most overused phrase in business. And probably the #1 most desired outcome. How to do it? The answers fill thousands of books and websites, but here’s a new rule for communication that just might be an answer for you: The person initiating the communication is …
How To Operate – YOU
Operating instructions come with every electronic item we buy. Even the simple stuff. The manual for an iron shows how to plug it into the wall. Flight attendants still show us how to insert the strap into the seatbelt clip. (Why do they still demonstrate that??) We might not read the …
Right Person Right Job
This is nothing new. You've read it, heard it, discussed it, debated it and you have surely tried it. Right person - right job. And sometimes you get it right. And sometimes you get it wrong. And wrong. And wrong. And wrong. I say this endlessly, but I think the #1 skill that a manager must …