Leaders are always telling me how busy they are. Heck, it isn’t just leaders, it seems to be everyone. We all have too much to do and too little time. Today, I am not going to ask you to set aside hours of time. I am asking you to find five minutes. That's it. We all have five minutes show up in our day. We have five minutes between meetings or phone calls. We all have … [Read more...]
Dealing With Creative Block
Two big ideas that have huge implications for you as a leader are swirling in my head. I am struggling valiantly (at least in my mind) to align the ideas in a way that briefly and meaningfully conveys them. I find myself in a creative block. Okay, here goes … Idea Number One: Leadership teacher and author John Maxwell says: Everything rises and falls on leadership. It seems … [Read more...]
Are Communication Style Tools Valuable? It Depends.
Why is communication so hard? One of the top reasons is that not everyone communicates in the same way, with the same tendencies or styles. To simplify things, we have access to all these useful tools that provide assessment takers with acronyms, colors, letters, animals or other designations to identify their personality and communication style. They're often fun and can be … [Read more...]
The Do’s and Don’ts for Dating at Work
If the impending Valentine's Day holiday has you pining for a new love interest, finding that special someone at work is possible. In fact, 31% of office romances lead to marriage, according to Careerbuilder's Annual Valentine's Day Survey. Dating coworkers can be tricky, though, so follow this advice from HR authority and executive coach, Val Grubb, before you take the … [Read more...]
Should You Buy Gifts for Your Employees?
Maybe this is your first winter in a supervisory position. In addition to worrying about meeting year-end goals, you might have the added stress of figuring out what—if anything—to give your employees for the holidays. Some people will tell you that you don’t need to buy your employees gifts (or that you shouldn’t), and while I do think that’s your prerogative, I’m a big fan … [Read more...]