Summer is slipping by, so if you or your employees are part of the more than 50 percent of U.S. employees who leave vacation days on the table at the end of the year, it's time to encourage everyone (including yourself) to plan a vacation before the days of summer are long gone. But, first. Let's talk about why so many people don't use their earned vacation time. In a study … [Read more...]
Employees are Staying Silent and That’s Hurting Business
Employees don't feel empowered to speak up, even when they really should, says a new book Speak Up – Say what needs to be said and hear what needs to be heard, written by Professor Megan Reitz, of the Ashridge Hult Business School, and John Higgins, Research Director at The Right Conversation. The research covers more than 4000 employees at every level of a business. The goal: … [Read more...]
Prevent Communication Problems With Your New Team
When you take over a team, outline expectations for how you want to communicate with your new employees. Doing so helps to ensure that they meet those expectations, that you reduce misunderstandings and that you prevent productivity-zapping communication breakdowns. As soon as you assume your role as leader, lay out these guidelines: How you prefer to communicate Are you … [Read more...]
What to Do When Employees Mess Up
No doubt it's frustrating when an employee does a lousy job on work you assigned him or her. As the manager, you often have to spend time revising the work, cleaning up your employee's mistakes and taking blame for the unsatisfactory work from your own boss. That is why so many first time managers refuse to delegate. After all, it's easier to just do the work yourself … [Read more...]
Encourage the Right Behaviors, Eliminate the Wrong Ones
It’s not true in every organization, but it is true in many: Leaders don’t understand their employees. They don’t know how to motivate, inspire and correct people effectively. As I work with my clients, I hear the same questions repeatedly: “How do I get my employees to … Quit complaining?” Do more than the bare minimum?” Contribute in meetings?” Show … [Read more...]
How to Encourage Employees to Speak Up
As you take on a new management role, you want to make sure that you’re communicating effectively with your team members. But how are you going to get them to open up to you? Many employees have trouble being forthcoming with any boss, let alone a brand new one. Try out these encouraging phrases to get the words flowing: “Help me understand …” Put the blame for … [Read more...]
5 Steps to Become a Much Better Listener
How much we actually retain when we listen to people speak is up for debate. I've seen research that suggest it is as low as 17%. I don't know if I believe it's quite that low for most of us, but I do believe many of us have lost the art of listening. We're too distracted to offer our full attention to one person. We multi-task, constantly deal with the ding of our phones, … [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...]
Resolve Conflicts Much Faster With This Surprising Advice
“How do you resolve a conflict quickly?” You may think this answer is counter-intuitive, but it's true: To solve conflict quickly, you must slow down. Just about everything I do professionally centers around resolving conflict, improving communication, enhancing leadership and inspiring teamwork. I work with teams of all kinds: work teams, non-profit teams and even … [Read more...]