Wow! This is a challenging and nuanced philosophical question. The answer will be profoundly personal and therefore different for each individual. Moreover, as we gain wisdom, as our perspective evolves, the answer might well change. So we’re all well advised periodically to reflect on this question. The struggle to find the answer will likely generate...
In business, every day is game day and coaching happens in real time. The best managers are constantly coaching, and there are better and worse ways to go about that coaching. Listen in as Larry Sternberg, Kimberly Shirk and I move in and out of sports and business examples to discuss questions like these:
The Follow Shirley Method? Whenever we talk about this topic, we get quizzical looks at first. Maybe you’ve never heard it called by that name, but you’ve been the victim of this training method at least once in your career. You arrive on the first day of your new job, your supervisor looks a little...
Managers spend a lot of time focusing on managing “down” – guiding their teams and energizing results that align with organizational goals. A recent study from McKinsey highlights the importance of also managing “sideways” with colleagues and “up” with higher-level leaders. In fact, the combination of managing up and sideways has a 50% higher impact...
I come from a family in which forgiveness abounds but apologies are much less common. In fact, my younger brother owns and proudly wears a t-shirt that says “I MAY BE WRONG BUT I DOUBT IT…” (Just for the record, that doesn’t even come close to an apology.)
Conflict exists. There’s no getting around that fact. People frequently turn to their manager to referee. In fact, research from The Ken Blanchard Companies suggests 64% of people wish they could talk about problems with colleagues “often” or “all the time” in one-on-one conversations with their managers. When they get asked to mediate conflict, managers...
The most important and powerful meetings are one on one. Nothing can accelerate the quality of a manager’s relationships with team members faster than one-on-one time. Here are a few statistics to consider: Although 89% of people want to meet with their managers one on one at least once per month, only 73% actually do....
For some managers, navigating one-on-one relationships with direct reports may feel like a tricky needle to thread. You get all kinds of advice with a common theme that has something to do with “a line” and where you should draw it.
The power of making people significant may be most obvious in instances where that kind of significance is absent. If articles circulating on LinkedIn and other social media are any indication, feeling significant is hitting a nerve that translates directly to employee engagement and retention.
Mothers with children of a certain age often pass on this pearl of wisdom. My mother did: Don’t get married thinking you’re going to change those things you don’t like about your partner. Marry as is and consider any change a bonus.
