“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve” – Bill Gates By: Gary Cohen Secret Formula to Receiving Feedback It has often been thought that the feedback loop hinges on the giver of feedback, you know, the leader, manager, supervisor. Most leaders believe this (spoiler
By: Thomas Schlick We’re told that “feedback is a gift,” right? If that’s the case, then why do so many people who give and receive feedback look at that gift much like a young child who expects his or her favorite toy for Christmas – and opens the present only
By: Thomas Schlick If you are like most leaders, you probably answered this question with a crisp, firm “yes!” But do you really? Lately, has it been hard to recruit, hire, and retain talented people? Have any of your star employees left the company for a better job? And when
By: Thomas Schlick Every hiring manager I’ve known is always out to hire “top talent” – people who are rock stars in their field. These new hires come with sterling resumes and are part of a carefully orchestrated recruiting effort. Having typically been flown in from out of state, these
If you want a glimpse into how well an organization is run, take a look at how they run their meetings. The value they get out of their meetings usually reflects how well the organization is run as a whole. Meetings are designed to accomplish a particular objective. There are
The quality of an organization’s meetings is often tied to the quality of the organization’s overall work. Like effective organizations, effective meetings have clearly defined roles and objectives. There are four different types of meetings: decision-making, informational, creative, and motivational. While every meeting type is important, decision-making meetings are perhaps
Business Succession Planning: When to Start? Harry Levinson, who ran the well-respected Menager Clinic for Senior Executives, once asked the new president of Brandeis Univesity, “Whom have you chosen as your successor?” Another member of the faculty became quite agitated by Harry’s question, considering it was the first day of the
Influence: Improving Morale in the Workplace Influence is the amount of effect you have on someone’s character, development, or behavior. Every action–even small ones–can carry a great deal of positive influence in the workplace. Let’s say an employee shows up late for a meeting and no one says anything about
What is often frustrating to leaders is energizing to this executive coach. People often ask, “Where is the most fun for you when working with a client?” I respond, “Picture a venn diagram where leading self, leading others, and leading the organization all intersect. Because of growth, it looks and
When reviewing values, we ask employees to provide a narrative of each of the values they’ve seen in action. Some companies have taken the best of these stories and published them for all the employees; they give a copy to new employees, too, so that they know what it looks
Success is never a solo act, except in the imaginations of narcissists. Recognize those that came before you and those who are with you now.
Thinking Fast as an Entrepreneur Entrepreneurial leaders are open-minded, energetic, and always questioning. They ask: How can we do it better? Where should we go from here? What is preventing us from taking action, and how can it be overcome? Couldn’t we do this and that? These questions lead to
Chances are you won’t have to wring that neck either, since that person will know it is his responsibility to ensure the action is completed on time and well. If he encounters problems along the way, he will be more likely to address them immediately than wait until the reporting
A business partnership is a system. Sometimes that system resembles a couple or family system. And like any couple or family, there may be one over-functioning and one under-functioning person in the partnership. Often the over-functioning one does a great job of compensating for the other’s dysfunction, but that doesn’t
“The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” – Theodore Roosevelt Going into business is a high-risk game. It is not for the faint of heart. The success rate of surviving more than five years is remarkably low, and
Effective meeting models maximize the running of an organization. Understanding and setting the right business rhythm leads to organizational effectiveness.
How to conduct a meeting is accomplished by a small amount of deliberate practice and training and will save significant costs to the business. Businesses are spending billions on meetings and do little to improve them. In this post you will begin your exploration of effective meeting strategies.
Meeting Roles lead to successful meeting. The following describes the meeting roles of leader, facilitator, recorder, time keeper and participant.
“A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes.” – Gandhi Social context affects the way you behave, think, and interpret the world. It affects whether you feel comfortable or uncomfortable. It can affect whether, in a particular environment, you succeed or fail. Relative Deprivation
You need a hierarchy to get things done efficiently. But hierarchies don’t always produce optimal solutions to complex and challenging problems. To be both efficient and effective, sometimes you need to flatten a hierarchy for a short period of time. You need to speak freely across and around prescribed channels,
Effective leaders care about employee engagement because they know that engaged employees give more effort–not just the required effort to do their jobs, but the discretionary effort needed to excel. Engaged sales people sell more, engaged service reps provide better service, assembly line workers have fewer accidents and the discretionary
Effective leaders care about employee engagement because they know that engaged employees give more effort–not just the required effort to do their jobs, but the discretionary effort needed to excel. Engaged sales people sell more, engaged service reps provide better service, assembly line workers have fewer accidents and the discretionary
Being smart helps leaders, but it helps a lot less than it used to. The expansion of knowledge and the availability of knowledge is growing at a rate that is outside the capabilities of even the highest IQs in the world. The biggest differentiators for leaders these days are not
Rethinking Leadership Infographic was developed by Sammi Cohen. To develop your own infographic, reach out to Sammi Cohen. Rethinking Leadership In working with leaders, I have found asking questions is a sorely undervalued technique. Many equate asking questions with losing power, looking like a fool, or admitting defeat. Some believe that
Rethinking Leadership Infographic was developed by Sammi Cohen. To develop your own infographic, reach out to Sammi Cohen. Rethinking Leadership In working with leaders, I have found asking questions is a sorely undervalued technique. Many equate asking questions with losing power, looking like a fool, or admitting defeat. Some believe that
Integrity matters. Rescheduling a meeting results in less trustworthiness & less integrity.
Being right can be addictive, in part because being right gives us a shot of dopamine and adrenaline. Our adrenaline, though, can alienate others.
How often do you allow a junior member of your team to lead and experience the lessons of a decision that isn’t optimal? I expressly didn’t use the word “wrong” here. “Wrong” carries too many negative connotations.
How often do you allow a junior member of your team to lead and experience the lessons of a decision that isn’t optimal? I expressly didn’t use the word “wrong” here. “Wrong” carries too many negative connotations.
Teams that don’t trust each other also tend to have the most worthless, unproductive meetings.
Optimism vs. Pessimism: Know where you and your team members sit along the optimism/pessimism spectrum. Use that information to be accurate and to win.
How to Prepare for a Meeting The first seven steps to prepare for a meeting are: 1. Set a clear and achievable goal for the meeting How to Prepare for a Meeting: Steps #1 & 2 that is in line with the organization’s vision and mission 2. Choose the appropriate
The first four steps of how to prepare for a meeting are: 1. Set a clear and achievable goal for the meeting that is in line with the organization’s vision and mission [How to Prepare for a Meeting: Steps #1 & 2] 2. Choose the appropriate type of meeting: decision-making,
The first four steps of how to prepare for a meeting are: 1. Set a clear and achievable goal for the meeting that is in line with the organization’s vision and mission [How to Prepare for a Meeting: Steps #1 & 2] 2. Choose the appropriate type of meeting: decision-making,
How to Prepare for a Meeting The first three steps of meeting preparation are: 1. Set a clear and achievable goal for the meeting How to Prepare for a Meeting: Steps #1 & 2 that is in line with the organization’s vision and mission 2. Choose the appropriate type of meeting:
How to Prepare for a Meeting Once you have a clear and achievable goal for the meeting How to Prepare for a Meeting: Steps #1 & 2 that is in line with the organization’s vision and mission, and you’ve chosen the appropriate type of meeting, selecting the right participants ought to
How to prepare for a meeting is important for all employees and critical for any manager or leader. Step by step process that will improve your meeting preparation and wow your co-workers
Meeting Minutes can have a great deal of power in the organization. Learn how to take effective meeting minutes and enhance your position in your company
Leadership Teams to be exceptional must move implicit to the explicit. As leader, you are the Chief Conversation Officier making the unspeakable speakable.
Employee Engagement, Leadership, and Business Results are highly correlated–according to Gallup research done by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, authors of First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently. Buckingham and Coffman came up with twelve questions that help determine the degree of employee engagement. How
When you ask questions you must go from JUDGER to LEARNER in order to effectively get the outcomes you are looking for from yourself and others.
Marilee Adams, MSW, Ph.D. offers 10 very powerful tools to improve communication–both personally and professionally by how you ask questions.
Lead by how you Ask Questions CO2 Partners founder Gary Cohen is not alone in his remarkable approach to leadership: ask questions to build alignment, engagement and accountability. In this series of posts, I am discussing “Change Your Questions, Change Your Life” by Marilee Adams, MSW, Ph.D. She offers 10 very
Discover the right social media outlets that you can use & when to use them to build your personal network.
We like people like ourselves–people who do and think about and value similar things. I remember reading a long time ago that a dentist in India often has more in common with a dentist in the United States than they do with either of their neighbors. At first I wondered
Criticism and blame can quickly destroy a culture. In this post discover how this behavior leads to a vicious cycle that kills productivity and employee engagement.
As a leader, you’re accustomed to stretching and stretch assignments, since leaders handle a wide array of responsibilities and have to respond to unexpected challenges. You may not, however, stretch your team members the way you yourself were tested on your rise to your current leadership position. Think of the
‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’ it is said. When you think of creativity, you often think of ways to promote it! This post looks at the many ways that your organizations culture can prevent it from ever happening.
30 Meeting Management Rules That Work We operate under the assumption that everyone’s participation and presence in meetings is important. We want to create a culture and community where time is not wasted, opinions are shared freely and honestly, individuals are treated with respect, risk taking and open-mindedness are valued,
30 Meeting Management Rules That Work We operate under the assumption that everyone’s participation and presence in meetings is important. We want to create a culture and community where time is not wasted, opinions are shared freely and honestly, individuals are treated with respect, risk taking and open-mindedness are valued,
The 5-15 reports is a simple concept. The report should take no more than 5 minutes to read and no more than 15 minutes to write.
When leaders get a new vision or goal, they usually want to get there as quickly as possible. They start envisioning the steps they need to take. These steps are big and bold and, for them, doable. But the steps aren’t always doable for their team. Take time to learn
Leaders want to stand out. They want to separate themselves from other leaders, their coworkers, and their predecessors. It’s helpful for leaders to remember, however, the importance of fitting in with the group and the power of social contagion. In order to maintain our social bonds, we mimic others. We
Lots of leaders espouse the value of teamwork, but the quality and quantity of work that teams generate depends a lot on how teams are constructed and evaluated. In 1913, Max Ringelmann discovered that men pulled harder on a rope when they were alone than when they were in the
Leadership Keynote Speaking to audiences globally has given me great opportunity for reflection on leadership. Leaders in the iconic mold of John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and Margret Thatcher no longer work. They issue commands that don’t inspire and motivate others the way questions do. If we go further back in
Everett Rogers came up with the Diffusion of Innovation model, which explains why and how a meme can move through a social system. Memes are generated by Innovators, and require a committed group of risk-taking Early Adaptors to propel them forward. The Early Majority are the next critical group needed
Who gave more, the chicken or the pig? The difference between Bacon and Eggs is that the Pig gave more than the Chicken. How much are your coworkers willing to give? How committed are they to their work, in other words? And what are you doing to engage, align and
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) for a visit to Dayton’s Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary School in St. Paul on Tuesday, May 31. I sat in the first row with my wife Chris and was fascinated to watch the difference between how the two
Many years of camping as a Camp Thunderbird camper and, later, at Outward Bound helped prepare me for the first event of the Adventure TEAM Challenge: lighting a fire and boiling a can of water. All that was needed was some toilet paper, a storm-proof butane lighter, and a knife so sharp
How would you like to go on a Mediterranean cruise? A week in Vegas? Or maybe enjoy rounds of golf wrapped up with luxurious massages. No-we’re not talking about honeymoons, but rather, team building trips taken by some very fortunate employees. Find out about 10 of the most incredible company-sponsored
Then there are the “Balcony People” who meet you where you are. These are the people in your lives who are constantly seeing the best in you, listening to you, and supporting you in everything you do. Heatherley visualizes them as raving fans in the balcony, chanting and cheering wildly
Although the importance of a good leader cannot be denied, followers also play an equally important, if often overlooked, role in the success of any group or organization. We believe the strength of any team is in the followers and there can be no leaders without followers, but the vast
Trust begins with me. Trust begins with each and every one of us. Trust building is everyone’s responsibility. Here are a few key questions in which to start: How am I, as a leader or team member, practicing behaviors that foster, encourage and empower trust? Where am I experiencing areas
Way longer than you would imagine. As part of a strategic planning exercise with organizations, I always have a team begin with a values exercise to determine what the core values of the business stakeholders are and align those values among those team members. Regardless of whether the organization has
