Mastodon ..read more

Once in awhile, something I read stops me in my tracks and forces me to rethink a past assumption. This time it came from a parenting article by Shelley Phillips. Phillips makes a compelling case that saying things like “good job” (which I do all the time with our son) actually sends the message to kids that they are only good when it is stated by a parent. She argues this sets up a situation where children resist challenges when things get difficult, since they get too focused on results instead of persisting through challenges. As I’m changing my ways at home, I’m struck by how often this s ..read more

Several years ago, Bonni and I visited Best Buy the day after Christmas. I was both impressed and stunned at what I saw. It wasn’t the returns line itself that surprised me, because of course we expected it. It was the sophistication of the operation. Best Buy had sectioned off major parts of the store for processing returns. Customers returning items were directed to a different entrance to get them into the line quicker. The massive team of clerks processing returns far outnumbered those for new purchases. When I saw the line, I though we’d be there for hours…but the efficiency of the opera ..read more

I’ve facilitated or observed thousands of hours of organizational training in the past decade. While every project is different, one trend almost always repeats itself. Any decent training has a component of instruction, followed by practice and coaching. Effective instructors get participants engaged with the material, instead of just talking at people. Early on, I’ll ask people to review something simple that the group has just learned, rather than repeating the same content myself. Whenever I’ve done this or observed others do this, the same thing almost always happens: Even though the con ..read more

A few weeks ago, a client forwarded an email from another department in their organization that had previously received criticism for being a bit cranky on email messages. This time, the email started with: I hope you are having a great day today. The remainder of the email was just as cranky as all the others messages I’d seen from them before. It isn’t hard to guess at what happened. Someone probably received well-deserved criticism for cranky emails and decided to do something. A well-intended line of thinking might have gone like this: “Hey, we need to fix this problem fast. Hmmm…I know ..read more

I was sitting with a client manager recently and we got to talking about getting input from employees. She recalled a situation from awhile back that highlights a problem with seeking input. She was called into a meeting and asked to give input on a potential new hire for the organization. Her manager gave her a bit of background about the individual (he apparently had some prior connection with the candidate) and said that he wanted her opinion so they could decide if it would make sense to move forward. Since the person was being considered for her organization, he said he valued her input ..read more

Bonni and I were asked recently by our church to train members of our congregation on how to be effective facilitators for small groups. When we delivered the training, the questions raised and resulting discussion reminded me that many of organizations simply don’t provide good examples of facilitation. While the role of facilitator isn’t a role most leaders find themselves in on a daily basis, almost every leader finds themselves in situations where they are called on to facilitate: conferences, innovation meetings, retreats, customer focus groups, and many more. Here are 11 principles for ..read more

Resources Mentioned How to Hire a Coach International Coach Federation ICF credentialing Coach U Related Episodes CFL179: How to Hire a Coach ..read more

The four BOCA steps to creating a team vision: B = Be all ears O = Own the vision C = Communicate the vision A = Allow others to own it ..read more

Milica Simovic Milica is a retail manager listening from the United Arab Emirates. She’s tells her story on this episode about how she used the lessons from Coaching for Leaders to improve her leadership skills. Resources Mentioned How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie* Related Episodes CFL172: How to Handle Workplace Bullying CFL223: Start With Why Featuring Simon Sinek ..read more