Insults or excuses? What do you say to that struggling employee?
Tell Me Your Excuses. What’s the story you tell yourself—when you have a struggling employee on your team? You hired them. You manage them. They’re a member of your team. And they’re not performing. Not meeting expectations. Losing you customers. Alienating peers. Making costly mistakes. Maybe it’s a skills gap. Maybe it was a hiring mistake. Maybe you sold them […]
A mystery blanket, the leadership shuffle, and ask me anything
Who Sent Me This Blanket? See that photo above? “Is that a dog’s head on a military-type uniform?” you ask? “What the heck?!” you exclaim. I know. It’s crazy. And, yes, it’s a blanket and with my dog’s face on it. Someone sent me that blanket. To my office address–with NO card. (The return address […]
Languishing & High Performers
Languishing is the Verb of the Month . . . And Your High Performers Know It Do You Feel This Way? Frustrated yet kinda focused. Working but not as productive as before. Not depressed yet not really happy. Lost in thought and really looking forward to another night on the couch with Netflix. I hear […]
Leadership Spring Cleaning: Start, Stop, Continue
You Have Ideas: Put Them Into Start, Stop Continue Start, Stop, Continue is one of my favorite brainstorming and organizing techniques. I use it often in executive coaching discussions, and over the past month, I’ve been using it to spring clean my mind and my business. Let me explain. I’m sure you’ve found yourself feeling […]
You Made it Through 2020–Here’s Your Ribbon
You Participated in 2020. Congratulations. So, it’s Friday, December 18, and the best thing I can say to all of you today is: Thanks for being here. For reading what I write and choosing to learn to be a better leader, and I’m happy to award this “Participated” ribbon to you! I’ve had this […]
It’s Not About Perfection
Anyone remember this game? A few years ago, my mom was going through my “things” (what she calls stuff in my childhood bedroom), and she brought me a bag of junk (what I call that stuff). And in that bag was the game of Perfection. I have it in my office now. I just played […]
Being Approachable—When You’re Not in the Office Together
Before COVID-19, I had lots of ideas for leaders on how to become more approachable: how to show people that you are open to their ideas, their questions, and their visits to your office or cube. Back then, it was easy to hide, intentionally or not, or be “busy” in conference rooms for several hours […]
The Mask, The Terminator, and the 98 Yr Old Leader
Focused on Wednesday. Lost on Thursday. And each afternoon feels like a Friday. It’s hard to stay focused these days, right? I know it’s not just me, as many of my coaching clients are saying the same. And my neighbors and my friends. You might feel productive one day and then lost the next. The […]
Managing Means Always Having to Say You’re Sorry
No one likes to apologize. I mean… by definition, you’re only apologizing if you were in the wrong. And no one likes to be wrong. No one likes to make a mistake. It’s not fun. It’s humbling. And it makes us uncomfortable. Unfortunately, saying you’re sorry is a fairly consistent part of life. You have […]
Delegate Now to Save Time Later
Having a team to support you is an incredible opportunity, and you need to take advantage of the talents of your direct reports. Delegating—taking things off your plate and handing them off to others—is key to team, company, and individual success. You get that. You know that part of your job is to hand tasks […]
