Is Resistance a Useful Response to Change? Yes and No.

Resistance to change – or to anything – is only effective if you focus on producing a specific intended result + talk about it with people who can alter the path toward accomplishing it. Otherwise, take a deep breath and let it go.

Management May Not Be Sexy – But It Really Is Necessary

How I learned that talking about management is boring. And now I’m more determined than ever to get a little more respect for managers!

Other Places to Put Your Promises? Nope. They Go in Your Schedule.

I got some feedback on where people “put their promises”. It is useful to see that we have many ways to manage our agreements, some smarter than others. But putting them on a schedule makes sure we have a time and place for them. If you have a better system, please let me know and I will publish it!

How to Save Time: Make Better Requests to Get Better Promises

How to get what you want from others? Here’s how to make a more effective request. It takes a bit of practice, but you’ll see the benefits early and they will continue to increase.

When a Team is – And Is Not – a Team

We talk a lot about teams, and sometimes send people off bungee jumping as a “team-building exercise”. Sounds like fun. But a team is something that needs thought – and practice – to design and implement. It is simple, but not always easy. Still, when you need a team, it’s worth knowing what works.

It’s Valentines Day – But What do You Do When You Hate Someone at Work?

A good friend – let’s call her Katy – shared with a group of us the other evening that there’s a woman she works with who is “awful”. She didn’t go into details, but said she was unwilling to even have a conversation with “Cruella” to clean up the bad vibes. And Katy said, “There’s […]

Lost Productivity: Is the Culprit Social Media or Sloppy Communication?

Productivity is a big deal – the idea is to produce good hourly output at work, especially if you want to get a raise. An article (Why Your Facebook Habit At Work Makes Economists Worry) says that some people want to blame employees who are using social media for the recent drop in productivity. Another theory […]

That Difficult Client Talk – Part II. What does “Discussion” Mean?

Dear Reggie, First the good news, this time. Two of your staff members reported to me that they are excited about having clearer agreements for their work. I have reason to believe there are other people noticing a difference in the way you are giving assignments now. That’s great! Now, for Step 2 on your […]

That Difficult Client Talk – Part I

Dear Reggie, First, the bad news. You’ve been blaming your staff and technical teams for not doing their jobs well, but you have not considered that you might be the problem. So I’m here to tell you that you are breaking almost every rule of good management. I’m telling you because you said to me, […]

Three “Brexit” Lessons for Getting YOUR Goal

Did you notice that the “Remain” leaders in the United Kingdom – the ones who wanted to stay with the European Union – made some costly mistakes? It seems they had some lazy assumptions, and failed to deliver the well-designed conversations that could have painted a different picture for UK voters. Mistake #1: Too few […]