Communicate – Don’t Accumulate

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We often overestimate our own ability to put up with unspoken thoughts and underestimate the ability of others to deal with them. Fortunately, a new book hits the nail on the head about giving people “feedback”.

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Maybe It’s Not Them – Maybe It’s You.

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We have explanations for why other people behave the way they do, but sometimes we can have a conversation that creates a new possibility for them. Connecting to a vision or goal can make all the difference.

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Tip #2 on Being Professional:  Managers and Supervisors, Listen Up!

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When we make excuses and blame others for our actions, our credibility suffers. It’s smarter to clarify the expectations others and take responsibility for our commitments.

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One Way to Refresh a Resigned and Cynical Workplace

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The most important thing in bringing a low-energy workplace back to life is completion. I once worked with a newly hired manager, Evan, who was shocked at how slow and negative his department was. He said, “If I had known these people were so dispirited, I might have thought twice about accepting this job.” “They […]

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Committed Complaints? Good for You!

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The US election season is now underway. That means there will be 18 months of complaining about the candidates, then we can switch back to our usual complaints about the weather, TV programming, and people who eat pizza with a fork. Those are all examples of “uncommitted complaints”, because we usually are not going to […]

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Accountability Is Like Tango – It Takes Two to Do It

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So the Manager says, “My people aren’t accountable”. And the Staff People say, “People who do poor quality work are not held to account for improving it.” I know this because I’m doing a survey about what managers and staff say about their workplace. It’s the same workplace, but two very different perspectives. The difference […]

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When Integrity is Missing

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You know that person who says they will do something and then doesn’t do it? The one who says he’ll be at your place at 10:00, then shows up 15 minutes – or an hour – late. Or the one who says she’ll email you that document as soon as she gets back to the […]

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The Worst Thing About Performance Improvement

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I did a survey in one organization. The two places most managers wanted performance improvements were (1) communication, and (2) accountability. OK, no surprise there. Better communication and more accountability would make a manager’s life easier, right? But 6 months later, guess what they hated most… Communication about accountability. Dave, a mid-level manager, said on the comments […]

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Do You Micro-Manage Slackers?

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People are mad that Elaine avoids work – and sick of her “good excuses”. There are two different views about what their manager, Beth, should do: She should meet with Elaine at the start and end of every day to check on whether she’s doing her assignments or not. She should give assignments to everyone […]

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