I was recently asked by a manager in one of my classes what she could do to increase her credibility. I told “Keep a Due List and follow up on it.” Most people have some form of a “To Do” list, which lets them know the things they have to do. But credibility and a […]
A project manager in a program I recently led asked “How can I best manage my people to accomplish a change?” I told him, “Don’t manage your people, manage the agreements you have with them.” Agreements are the foundation for performance. Many managers believe the key to getting things done is to appeal to people’s […]
I recently talked to Jeremy, a staff member whose organization is changing from one type of work structure to another. Prior to the change, each work unit in the organization made recommendations on how the allocation of work in their area, who should do the work, and the timelines that should apply. According to Jeremy, […]
To keep the support of their sponsors, black belts and other specialists will do well to manage the agreements they have with sponsors. The director of a lean management program recently approached me with a problem he was having with program sponsors prohibiting students from implementing their lean projects at work. According to the director, […]
Influencing others – having an impact on their ideas, opinions, and actions – requires using different types of conversations and not recognizing this limits our effectiveness. I recently read an article in which the authors maintain that effective leadership requires influencing others and that leaders can influence those others through five different influence styles. The […]
Credibility is a key element in effective leadership and depends on the effective use of closure conversations. Most people realize that credibility is built by telling the truth. But credibility is also built by doing what you said you would do by when you said you would do it and when you don’t, acknowledging the […]
Good working relationships are essential to getting work done and to a satisfying work place. But what can we do when relationships turn sour? You could have a closure conversation with the person. One of the managers in my Mastery in Execution class had a very poor working relationship with a woman at work and […]
Closure conversations can be used at anytime, they don’t have to be used only at the end of a project or an accomplishment. Jason, a hospital administrator in a Columbus hospital, used a closure conversation at the beginning of his interviews for a new job at a different hospital to reduce anxiety and address an […]
Closure conversations are one of the most powerful conversations you can use. I want to share an email from a former MBA student that illustrates just what impact a closure conversation can have. She writes: Professor Ford, I had to write to you and let you know I had the most incredible closure conversation today. […]
All of us have failed to keep a promise we made to someone. It might have been we forgot to make a call, failed to get something done on time, or only did part of what we said we would. And even though we may have a good reason for breaking our promise, there are […]
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