effectiveness – Page 2 – Management for Performance

This Middle Manager is Between a Rock and a Hard Place

November 1, 2017/in Accountability, get results, project management, requests, Understanding conversations /by Laurie Ford

When your Boss is not paying attention to what you need, and you are managing a group of people who want to become a team, what do you do? Claire paved the way.

Productive Communication Works!

July 28, 2017/in Closure conversations, effective communication, get results, requests, the four conversations /by Laurie Ford

A woman who had been waiting for an executive in another department to make a budget decision finally stopped waiting and… communicated productively. Good work, Kelly!

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

June 28, 2017/in change management, effective communication, get results, Understanding conversations /by Laurie Ford

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.

Change Champions: Commitment, Respect, and… Closure

January 3, 2017/in change management, Closure conversations, Credibility /by Laurie Ford

Change – organizational or personal – requires a few basics. Commitment, of course. Respect, certainly. And closure – regular status checks to stay on track and support success. Takes a bit of extra time, but it is a good investment.

What’s the Source of the “Productivity Deficit”?

August 11, 2016/in Accountability, Performance conversations, promises, requests /by Laurie Ford

The Marketplace newsletter has an answer for a question I hadn’t thought to ask: “Why are workers less productive?” It seems the output produced for each hour of labor worked (aka non-farm business productivity) dropped in the second quarter of 2015. It’s the third quarter in a row with a decline in US labor productivity. Innovations like smartphones and 3D printing […]

That Difficult Client Talk – Part III. Too Many Goals?

July 19, 2016/in change management, Credibility, leadership /by Laurie Ford

Dear Reggie, The “discussions” are working. Your people said that you are listening to them in a new way, and that should raise their performance. That was your original goal, wasn’t it? So here’s the next place to put your attention: your Step 3. I am hearing some confusion among your staff people – it’s […]

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

July 11, 2016/in effective communication /by Laurie Ford

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 […]