Posts

The Leadership Challenge… Again.

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Competent leadership: a personality trail or a practical communication skill? Perhaps a mix of both. It comes with a caution, though.

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The Management vs. Leadership Debate

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It’s time to stop the “leaders are special people” conversation and pay attention to what is actually happening throughout the hierarchy of organizations. Putting a halo on the people at the very top, or on people of certain “types” or “styles” is not useful. Management is necessary and valuable, and managers are worth hearing, honoring and supporting.

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Feeling and Thinking Happen Inside Us.  Communication Happens Between Us.

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There is some connection between the world of our feelings and thoughts and the world of our actions and communications, but we don’t know much about what it is. Still, if you practice acting and communicating, and listen openly others, you can discover “how you come across”.

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How Important is Appreciation as a Part of Employee Feedback?

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Feedback comes in different flavors – appreciation is one of them. But all feedback, if it is respectful and useful, can be valuable.

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The Manager-Staff Gap – And an Idea for Updating the Performance Review

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Managers see their world of work in a very different way than staff members do. What does this tell us about how to improve Manager-Staff communication? The performance review is a good tool that can support a more effective Staff-Manager relationship.

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Accountability is a Manager’s Job – Not an Employee’s Mindset

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Don’t look for accountability in a person. Create the structures and agreements that support a shared understanding of Who is responsible for producing What results and When those results are due. Then establish regular meetings to update the status of those agreements and modify them as needed.

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We Want Employee Engagement – But… Engagement in What?

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Employee engagement means communicating what you want them to be engaged in. What is the goal they are working toward? Are they making progress? What is the “accomplishment of the month”? If people are disengaged at work, it’s a clue that there’s not much available to engage in.

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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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