coaching and consulting designed to help you lead at work and succeed in life
You’re at a conference. (Ok, let’s pretend you’re at a conference because no one is doing these right now.) So anyway, you’re at a conference and you meet someone you really enjoy talking with and you want to be cordial and supportive. You know that connecting people and showing value is a great way toContinue reading The Layers of Connecting
You’ve asked one of your direct reports to see you in your office. It’s about a recent mistake they’ve made and you want to provide some feedback and maybe a little coaching. They enter the room sheepishly and slump down in the chair opposite your desk. You don’t want to beat around the bush, soContinue reading The Words We Use Say a Lot
Most leaders employ an open-door policy. I’m not sure if they do this because they want to or because HR tells them to or if they heard or read somewhere that it’s a “best practice.” What do you think? HR directive? Best practice? Or it seems reasonable and shows you are an approachable boss? I’mContinue reading Shut the Door on the Open-Door Policy
Today we look at a subject that is easy for some and brutally difficult for others. I’m talking about small talk. You know, that little dance we do to either pass time, please someone, or put them off so we can plan our escape. Now I suspect some of you may consider tuning out becauseContinue reading Small Talk, Big Difference
TL;DR: Three important keys to effective business email writing are congeniality, content, and closure. Read on for the particulars. Email is different from other forms of communication and it is typically done pretty poorly by most business-people. It’s just hard to get the words to come out right to make good sense and carry yourContinue reading Why Do We Still Do Email So Badly? (Part 2)