I just got back from Austin, Texas where I was doing a seminar on how to give constructive feedback with the Texas Municipal Retirement System’s management team. Before we discussed the “how you do it”, I asked people to think of all the answers they could come up with to this question:“Why bother to learn how to give constructive feedback?”I asked them to focus on this important question first because knowing how to give c...

The other day at a “Constructive Conversations” seminar I was giving, I witnessed a perfect example of what NOT to do if you want someone to hear your point of view. It was also a great example of how (unfortunately) natural it is for us to:1. Infer what another person means, and then believe our interpretation is accurate, when in actuality it’s dead wrong.2. Then launch into a debate or confrontation, based on our incorre...

In this article, we discuss:1) How to minimize the impact of a toxic boss.2) How to help a toxic—or counterproductive—boss.3) How to make sure you’re not one of them.In today’s email, I received “An Antidote for Toxic Bosses” from BNet Insight.The author describes 4 things you can do to mitigate the emotional strain of working for a toxic boss. If You Have a Toxic Boss On Your Management Team...If you’ve ever worked for a t...

What would it be like at your workplace if people were...1. Just a little kinder to each other?2. Just a little more thoughtful? – i.e. they were more mindful of how their choice of words and actions affected others, and were also more aware of opportunities to help others.3. Just a little more compassionate?4. Just a little more grateful? – e.g. they expressed appreciation for someone’s hard work, they thanked people who w...

I just did a program last week for an organization on “The Energizer Effect” and wanted to share with you a few of the major take aways. This information is especially critical if your organization is involved in work that is innately stressful and emotionally demanding, like:- health care- sales- customer service (especially call center)It’s also extremely important right now in history, given the challenging times facing...

At a supervisory skills seminar I gave a while back, a participant who was a new supervisor told the group he realized that he was thanking his people too much and that this was diminishing his credibility. "You mean showing appreciation is a BAD thing?"I was curious about how he "knew" it was diminishing his credibility, and asked him if it was a theory he had or if his employees actually told him this. Neither was the cas...

Are you including mindfulness in your own personal management development program?Just the other day, an employee shared with me a story about something her manager did that reminded me of the importance of cultivating mindfulness if you’re a manager. I’ll tell you about it shortly, but first, let’s look at what mindfulness is, and why it’s so important.Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence, Employee Motivation, Engagement, a...

When it comes to employee motivation, do you sell your people short—i.e. do you try to motivate them using the wrong things?For instance, do you continue to think the ticket to motivating employees is throwing more money or benefits at them?Do you worry that you won’t be to retain and engage your best employees because you are not able to pay as much—or more—than your competitors?If you answered “Yes” to these questions, yo...

In these challenging times, it’s more important than ever for your employees to access their “Warrior Spirit”—the term Southwest Airlines uses to capture the optimistic, can do nature they seek to cultivate.One of the ways companies like Southwest Airlines bring out the best in their workforce is by utilizing the power of priming. Through the application of priming, you can increase the odds that your workforce will:- Respo...

I just had an experience that reminded me of how often even really brilliant managers neglect to use the "secret weapon" of the best managers and best employers. It’s the practice that perhaps more than anything spurs employees on to work harder. So what is the practice that leads to a more motivated, committed, engaged workforce?Expressing appreciation and gratitude.Oh, BTW, lack of appreciation was cited by the Department...