“No” is a complete response. I had the great pleasure of spending sometime this week with a friend and colleague, Deborah Siegel, PhD. While talking with Deborah, she shared something amazing. She said she has a place in her office where she marks down when she says ‘no.’ So why is saying no a big […]
Set Your Goal, Listen To Yourself
This TEDx video from the TEDxWomen event I organized has one of my favorite thoughts within it…Marcia, who swam the English Channel, notes when people discourage a goal, call it crazy, etc., it equates to “leveling the field” – the notion that if they can’t do what you are aiming for, then you can’t either. […]
What Is It Really Worth? Or, If You Aren’t Contributing Give Up Your Seat At The Table
With stats showing over 75% of the U.S. workforce is unhappy with their job(s) you have to begin to wonder why they stay. Where is the value for them in maintaining the misery, not only for themselves, but most likely, the ripple impacts their family and friends? Money and/or family, is the response I most […]
Leadership
Leadership is about commitment to others and process. It is not about convenience.
Discretionary Effort
I had a discussion this past week with a manager for a firm that had a poor last quarter showing. He couldn’t quite put his finger on the slip in dynamic. It was a great conversation and a testament to paying attention to employee relations. It is important to remember positive or negative production/outcomes can be […]
Happy Employees, It’s Not Easy
I had to read an article with the title of “5 Foolproof Steps to Happier Employees” because rarely is anything “foolproof.” But while reading it, there it was, the universal mis-belief… “Don’t ask about things you can’t or won’t change.” I’m not on board with the ‘don’t ask’ part, as ignorance in business is not bliss. And […]
13% Of Employees Worldwide Are Engaged
You’ve already done the math in your head that tells you 87% of employees worldwide are not engaged. For the stats you can visit http://www.gallup.com/poll/165269/worldwide-employees-engaged-work.aspx . We can talk until we are blue in the face about why this dynamic exists. But I strongly believe it is rooted in a few basic ‘truths’. One, change is […]
Don’t Bargain
I’ve always loved the following quote: “The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi The reason is that so often either subconsciously or consciously we stop ourselves from committing all we can whether in work or relationships. Sometimes we […]
Perfect, The Enemy Of Done
For the last few years I have heard people constantly use the word “perfect.” It drives me crazy. Perfect is often one’s perception, not reality. The pursuit of ‘perfection’ is one of the main reasons we delay and often forgo moving in positive, productive directions. Here are two reasons which represent why I am not a fan of ‘perfect.’