It seems like the simplest thing in the world – setting team expectations. It’s Manager 101, right? So why then is there so much confusion – from both leaders and team members – about what is expected of them? A recent Gallup study found nearly
For some organizations, the commitment to learning is a deeply held belief. It’s ingrained in the core values of the business. The lucky employees at these companies enjoy unwavering support for ongoing training and development. Research shows that most companies understand the benefits of leadership
No one sets out to have a bad team. So why do so many teams struggle with apathy, trust issues, poor communication, and lack of direction? In my 15 years of working with teams, I know that most people are smart and capable, and they
Stephen R Covey wrote the groundbreaking Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In the spirit of his book, I have a few ideas about effective virtual teams. It’s kind of a passion of mine. My research and my book Virtual Teams for Dummies continue to motivate
The advancements in artificial intelligence are staggering – self-driving cars, digital personal assistants like Siri and Alexa. Heck, IBM’s Watson is solving medical cases that have stumped doctors for years. Looking beyond the sci-fi hype, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what AI
Wait! You can’t read my mind? Too often, that’s what managers inadvertently expect from their employees about job expectations. Rather than communicate and set clear expectations – the milestones against which employees are reviewed and rewarded — they assume their employees know what to do
Trust creates a workplace where information is shared freely and openly, silos are non-existent, and people are involved in designing their own jobs and creating systems to do their jobs to the best of their ability.
Solid strategic plans, strong work relationships, high morale and improved performance are all byproducts of good questions. This potent communication tool can help you discover important information about your work, yourself, your team, your customers
Difficult Conversations Very few people enjoy confrontation of any kind. Most people do anything they can to avoid it. The fallout from conversations gone wrong is not pretty – trust and intimacy suffer, while resentment and misunderstanding build. But it is possible to improve the
Webster’s dictionary defines a catalyst as ‘an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action.’ In business, a catalyst leader is no different. It is someone who ignites action in others. That stimulus might jump-start a change in an inefficient process, spawn a new
