I had a boss, I’ll call him, Ted. Ted was very political and used his high emotional intelligence to play all sides of every issue just to make sure he was always covered. I heard him lie by fact and omission. So clever was the man that when opinions were asked, he was able to shift positions 180 degrees before the final vote, especially if he saw the tide going against him. He bragged about accomplishments that were fantasy and made commitments he never intended to keep, while espousing values he violated on a regular basis. Ted was smart enough, polished, experienced, and a very hard worker. [Read more…]
Should I Leave My Current Employer
Most of us have thought, “Should I quit my job, leave the company, say ‘adios’ to the boss.” Like many impulses, they are fleeting and probably a healthy release.
However, what happens when those thoughts become frequent, and you find yourself spending more and more time either planning your escape or daydreaming about your next move? [Read more…]
Characteristics of an Exceptional Leader
I was particularly intrigued by an article that appeared in the Forbes February 17, 2020, online edition, written by Benjamin Laker, a professor at the Henley Business School in England. The piece is titled “7 Ways to Get the Leadership ‘It’ Factor.” Why was I interested? Because I saw many of my executive clients (and parts of myself) in his descriptions. Several of the observations I encountered are suggestions I often discuss with the leaders I coach. [Read more…]
Isolation and Loneliness — Working in the Office or at Home
I am a bit worried. In so many ways we have come to accept the presence of the pandemic and all that came with it. The drama has settled down and the rhetoric has reduced.
The requirement we stay away from one another for quite some time was a necessary safety decision. Everyone went home to their kitchen table, or if you were lucky, their home office. We got the work done the best we could. It was a remarkable feat. [Read more…]
How to be More Strategic in the Workplace
Creating a strategy and being more strategic are phrases regularly applied to meetings, interviews, resumes, as well as seen in the news. I often encourage executive coaching clients to use the words when making a point because it is what many want to hear. The words are so frequently applied they risk becoming diluted or used incorrectly. People often say they are strategic when in fact what they are describing is tactical. Some confuse being strategic with problem solving. (Though problems can need a strategy.) [Read more…]
Should I Reject a Promotion I Don’t Want?
During my time in the corporate world, I came close to being promoted twice to a role I did not want. I was able to stop the process well in advance, earn a more appropriate promotion, and continue a path better suited to my skills and temperament. Another time I did not do it appropriately. I accepted a role and then backed out. Here’s what I learned from these three experiences. [Read more…]
Interviewing Skills for the Best Results
I have been thinking about the hiring process these past few months. Many of my executive coaching clients are either trying to hire top-notch employees or are somewhere in the interviewing process for themselves. Both are time consuming and, at times, stressful. [Read more…]
Five Love Languages — Showing Appreciation in the Workplace
Gary Smalley and John Trent are authors, speakers, and researchers who focus on relationships. They are best known for their creation and promotion of a work called, “The Five Love Languages.”
They contend people have different ways of expressing and accepting love. They break it down to five behaviors — words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. [Read more…]
Are You Holding Back Your Team (and Yourself)?
In the last two weeks three very successful, highly competent, senior leaders who are executive coaching clients of mine have complained their team members seem to be lacking the energy, interest, and hunger they had previously demonstrated.
We can blame post-pandemic fatigue, the robust job market that provides options to many, and maybe even the summer blues. Or we can look at ourselves as leaders who may be playing a role. [Read more…]
Essential Human Needs — What the Workplace Needs Right Now
These have been extraordinary times. Not everyone is experiencing life in the same way or on a similar timetable. To get or remain on the path forward we need to appreciate and act upon some essential human needs both at home and in the workplace. They are trust, compassion, stability, and hope. [Read more…]
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