Tag: behavior
Is Your Service Ivy League or Minor League?
Last week, I met with a client at the Harvard Club in Manhattan. Membership in a university club can be very practical, especially for out-of-towners; the club serves as a well-appointed home-base hotel, providing a... Continue reading
Why Being Clear Is Even More Important Than Being Nice
It’s always risky for employees when managers are “too nice” and don’t give clear feedback about expectations, preferences, or necessary improvements. In effect, these managers stand by as employees go off the track rather than... Continue reading
How to Avoid the Downside of Workplace Sharing
It’s not easy to share responsibility. Getting a given job or project done well depends on having both appropriate structural underpinnings and the right combination of people, with the right meshing of values, commitments, personal... Continue reading
How to Minimize the Natural Resistance to Change
Declaring the need for change is not enough. And implementing a “change program” may not even be enough to get you the change you want. No matter what changes you’re considering or attempting -- whether... Continue reading
How to Give Employees a Sense of Direction
Most employees want to know where their leaders are headed before they’ll follow with energy and enthusiasm. When they can’t tell where you’re going or how you plan to get there, they’ll feel like they’re... Continue reading
How to Cope with a Colleague Who Can’t Cope
Is it really possible to do good work with managers who are unwilling to accept and absorb bad news? What can you do if you’re the subordinate, colleague, or boss of someone who’s avoidant at... Continue reading
How to Stop Suppressing Your Staff’s Potential
In last week’s post, Don’t Threaten Me with the Truth, I suggested that managers make themselves ineffectual when they try to avoid the bad news that is part of all organizational and business life. Executives... Continue reading
Don’t Threaten Me With the Truth
On a recent trip through yet another airport, I passed a man whining into his phone: “I cannot take any more bad news! I cannot!” It’s possible that he was having a terrible conversation about... Continue reading