Marketer, Do You Know Your Target?
From the Annoying Sales and Marketing File: A sales rep emailed me and, in an overfamiliar, cheeky tone, implied that I was in default for not responding to an earlier message. This, despite the fact... Continue reading
These Are Tried and Tested Ways to Make Better Team Decisions
When leaders make decisions skillfully, everyone on the team wins. But when leaders are poor decision-makers, the team’s performance and culture suffer, and individual team members can lose confidence and become disengaged. Unfortunately, though, team... Continue reading
What Are the Best Ways Leaders Make Up Their Minds?
Smart, effective decision-making is one of the most important and complex parts of team or organizational leadership. Leaders make up their minds based on what they already believe and the way they operate; then they... Continue reading
Here’s How to Work with Micromanagers to Help Them Get Better Results
Some managers who’ve risen through the ranks become overly controlling once they begin to exercise authority. They squelch subordinates’ ability to take risks, develop, and contribute, both individually and collectively. Here are two examples I’ve... Continue reading
7 Surprisingly Simple Secrets to Managing Millennials
Many of my clients have expressed confusion and frustration about the challenges of working with Millennials, including their tendency to expect everything to be easy and straightforward; their need to be “spoon fed” and treated... Continue reading
How Can I Help You If I’m Not Listening to You?
“Andy, you’re not listening to me, bro!” This conversation was delivered in a very tense tone by a fellow with a very tense face. There’s a mortgage brokerage on my floor, and sometimes, when the... Continue reading
When You Have to Deal with the Painful Responsibility of Staff Failure
I just got a call from a senior leader: A community outreach staffer was causing his management team some consternation. When he was hired 18 months ago, he’d approached every job with zest, volunteered for... Continue reading
What Happens When We Misread Cues and Get Things Wrong
We like to think we understand what’s going on. But sometimes we get things completely wrong. Take a look at this very short video about how, even with the best of intentions, our attempts to... Continue reading