Are You a Creative? Or a Critic?
It’s so much easier to critique what you can see than it is to conceptualize something that doesn’t exist yet. Michelangelo said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the... Continue reading
Going to the Dogs: Not Everyone Feels the Way You Do
There’s always another point of view. In old fables about whether any specific event or circumstance signifies good luck or bad, the moral always depends on your individual context and outlook. I’m interested in hearing... Continue reading
Is Your Boss Driving You Crazy? You’re Not Alone
Every once in a while someone tells me a story of dysfunctional, disruptive, unprofessional, plain old odd boss behavior. Here’s an example, along with some suggestions for how to normalize things with a crazy-making boss... Continue reading
2 More Ways to Make Service Feel Less Sorry
To improve the service experience for both customers and reps, start by targeting the key elements of service infrastructure that consistently create negative outcomes. After that, there are some deeply human aspects of service that... Continue reading
How to Fix the Sorry Side of Customer Service
Customer service is a tough job. People who work in a pure service role (as opposed to those who but also take orders, provide sales support, or do real selling themselves) spend the vast majority... Continue reading
This Is What to Do If You Have an Overreactive Colleague
It can be very appealing to have an overreactive person on your team because of their strong drive for accomplishment and their very quick response time whenever there’s a problem to be solved. But for... Continue reading
Simple Ways to Reduce Reactivity and Lead More Effectively
If you suspect you’re an excessively reactive manager, you may wonder how to slow things down to help yourself work more effectively and not disrupt your team so much. And you may worry how you... Continue reading
Do You Need to Work with a Hard-Driving Leader Who Overreacts?
Over the last few years I’ve worked with a number of senior executives who are hardworking and wonderfully competent in their areas of expertise, but are so highly reactive that they create extra burdens for... Continue reading