If It Ain’t Broke, It Still Needs Fixing: Some Thoughts on the Sandy Hook School Shooting
Perhaps the most frightening thing of all about the Sandy Hook School shooting in Newtown, CT is that the system worked. The guns that were used were legally obtained. Some might ask why any civilian... Continue reading
Listen. Do You Want to Know a Secret?
When people talk to you, do you hear everything they’re communicating? Do you recognize the meaning in people’s voices as well as their words to understand what they’re really telling you? Once you’ve known someone... Continue reading
How to Cope with Permanently Unsuccessful Employees
We’ve all passed those storefronts where a succession of stores or restaurants open and close quickly and thought, “That’s a doomed location.” Some employees seem to take on this kind of role in an organization.... Continue reading
Reframing a Tattler’s Tale
Have you ever had to work with a tattletale? The parallels between childhood tattling and workplace tale-bearing came to mind while I was visiting a friend whose child kept appealing for adult intervention in her... Continue reading
Giving Thanks: As Easy as Pie
Thanksgiving 2012 How should we celebrate Thanksgiving this year when so many people are still battling the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy? When some won’t be back in their own homes in time for the holiday... Continue reading
How to Handle Workplace Tantrums and Meltdowns
A manager in a creative industry wrote in to ask how she can deal with a colleague who regularly throws hissy fits, all of which follow a similar pattern. The Hisser has a periodic and... Continue readingThere’s Sandy in My Oyster!
The idea that “the world is your oyster” is originally from Shakespeare. It suggests that the world is the equivalent of a closed shell, and that it is ours to enjoy and profit from, in... Continue reading
How Can You Get Your Manager to Let You Help?
I heard from a middle manager who struggles with his senior manager’s unclear delegation and occasional absence of direction. The senior manager constantly shifts assignments, switching up what’s urgent today and what’s important tomorrow with... Continue reading