Archive for the ‘communication’ tag
Effective leaders mirror in e-mails
I once had two coworkers, Mark and Sally. In DiSC-speak, Sally was a high I, and used many many many exclamation marks in her e-mails. I am not exaggerating when I say that one of Sally’s e-mails could consist of three sentences and 13 exclamation marks. Mark, on the other hand,
A tip for keeping emails effective
One problem with email is that it is efficient for the writer, but usually ineffective for the reader. One way to minimize this mismatch is to Read the rest of this entry »
Effective Leaders are Specific
“Hey, Tom, if you could get some of those account reviews done by Thursday, that’d be great.”
Sometimes, to sound “nice”, we make requests like the one above. Casual (that’s a good thing), general (bad thing), with a deadline (good thing), but without a specific request (bad thing) or way to measure (very bad thing).
The result can descend into Read the rest of this entry »
Most Discussed – Top Five + One
These are the posts that have gotten the most comments over the last year. Please Read the rest of this entry »
Behavior and Feedback – Top Five + One
Several posts have had a focus on behavior and giving frequent specific feedback.
These things are among the wisest a leader can do, and yet Read the rest of this entry »
Communication – Top Five + One
Communication solves problems; lack of communication causes problems.
Communication is arguably the most critical skill we need to survive in the world, and leaders must master it.
Here are five Read the rest of this entry »
What three things make the biggest difference? (part three)
This week, we look at the third concept of “the big three.”
This is not new ground for this blog, and I’d encourage you to check out related posts:
Effective Feedback is About the Future
Leaders Model the Behavior they Expect
Attitude is not everything. Listen to Batman and focus on behavior…
What’s the Magic trick used to control Disney guests?
When addressing anything, be specific. Most importantly, make it be about the behavior, and the outcome.
The outcome is important because Read the rest of this entry »
Effective Leaders Stand Out (part two)
Last week, we covered the first four of nine simple things that an aspiring leader can do in order to stand out. Here are five more – I’m anxious for your opinions!
1) Whenever possible, Read the rest of this entry »
Effective Leaders Stand Out (part one)
In preparation for a breakout session at an upcoming conference, I developed a list of ten things a leader can do to stand out and get noticed. Not in a “look at me!” kind of way, but in a way that will help the leader connect more to others, and to enable others to connect as well.
While all ten pointers are applicable to all potential leaders, there are four that newer, more fast-paced leaders, might relate to more than the experienced. So, those four this week, the rest next week. Here we go: Read the rest of this entry »
Effective Feedback is About the Future
The title is lifted verbatim from the tenets of Manager Tools, and the brilliant minds of Mark Horstman and Michael Auzenne. I encourage you to go to the source if you want to go deeper.
But the short version is this:
Any feedback on any behavior is most helpful to the individual and the organization if it is Read the rest of this entry »
Things successful leaders avoid saying (part 3)
Don’t say don’t.
Really. Two reasons- one is pretty esoteric and provokes skepticism in me, but the second is nearly self-evident:
1) Some research shows that Read the rest of this entry »
Nervous about speaking in front of others?
Not all leaders love to speak in public. Here are five quick tips to soothe your nerves, and two book recommendations.
Two tips that take no time at all, but make a huge difference in the confidence you project and in your effectiveness: Read the rest of this entry »
