Blog
10 Counterintuitive Strategies To Problem-Solving
Sheila had 15 days to meet a deadline. The project was on target until an unexpected problem arose. When she first heard the news, all she could focus on was the obstacle and not meeting the deadline. Things changed once she tried an approach that was counterintuitive to her driven...
How To Address Substance Abuse In The Workplace
We’ve all been there. In conversations with employees who deny, minimize, or blame others for their actions. In the case of substance use, you may even have tangible evidence to support your reasonable suspicion of drug/alcohol use and the employee is still taking you in circles. By the end, you...
Choose Your Mindset Before Addressing Employee Behavior
Jeremy has consistently been late for work and his demeanor has increasingly become more irritable and unpredictable. When he first started with your company two years ago, he was positive, conscientious, and could be counted on as a contributing team member. Now he is unreliable and both his performance and...
5 Signs You Are A Controller …
This blog is the second of a multi-blog series addressing how events during family upbringing affect your conflict pattern and business relationships. 5 Signs You Are A Controller ... 1. My way or the highway You have a vision of how things should be done and...
4 Risks of Taking a Stand with an Abrasive Boss
Diane had it. For almost two years she had worked evenings and week-ends to take the company sales to a higher level. The company's annual revenue had grown 11% since she had joined the organization. Since the beginning of her employment she remained open and respectful when she received critical...
Deliberate Practice: The Key To Building Your Expertise
As a child my mother wanted me to take piano lessons. I wasn’t crazy about the idea but I didn’t have a choice, both my sister and I were expected to take lessons. As with learning any new skill, taking the lesson is one thing, practicing so the lesson sinks...
A Ritual for the Holidays
Ask these 3 questions at your holiday gatherings Rituals. They are the practices that we have as part of holidays that give us comfort and stability. Rituals can be special foods, practices, or most simply "just how things are done" that provide meaning and significance. In the workplace, rituals such...
How To Build Inner Resources, Resolve, and Resiliency
What inner resources help you cope with demands, distractions, and disappointments? "We are expected to do more in less time" "Leadership doesn't get how unrealistic their demands are." "I hold everything inside - I don't sleep, I am depressed" "We are constantly on - even on sick days and vacation,...
10 Questions to Move from Avoidance to Intervention
"Depending on who Margie is talking to, she is friendly and helpful. To some of us, she yells and speaks down to us when we ask her a question. Sometimes she even throws darts at the door after people leave her office. From day to day, you never know what...
You Can Lead A Horse To Water…
This is a four part series of blogs addressing the question "Can Abrasive Employees Really Change?". Part I addressed the importance of the managers working through their own anxiety before intervening with the abrasive employee. Part II outlined key elements of a proven change process. Part III discussed accountability as...