Blog
During Conflict, Do you Give Away Your Power?
Jeremiah could feel the stress building. For months I'd been listening to my boss's ranting about some production issue that hadn't gone as planned. I felt responsible as a leader and was genuinely trying to do a good job. I wanted to defend myself and explain my attempt to solve...
A leader’s Gift of Second Chances to Inmates
Tom would be the first to admit he wasn’t always comfortable with conflict. In fact, he used to avoid it at all costs thinking that all conflict was bad. So, when he pitched the idea to his senior leadership team about hiring inmates to work at the company’s manufacturing facility, it...
Does your Staff Meeting Remind you of a Holiday Meal?
Imagine you have a team member, let’s call him Rob. He’s worked for your organization for years and knows your business inside out. At the same time, he has some rough edges. He has a short temper. If something doesn’t go his way, he can go from zero to ten...
A Boss’s Ripple Effect…on Employee Engagement
It’s the call no one wants to get. The call from a family member who tells you a loved one is severely ill. It was 2003 when I received that call on a brisk, cloudy October morning, shortly after I had arrived to work. My brother-in-law had been taken to...
A Boss’s Ripple Effect…on Employee Retention
I wish you could have been there, sitting in my office as a fly on the wall. You’d hear story after story of courageous people who want to make sense of difficulties in their lives in order to be their best in both their personal and professional lives. Before I...
A Boss’s Ripple Effect on Business Culture
Cheryl and her boss Dan were in a conversation about a project that needed to be accomplished. As the conversation was about to wrap up, Cheryl made a comment with an edgy tone that didn't directly address what she was upset about. Without skipping a beat, Dan calmly stood up,...
When Complainers Won’t Stop…
“Today we saved a life. We would have done the same for you.” During a recent international trip, the lead flight attendant made an announcement. “If there are any medical doctors on board, please go to the back of the main cabin.” When two doctors and one nurse anesthetist responded...
Get Your Own Kleenex
It was the mid 90's when I joined my first mastermind group. There were eight of us, all in different professions, who were in their first leadership roles. We grew to be a tight knit group as we mutually shared challenges in our jobs and searched for ideas on how...
Do the right thing, even when it's uncomfortable
On April 27th came another report of alleged sexual misconduct by a prominent media figure. This time it was Tom Brokaw. The allegations came one day after celebrity Bill Cosby was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault. Since April, 2017, 211 politicians, celebrities, CEO's, and others have...
7 Ways to be a Good Undercover Boss
In the popular TV reality show, Undercover Boss, a high-level executive uses a disguise and goes to work with front line employees. The executive is looking for inside information about the company culture, systems, and employee performance through first hand interactions with employees…anonymously. While undercover, many bosses face the struggles...