eNewsletters

In Search of Sensitivity

Recently, the story about Dallas cop, Robert Powell, detaining Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats and his family during a life and death situation left viewers outraged. Powell’s cruiser dash cam showed the officer chastising Moats for running a red light as he raced to the hospital to see his dying mother-in-law. He also ignored pleas from the NFL player and others that the woman was only minutes from death, and generally wasted time while Moats’ mother-in-law took her last precious breaths. No one could dispute the insensitivity of the officer—not even the officer himself—when the video is viewed in its entirety.

When you check out the nearly 13-minute exchange on video, you’ll probably exclaim, “No, I’d never do that to anyone.” But it happens more than we’re willing to admit. Here are three ways we can all slip into insensitivity. [more]

GOAL SETTING: 3 Ways to Make Goals Work

You’ve most likely set goals for yourself or your team for 2009. Are you on target to reach them? How do you know? Oftentimes we drift with no specific path in mind about how we are going to reach our destination. We imagine ourselves in a particular place, and we feel momentary excitement about how things could be. It’s a dream. Yet a goal without a plan will not become much more than a dream, unless... [more]

COMMUNICATION: Speaking Positively in a Negative Climate

Massive layoffs. Cutbacks. Budget constraints. Plummeting stocks. Bankruptcies. Store closings. Huge business and personal losses. You hate to ask, but “Can it get any worse?” Well according to economists and the President, yes it can! So how do we put everything into proper perspective for ourselves and the people we lead?

It starts with what you say. Here are three ways you can speak positively in a climate that has become increasingly negative and dire. [more]

ETHICS: Three Ways to Regain & Retain Trust as Leaders

Theft. Adultery. Bribery. Lies. Greed. Arrogance. All the ingredients of a trashy novel or a Lifetime movie, right? Actually, all of this chicanery and selfishness occurred in a single year by top executives of notable companies and some not-so notable political figures who all managed to get caught.

The common thread that caused these leaders to fail in their valuable and highly-regarded positions was a lack of ethics. They forgot who they were serving and that their positions required that they serve others—not themselves. [more]

CAUTION: Stressful Days Ahead

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” The recording of this whimsical holiday song back in 1963 suggested that all is bliss as the year closes. It’s a feel-good song.

But the reality is—we’re not feeling so good these days. We are losing hair, sleep, and patience because we are exhausted from the mad year-end rush.

This year poses special challenges for many of us with all of the worrisome negative economic news. Lay-offs, shortened workdays, no bonuses, less pay—they make the season less bright. The most wonderful time of the year is losing its luster.

For those of you who are tired of fretting and feeling it physically, here are three constructive things you can do to restore your emotional, mental, and ultimately, your physical health. [more]

CHANGE MANAGEMENT: How to Prepare for a Challenging Future

Our country is in flux. How many times lately have we heard the pundits say things like: “unprecedented”, “never before in history”, “not since the Great Depression”, “recession”, “collapse”, “meltdown” and all sorts of other alarming words and phrases.

Despite the bleak current circumstances in our country and even globally, we are not pulling out our hair (yet) or jumping from buildings. We are, however, feeling pressure, stress, and frustration over what is a continuous downward spiral in our economy. So what do we do? How do we trudge through this time of uncertainty and anxiety? Here are three thoughtful steps to not only stay afloat through these tumultuous tides, but to rescue ourselves and take refuge on higher ground. [more]

LEADERSHIP... from Behind

A recent issue of TIME magazine focused on Nelson Mandela’s 8 Lessons of Leadership while trumpeting his 90th birthday. Of those eight, one stood out for me when I consider all of the people I train in the area of leadership. So many tend to ask me about how to coax their direct reports into doing the things they need to get done. They don’t seem engaged in the work they do, and if they actually get around to doing what’s required, it’s done with a minimum amount of effort. Got anybody like that in your group? Nelson Mandela makes a great point when he references his childhood and the summer days herding cattle to explain his third lesson of leadership...[more]

CONFLICT RESOLUTION: Five Steps to Confrontation

Recently, a story made headlines about a 25-year-old man at a western Kentucky manufacturing plant who had a disagreement with his supervisor and killed him. Moreover, he shot and killed three other workers and himself. How could a confrontation about using a cell phone on the job and not wearing safety goggles spiral into a shooting spree? What had driven the young man to a state of mind that said death and murder were the only two options out of a disagreement? [more]

PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE: Know It or Blow It!

Summer has made a hasty arrival; and for most parents, the question of what to do with the kids during summer vacation has also arrived. As a working mother, I find myself searching at this late date for a summer camp in which to enroll my seven-year-old. I recently visited a community center that showed some promise. The place was nice. Tucked away in a quiet location, it looked friendly and safe. As I stood in the spacious lobby, I noticed that a diverse group of people used the facility—kids, teens, young adults, and seniors. I liked it right away. This encounter looked promising, and I was fully prepared to complete an application and pay my deposit. But then the deal breaker occurred. [more]

TIME MANAGEMENT: Three Hazards of Multitasking

In a study conducted by the University of California at Irvine, 36 IT office workers at an investment firm were tracked over the course of a day. Their every move was documented minute by minute. The researchers found that the employees devoted an average of only eleven minutes to a project before they were distracted by the chime of an e-mail, the ringing of a telephone or a knock on the cubicle. Once they were interrupted, it took on average 25 minutes to return to the original task - if they managed to do so at all that day. Astoundingly, the workers in the study were juggling an average of 12 projects apiece. A research firm in New York City calculated how much these interruptions cost the U.S. economy. The figure is astounding. [more]

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: Five Ways to Keep It All Together

The responsibilities of family and work become the pressures of family and work when not managed properly. We are often overwhelmed by trying to divide ourselves between the two most important areas of our lives. It’s a tough juggling act, and men and women handle it differently. There are at least five important things to consider in making it all work out. [more]

CHANGE MANAGEMENT: 3 Reasons to Embrace Change

How many times have you heard someone say, “Well that’s not the way we used to do it?” Or, “We’ve always done it this way.” Or my all time favorite, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” These are common comments that come with the advent of new ideas or new leadership in almost any organization. The simple fact that something new is being suggested in a company, on a committee, or as part of a project sends currents of dread through the minds of those who tend to resist change. [more]

STRATEGIC THINKING: Back inside the box

According to current research and a November article in The Wall Street Journal, thinking "outside the box" may not be the best way to foster creativity and innovation anymore. "Very few people are good at developing ideas without receiving guidance and boundaries," claim Harvard University researchers who studied workplace creativity. Here's an example... What do Rollerblades, Häagen-Dazs ice cream, and Spider-Man movies have in common? These researchers claim that, "The answer is they are all based on the same business concept. In each case, a firm has taken something children love and..." [more]

HIRING: 20 Questions to Ask

Finding good talent these days is a real challenge. We don’t want to see openings in our companies because we know it’s going to be a chore to fill them. We prefer to keep people on the job as long as we can because it’s simpler and more productive.Choosing the right person in the first place can help eliminate this waste of time and resources. The way we do this is by asking the right questions in the interview. Here are 20 questions gleaned from some of my training classes. [more]

CUSTOMER SERVICE: Three Simple Steps to Excellence

Customer service in America is becoming as extinct as dinosaurs. Somehow showing appreciation for the people who have chosen to spend their hard-earned dollars with a business is no longer preached or practiced. If it is preached, no one’s listening to the sermon because I can relay at least three occasions in the past week where I was virtually ignored or flat out disrespected by customer service representatives. So how do we do a better job of it? Let me share at least three simple actions that will take you higher. [more]

TIME MANAGEMENT: Beware the Time Buster

After a hectic morning of getting the kids to school and scurrying to a meeting more than an hour away from home, I was greeted by my 8:30 appointment with, “I’m sorry, but we’re not going to be able to do this today. We had a cridasis come up with a customer, and today’s just not a good day.” I had set aside four hours for this appointment. Unless this “crisis” came up just five minutes before I walked in, I’m sure he had ample time to call me and cancel before I jumped through a bunch of hoops to get there on time. My entire morning was swirling around a toilet bowl for time busters, rapidly flushing away. [more]

DIVERSITY: "No, I'm the Other Black Woman"

I recently attended an international meeting for business owners in my industry...as diverse as the group was as a whole, the largest contingency which hailed from the USA was experiencing a severe drought in minorities in its sea of white faces. [more]

COMMUNICATION: It’s what you say and how you say it

You may have heard recent news reports and tapes about a woman who lay dying in a hospital emergency room due to negligence on the part of the hospital staff... [more]

Training and Development Has Become an Essential and Integral Part of Good Business Practices

Ask a company executive or owner how managers are chosen in his organization, and you’re likely to hear: “Usually it’s because... [more]

More Organizations View Training as Key Component to Long Term Success

Economic growth, new governmental regulations, and the challenges of an aging workforce have made learning and development a strategic business function. More organizations are viewing training as... [more]

Sales Training In Hot Demand

The year of 2006 was a year of growth for the training industry. Many organizations reported healthy increases in their training budgets. Companies invested on average $1,273 per learner on training, including... [more]