Team Building

Team Building consists of marrying shared language and shared experiences into the formulation of shared goals.

November 8, 2017

Be an Agent of Change. The Worse It Is, The More Impact You Can Make.

I was speaking earlier today to a former colleague. She recently joined a company with a prestigious name, yet her particular work environment is less than motivating. She is exposed to what sounds to me like serious dysfunction in mid-level management while her immediate subordinates have developed a low-standard mindset. She can […]
October 9, 2017

Philosopher or Farmer

“What does his dad do?” or “What does your husband do?” are common initial questions you might ask a son about a friend or a neighbor about her husband. Some folks disguise the intent more gracefully but just about everyone seems to search for this critical data point when discussing […]
June 27, 2017

Effective Leadership Can Dress in Many Outfits.

A great manager must eventually choose a philosophy. Core elements for the boss holding a stick approach will vary from the fellow dangling a carrot. For control freaks, the difference between filter and bottleneck can be hard to distinguish. Type A’s can be recognized by their self-assuredness; a blessing albeit […]
June 6, 2017

Who Is Your Team’s Designated Drinker?

Send a youth sports team to an out-of-town tournament and what happens? Maybe some stuff you don’t want to know, but among other things you have a better team coming home than the one the parents waved goodbye to. Better in terms of teamwork, better in terms of relationships, better […]
May 9, 2017

It is Hard to Be Negative When You Are Being Useful.

I did not develop this opinion from statistical analyses or formal education. If pushed, I would have little beyond anecdotal vignettes to support a contention that it is hard to be negative when you are being useful. Yet I am confident in believing just that. That productive people are typically […]
April 13, 2017

Starting a New Job, with Staff Reporting to You?

Is there EVER a time when your team is more acutely listening to you than the first time you meet them? I suspect not. Don’t waste this chance. Don’t wing the introductory meeting. Have a plan. Sincerity is crucial. Tell your team what your goals are in this job. Not […]
April 6, 2017

Endurance is the First Virtue of a Soldier

“Endurance is the First Virtue of a Soldier. “ “Valor is only second”. A Napoleon quote, and it acts as the backdrop to my theme today. Work ethic, that tenacity for acting now, is a wonderful virtue. If married with a great attitude, a world class work ethic can and […]
March 14, 2017

Everyone Stands at the Front of the Room

With March Madness upon us, I’ll use the event to outline several key, if disparate, elements which I hope are useful in their application to your team. Everyone Matters There cannot be anyone on the team who does not feel their efforts contribute toward the team’s goal(s). Everyone has to […]
February 24, 2017

Goals are Like Rainbows; They Escape You Quickly

This is the theme for an upcoming retreat I have planned for a group of middle managers. We will review 10 tactics for managers. It is hard to do justice in a couple sentences, but here you go: They that cannot govern themselves cannot govern others. You cannot insist upon […]
December 7, 2016

3 Clever and Ravenous Interview Tips

I’ll outline 3 clever and ravenous interview tips. I’ll get to them tout de suite, but first let me alert you they are not designed to keep you out of HR jail. This does not proscribe a process to ace a HIPPA audit or to diminish disparate impact. These steps […]