Early in my corporate career a tragedy occurred. An intern was brutally murdered. The victim of a hate crime — gay bashing. I will never forget this shocking, sad, event.
The impact on me was also astonishing, particularly with hindsight.
I had been called to my boss’s office and told the horrific news. He then informed me, “I want you to handle this and speak with the Junior staff.” Before I could even consider the magnitude of the order or admit my ineptitude for such a role, I found myself walking into a room to face six interns who I now had to tell what had happen to their friend and try to support them. You can only imagine their shock, grief, and anger. We must have talked for hours. [Read more…]
We’ve all faced it with employees, colleagues, our friends, or kids — solving a problem or introducing a new idea people hate, or there resist.
Brainstorming, bullpens, open door policies, team white boarding, group think — behaviors and beliefs held in high esteem and ever-present in today’s workplace. However, are they effective in generating great ideas? Two, eight, twenty people with hundreds of ideas are better than one. Right? Maybe not. Do introverts know something extroverts don’t? 
End of year is performance review time. The process can take months but the actual delivery is often swift and blunt. What happens when the news is negative, a poor performance review, or not what you expected?
When I was a senior leader, I was fond of saying to my direct reports and their staff, “They don’t pay me to hear good news, tell me what’s wrong.” I expected, in fact encouraged, people to tell me what was deficient, complain about workplace issues, not only so I could addressed it, also because I didn’t want to hear it first from my boss. 
Often when I facilitate a team-coaching program, the first thing I request of participants is “Tell us about the best team you were ever a part of.” Many will name sports teams from when they were young. Some remember, fondly, being part of a group who was either supporting or opposing a cause. Rarely, 
Because I am an executive coach with clients in a large metropolitan area, who also has coaching clients throughout the United States and abroad, I have the opportunity to meet and work with a variety of very creative people.
I recently spoke to a group of about ten dynamic women who were brought together by a colleague, so they could network and support one another. Regardless of what the invite might have called them, this was the beginning of a Mastermind Group. I strongly encouraged them to commit to the process, relating my own positive networking experiences having been a longtime member of a Mastermind Group. 
Management skills are something most of us were never taught (at least at a practical level) but learned on the fly and often through trial and error. Here are a few of the most common mistakes managers make at all levels.
Whether you work for a large company, firm, not for profit, or yourself, you probably have to make presentations now and then. It can be to a room of a thousand, a small group of colleagues, or one on one with a potential customer. In any case, your goals are often the same — disseminate information and get buy-in.