I recently posted a blog entitled “The Two Most Difficult Words in the English Language: I’m Sorry.” In these times in which we live – a sad loss of civility in the public square – two more difficult words in the English language are “thank-you.” As with “I’m sorry,” “thank you,” when sincerely given is both powerful and motivating.
In a September 2016 Forbes magazine article, an internationally known recruiter (Jorgen Sundberg) was quoted as saying that the cost of onboarding an employee is $240,000.00, while the Department of Labor indicated that the cost of a bad hire was 30% of her or his annual wages. The article went on to state “While the…
In the world of leadership, two skills stand out as particularly vital yet challenging to master: effectively managing workplace conflict and communicating with…
A good facilitator makes it look easy-breezy, which is part of the magic. If the facilitator has accomplished this feat, then she is good! When one goes and graduates from “facilitator training school,” as I have, the first lesson is that “it takes twice as long to prepare, as it does to deliver.” Fortunately, over time and with practice, the preparation time is cut down considerably.
“It’s not if we make mistakes; rather, how we handle them,” to (not very humbly) quote myself. Lessons I’ve Learned Over the Years: When I goof, saying “I’m sorry” stands alone, and is powerful. Providing an explanation serves to dilute the apology, and often reads as an excuse, a la, “Sorry I’m late; I ran…
For practitioners of organizational development, there are two schools of thought when it comes to handling conflict. Some advocate conflict resolution, while others subscribe to conflict management. Ponder the difference between the notion of conflict resolution and that of conflict management. Conflict resolution means that a conflict is
Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, which once again causes me to evoke the late, great Leonard Cohen’s lyrics, “who knows where the time goes?” And, for those of us who live in (so-called) sunny southern California, the normal gray May, has slipped into June gloom, in preparation, no doubt, for another record-breaking…
Harvard research found that 70% of meetings keep employees from doing productive work. The same study also shows that cutting back meetings by 40% increases productivity by 70%, with a corresponding increase in employee satisfaction by 52%. WOW.
With all of those statistics, why so many meetings?
One might ask what “The No Surprises Rule,” and “The Power of Apology,” have in common. The unifying thread is yours truly – the author of this post. When I begin a series of leadership facilitations, I typically say “I made a lot of mistakes as an employee, a supervisor, and leader; the good news…
Like most things in life, the advent and proliferation of the Internet has been good, and not-so-good. With access to the world at our fingertips, the ability to stay in touch with loved ones from afar, and, the convenience to purchase our daily needs online (for prompt delivery), these and other Internet-based activities have all added to the betterment of our lives.