Keynote Speaker, Trainer Consultant
We all have times when we feel like we’re underwater—like we can’t catch up with all of our work responsibilities. That feeling can be especially strong in late autumn, when it’s magnified by “gotta get this done before the end of the year” pressure. Fortunately, there are plenty of great strategies that can help you […]
Today’s business leaders face the challenge of creating the future workplace. —Chess Media Group No matter how great its product or service is, a company can succeed only if it has good people. It may have solid funding and an innovative business plan, but without top-notch employees to produce, promote, and support its products, a […]
Workplace demographics have been undergoing dramatic change during the past several years and with the arrival of Gen Z, more and more organizations are looking for guidance on how to navigate those shifts. I wrote Clash of the Generations: Managing a New Workplace Reality in the hope that it would be a useful tool for […]
I think there is an enormous sea change happening in the global workforce. —Dan Gilroy, American filmmaker The long-heralded workforce of 2020 has arrived, which means that leaders now need to focus on preparing for workforce 2030 and what employment landscapes will look like in another decade. No one has a crystal ball that makes […]
Products are made in a factory, but brands are created in the mind. —Walter Landor; designer and pioneer of branding & consumer research techniques Through its brand, a company communicates who it is, what it stands for, the values it embraces, and how it expresses those values. One important goal of corporate branding is […]
Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you someone who had real positive influences in his or her life. I don’t care what you do for a living—if you do it well I’m sure there was someone cheering you on or showing the way. A mentor. — Denzel Washington Last month I wrote […]
The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves. —Ray Kroc, Grinding It Out When I first started managing employees (in the early 90s), my two top responsibilities were identifying potential roadblocks that would affect the schedule and providing financial oversight so we met budgetary restrictions. My project management skills […]
Every generation brings something new to the workplace. —Kathryn Minshew Born in 1997, the youngest members of Generation Z have recently begun entering the workforce. Although we don’t know yet exactly how big that generation will be (demographers haven’t yet established its endpoint), odds are good that it will wind up being a pretty […]
When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute. —Simon Sinek When you’re a manager, no matter what size your department is and how far removed you are from the CEO’s office, part of your job is to define the mission and goals of your […]
Chinese philosopher Xun Kuang, 3rd century BCE: Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I learn. Effective delegation can be one of the most difficult skills for managers to learn. On the typical promotion path, an individual contributor does such a great job that he or she is […]
Happy New Year, everyone! Borrowing the words of the author Neil Gaiman, I offer you this very sincere and most heartfelt wish for 2019: I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Now before you get annoyed at me, think about what that means. It’s great to strive to do your best, […]
Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up with more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough. —Oprah Winfrey One might argue that of course Oprah feels grateful, because she has everything and is now the wealthiest […]
The holidays stress people out so much. I suggest you keep it simple and try to have as much fun as you can. —Giada De Laurentiis Good advice Giada…. Regardless of which holidays you celebrate at this time of year (or if you celebrate none in particular), it’s hard not to get swept up in […]
These days it seems that every book, blog, or lecture that has anything to do with business mentions the importance of networking. And for good reason: a good network can help people get better (and more interesting) projects, opportunities, and even promotions.
Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means. ~ Ronald Reagan You come into work feeling rested and ready to hit it hard when lo and behold, you encounter one of every manager’s worst nightmares: infighting in your department. Or perhaps one of your employees is having […]
Conflict is drama, and how people deal with conflict shows you the kind of people they are. —Stephen Moyer When two or more people spend time together, they’re bound to come into conflict, and when happens, conflict resolution is in order. But even though conflict is a universal inevitability in the workplace, many managers don’t know […]
Employees don’t need to be best friends, but there does need to be a level of mutual respect and understanding. —Kathryn Minshew, cofounder and CEO of the Muse In the era of #MeToo, how employees interact with one another has come under greater scrutiny. And for good reason: one recent study by the Workplace Bullying […]
Great leaders often have assertive and confident personalities that heavily influence their interactions with others. Sometimes these “strong” personalities go hand in hand with similarly forceful management techniques that can squelch innovation and the effectiveness of your team, because when people are worried about disappointing (or even angering) a boss they see as very much […]
Onboarding is not a nice-to-have, but rather a need-to-have.” —Kevin Martin, research director at Human Capital Management I’m pretty sure that no one would argue with Kevin Martin’s statement about the importance of onboarding. One possible exception might be someone whose only experience with onboarding has been sitting through a long and incredibly boring program […]
“What you don’t do determines what you can do.” —Timothy Ferriss Never underestimate the power of saying no! At this point in your career, you’re probably heard a lot of advice about how to succeed in the business world. “Set goals!” “Be a team player!” “Challenge yourself!” These messages are driven home in team […]
