“Wait…You’re leaving, too?” I still remember how surprised my coworker and I were to discover that we were both leaving the company within days of each other. And without ever having talked about it. Years later, I’ve met many friends who have been on both sides of employee turnover waves. I’ve learned they’re always challenging […]
Uh oh. What’s Plan B? When a crisis hits, it can leave many leaders in a panic. What do you do when you face any of these situations: A major product launch fails The year ends way below your sales goals A recession hits the economy, freezing many of your customer’s budgets That next round […]
“I’m leaving. My last day is next Friday.” I still remfember the surprise when one of my old coworkers announced that to the company. He was one of the longest-tenured members of the team and seemed content on the job. Little did I know he had a number of motivations for wanting to make a […]
In their “The State of the American Manager” study, Gallup found that half (50%) of all Americans have left a job to “get away from their manager at some point in their career.” We’ve said it before, but it begs repeating: employees leave managers, not companies. And a bad manager can make employees leave in […]
Giving effective praise is one of the most underrated, yet crucial, parts of managing a team. It can dramatically change how your team members feel and the caliber of work they produce. Research reported on Harvard Business Review shows that teams that are praised most outperformed those praised less across key criteria like financial performance, […]
It’s mid afternoon. Thomas walks up to you and says, “Can we talk for a minute?” Surprised, you invite them in to talk. Your mind starts running through the possible things they could want to discuss. You hope it’s just an innocent question as you have that meeting in 15 minutes. As your mind races, […]
What makes an effective leader? Typical answers include: a high IQ, a “hustle” attitude, and a big personality. But today, many experts are embracing another answer: high emotional intelligence. The concept of emotional intelligence or the emotional quotient (EQ) is relatively new. But, it’s the skill separating an average manager from an effective leader that […]
Learned helplessness. What comes to mind when you hear that phrase? Probably nothing good. The phrase comes from studies by psychology researcher Martin Seligman. His studies showed that animals (including humans) were susceptible to giving up all hope when put in an environment where negative outcomes were beyond their control. Electric shocks and losing hope. […]
“Ugh…I should have never taken this job.” No one wants that feeling, but it happens all too often. You had high hopes when you interviewed and then accepted your job, but now it’s proving to be miserable. When you take a job, you’re unfortunately locked in. While the company can generally fire or lay you […]
Ah, the holidays are here and in full swing. Christmas and Hanukkah are here for many people (and a week or two away in the Orthodox Christian world), and New Years fast approaches as well. If you’re a good leader, now is a time to appreciate your team and give thanks for all that you’ve […]
