How Leaders Build Trust During Change

Today my wife and consultation business partner, Jocelyn, shares her thoughts on CHANGE as she waits to hear the surgical outcomes for our daughter. I’ve been privileged to sit in boardrooms with C-level (CEO, CFO, CIO) leaders as they discuss upcoming or ongoing changes. It’s our job to advise them on change communications and engagement…

Superstars & the Post-Crisis Crisis

The COVID-19 crisis won’t be resolved in a day. As more businesses reopen, owners and leaders may find that employees returned to work with some greater challenges than they had just a few months ago. Today, I want to address another issue you may face as the COVID-19 stay-at-home order is lifted and more employees…

Communication in Times of Change / Crisis

Even the best leaders and organizations struggle with communication. Add organizational change or a crisis, and matters get worse quickly. What do leaders need to do better when business as usual becomes anything but usual? [If you prefer learning via video instead of reading, watch below] I’ve coached executives and consulted with organizations on change…

Acquiescing: Buzzards Behaving Badly…

You’re going about your day, and someone responds negatively and forcefully to you when you haven’t done anything wrong that you’re aware of. Maybe you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.If you’re like most people, you apologize and backtrack as if you recognize the error of your way. And then later, it may occur to you, “Hey! What did I do? That person jumped down my throat for no good reason!”

The Lady in my Smart Phone has a Thing for Me…

Human evolution can’t keep pace with the evolution in technology. Humans appeared in the Stone Age 2.5 million years ago, and we still look and act pretty much the same. Contrast that to the telephone that, in less than 15o years, has gone from fixed, hard-wired devices requiring 1.5 billion miles of cable in the US alone to wireless, anywhere/anytime capabilities. Has the time come when technology can provide better leadership than humans?

I Captured Your King! Chef Nate!

The other day, four-year old Sierra watched as I played chess with Sascha, her seven-year old sister. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, it’s pathetic that I have to play chess with a seven-year old in order to find someone that I can beat. But she’s very good. She started chess lessons when she was…

Communication Breakdowns…and Patches

My teenage daughter told me about a friend of hers who broke up with her current boyfriend. Her friend, “Samantha”, wanted to let the boy down gently. So Samantha followed the breakup protocols for the tech-savvy generation. She whipped out her texting device. Samantha: i realy lik u as a frnd. i lik spdning time…

Aconversationalistsayswhat?

Merriam-Webster online says that a conversationalist is one who converses a great deal or who excels in conversation. Discount the first part of the statement. Someone who talks a lot (or a great deal) makes a dreadful conversationalist. So, then, what does it take to excel in conversation? What does it take to be considered…

The Best Communicators (Part 10)

What do the best communicators do better than good ones? 1.  They have credibility. If you had a million-dollar house, you wouldn’t use duct tape to attach your mailbox, would you?  The mailbox is the first thing that people see.  People wouldn’t see your house because they couldn’t stop seeing the duct tape. Likewise, a…