March 19, 2014

How to Deliver Bad News That Builds Trust & Confidence

3 Steps to Offer Feedforward vs Feedback

Remember the last time you hit your thumb with a hammer?  You didn’t think twice when you yelled and let the (expletive) words fly.  For a few moments you stopped thinking about the task at hand, caring who was within earshot and instinctively reacted, grabbing your thumb to stop the physical pain.   Your brain went into “survival mode” and reacted.  No thinking required.  If we had your brain hooked up to a fMRI (a technology used by neuroscientists to produce...Continue reading

By Christina HaxtonPosted in Management on March 19, 2014

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March 17, 2014

15 Things Your Boss Wishes You Knew About Being A First Time Manager

A Guide for First Time Managers & a Resource for Those That Lead Them

There is a lot to learn when becoming a manager for the first time.  If you are lucky, you will get ample training to get you up to speed on your company’s policies and procedures.  However, if you are like most first time managers, you will learn as you go.     To help you get ahead faster, here are 15 things your boss wishes you knew about being a first time manager.   15 Things Your Boss Wishes You Knew About Being A First Time Manager   1. Start...Continue reading

By Emilie ShoopPosted in Management on March 17, 2014

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March 13, 2014

To Engage Your Buyer, Sequence Your Questions Properly

15 Questions Sales Professionals Should Be Asking

Are your questions drawing your buyer closer to you or making your buyer back away from you? It may depend on the order in which you are asking questions. Adjusting the sequence of your questions can make a difference in how the buyer responds.    Early in a buyer/seller relationship, questions that seem sales-focused cause mistrust. A buyer recoils when questions seem to be some form of entrapment. By contrast, buyers open up and trust develops when a seller starts with buyer-focused...Continue reading

By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on March 13, 2014

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March 10, 2014

How to Achieve Audience Buy-In: Sell It!

Spend less time discussing the how to, & more time celebrating the what if!

Have you ever tried to pitch an idea? In public speaking we are often times trying to sell something, sell change, sell innovation...    Noteworthy speakers are able to engage the audience, inspire, and have a successful call to action. The challenge is how? When you're proposing a new model or process you don’t want to spend time outlining the steps that will be taken in your new world; for that you could put together a job aide or process map, hand it out, and take a seat. You're giving...Continue reading

By Lisa WoodsPosted in Professional Development on March 10, 2014

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March 5, 2014

Servant Leadership & The Agile Leadership Transformation

Do you Think Like a Servant Leader or Act Like The Smartest Guy in the Room?

Leaders in countless I.T. organizations see themselves as “the smartest person in the room.”  They solve problems that exceed the grasp of their direct reports.  They position themselves as decision-makers and information traffic cops.   They established their reputations for brilliance early in their careers and were promoted quickly because so many I.T. organizations value subject matter expertise over “soft skills” and promote people accordingly.     So...Continue reading

By Ron MontgomeryPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on March 5, 2014

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March 3, 2014

Two Surefire Ways to Bring Your Next Presentation to Life

Are your presentations boring?

For some reason, whenever we stand-up to make a presentation, many of us become our sternest selves. We’d be no more likely to break into a spontaneous smile than we would be to turn a quick pirouette. The same logic applies directly to the words being spoken from our unsmiling lips. Those words tend to be stripped-down minimal phrases. They are as focused as possible and as few as necessary, as we aim to deliver a professional business case.    I’m not sure exactly where it is...Continue reading

By Peter PaskalePosted in Communication Skills on March 3, 2014

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February 28, 2014

Leading in Chaos – Six Essentials to Stay Focused & Enable Success

VUCA: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, & Ambiguity – is the new normal.

Can you imagine anything more disconcerting than driving at 100 mph in a thick fog – with the radio blaring, cell phone ringing, and the kids in the back seat asking, “Are we there yet?”  Yet, isn’t that what it is like operating in business today?  The fog is thick, the pace is rapid, and the distractions are constant.  Where can business leaders find solutions to be able to navigate through this chaos and produce results in this very uncomfortable...Continue reading

By Karen KuhlaPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on February 28, 2014

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February 26, 2014

Time for a Tough Talk

Four Steps to Prepare For a Tough Conversation With Your Employee

Many leaders that I work with really want to focus on external activities.  Perfect planning.  Clear calendars.  Great goals.  It feels like you are getting a lot more done that way, right?   As a new leader, I would love it if you could avoid this trap.  Truly leading your team means that you are not just getting a bunch of work done, but there is harmony in your team.  Communication is clear.  Conflicts are constructive.  Engagement is high.   If you...Continue reading

By Emilie ShoopPosted in Management on February 26, 2014

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February 24, 2014

Dealing with People Not Like Us-It’s Difficult!

3 things to do differently to make progress with “difficult” people.

It seems to happen in a lot of workplaces. Someone is difficult. It can be a client, peer or (gulp) your boss.  Or it could be that incommunicative guy in the mailroom, the gossipy sales person, the surly receptionist or the aggressive fill-in-the-blank that puts a crimp in your day.   Might be that new Gen Y that asks too many questions, texts too much and talks too little. ENTITLEMENT! Could be the very direct Gen X who leaves the desk at 5 PM with work still to be done. UNCOMMITTED! ...Continue reading

By Sherri PetroPosted in Communication Skills on February 24, 2014

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February 21, 2014

Is Your Brand Geo-Smart?

Factor your Location into your Thought Leadership Strategy

Have you ever found similarities between the game of cricket and managing a multinational?    I have.   You see, in the game of cricket, unlike soccer and baseball, there are no specifications for the size or the shape of the field. Therefore each game presents a number of possible outcomes not only on the basis of team composition, but also where it is being played. For instance, most Cricket grounds in Australia are so large that getting boundaries is tough. Therefore they generally...Continue reading

By Karthik NagendraPosted in Marketing & Innovation on February 21, 2014

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