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November 8, 2012
Can You Teach an Old Dog New Tricks?
Six preferred learning styles for adults-Adapt your message for a better response.
By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions
It’s been said that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks (I can say that because I’d qualify as an “old dog”). There would be a true statement if it were slightly modified to read, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks the same way that you’d teach a puppy.”
That’s because adults do not learn the same way that children do. Children are like sponges, soaking up...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Communication Skills on November 8, 2012
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October 15, 2012
Political Advice for Project Managers: Navigating Office Politics
Four Tips to Achieve Your Goals & Overcome Workplace Opposition
By Ron Montgomery, Management Consultant & Owner, OnPoint, LLC
Project managers go through extensive professional development to prepare for the job. They study scheduling, budgeting, team dynamics, communication, and change management among other subjects. Conspicuously absent from the typical project management syllabus is the study of company politics. This is unfortunate because projects are to great extent political activities.
Why are they political...Continue reading
By Ron MontgomeryPosted in Project & Process Management on October 15, 2012
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October 4, 2012
A Model for Active Listening: Master a Skill That Can Boost Your Career
How well do you process what's being heard?
By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions
Research by Korn Ferry International reveals that there is one competency that may be more important than any other in the workplace. That competency, active listening, rises to the top of the list because it is a “compensator” for other competencies. As a compensator, active listening can neutralize the negative effects of a gap.
In other words, while an individual is working to master other competencies or when he or she...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Communication Skills on October 4, 2012
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September 13, 2012
Communication Essentials For Executives and General Managers
Are you an Effective Communicator (Leader)?
Leading others is a great responsibility because your entire organization is waiting to hear what you have to say so they can act in accordance with your direction. Success or failure is based on two basic criteria: The viability of your strategy, and your ability to communicate effectively. Effective Communication means your message must resonate, must be understood, must be continuous, and must fully disseminate through all levels of the organization in order for everyone to take part and...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on September 13, 2012
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August 6, 2012
Communication Guidelines for New Graduates and Their Employers
What can you & your manager do to start things off right?
…You are fresh out of college; you made it through the interview process and got your first break into the workforce. You want to do great things and believe you have a lot to offer.
…As an employer you have given this recent graduate their first break, an opportunity to get started in their career, to learn, and grow.
What can you both do to start things off right? What are some things to consider when getting familiar with one another?
Generational gaps...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in New Employee, Promotion on August 6, 2012
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August 2, 2012
Ten Tips to Get Good at Communicating Bad News
Do you avoid communicating bad news?
As managers, and leaders, we anticipate challenges, take on responsibility and drive results. Our ability to communicate well gives us an advantage when motivating, providing direction and giving feedback, however, no matter how good you are at communicating, nobody likes to communicate bad news. We all dread reporting poor results, pointing out mistakes and letting employees go…. but, it is an important part of the job; better to do it well than to avoid doing it at all.
Here...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Communication Skills on August 2, 2012
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July 31, 2012
Dealing With Workplace Bullies: Seven Actions to Protect Yourself AND Others
What can you do to protect yourself, and others, from being bullied at work?
We all deal with different, and sometimes difficult, personalities at work. But what do you do if the personality is a bully? If you have ever encountered someone who berates you, deliberately excludes you from information, sets you up for failure, mocks you, points out your flaws in public, creates rumors about you at work, or any other deliberate act of negativity toward you…know you are not alone. Unfortunately, most of us will face at least one workplace bully directed toward...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Communication Skills on July 31, 2012
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July 4, 2012
Dealing with difficult personalities at work.
Learn to work with difficult personalities so they do not interfere with your job.
Learn to work with difficult personalities so they do not interfere with your job.
You will encounter many personalities in your career. Some of them are annoying, many inspirational. What I want to address here are the difficult personalities that can stand in your way of accomplishing great things. By understanding how to manage your way forward as you encounter them, you will grow professionally and possibly become an inspirational personality for them to learn...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Communication Skills on July 4, 2012
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June 26, 2012
Management Tactics to Improve Pro-Activity
How do you inspire your employees to do more?
You want your employees to move faster, do more, follow-up on opportunities and complete action items, but how can you inspire them to do it on their own? If you are tired of getting month end reports without any substance and want your employees to generate results on a daily basis, here is an essential management tactic you can use to improve your employee’s pro-activity.
Get ready for it….it is shockingly simple…your commitment to it is the only thing necessary to...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Management on June 26, 2012
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June 20, 2012
Four Steps to Influence Your Boss’s Decisions
What should you do if you boss is your biggest roadblock?
Do you work for someone that does not like change, they don’t want to improve things, or they prefer the status quo to avoid putting themselves at risk of making mistakes? What if you have ideas to improve your business but you can’t get them past your boss? What if your boss’s practices are preventing growth and inadvertently hurting the company…do you say something to them? Do you go above them to be heard? This is a common dilemma that many of us will...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Communication Skills on June 20, 2012
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