In 2013, two infants died at my local hospital. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts did a thorough investigation into the causes of the deaths. They determined that communications within the hospital was a major factor. Specifically, the hospital’s culture had been hobbled with a “hint and hope” style of communication.You know hint and hope, don’t you? … Read more
Last Wednesday, I spent the day teaching and coaching a small group of insurance salespeople on their presentation skills. Like you and me, these salespeople want to be better at informing and influencing the people they work with. The best presenters and communicators make things look so easy. It’s as if they are just getting … Read more
To succeed, you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you. Tony Dorsett Inspiration. We all need a regular dose of it to flourish. As leaders, the people we lead feed off the energy that we put out: for better or worse. Emotions are contagious, and the … Read more
People don’t naturally embrace change, and for good reason: Change = Uncertainty = Fear People are used to the familiar. There’s a reason they call it “The Comfort Zone”. When you start forcing people away from the familiar, they can have a range of potential responses. Their reactions are influenced by your skill in leading … Read more
Do you have a blank wall somewhere at your office? Consider trying out this idea: Transform the blank wall into a Wall of Appreciation. It’s fairly common knowledge that being appreciated at work impacts a host of factors: retention, engagement, productivity and customer satisfaction. A few research examples: “The number-one reason most Americans leave their jobs is that … Read more
Do you have a blank wall somewhere at your office? Consider trying out this idea: Transform the blank wall into a Wall of Appreciation. It’s fairly common knowledge that being appreciated at work impacts a host of factors: retention, engagement, productivity and customer satisfaction. A few research examples: “The number-one reason most Americans leave their jobs is that … Read more
When’s the last time you were on your way to work and thought, “Today I want someone else’s life miserable!” Not likely. But maybe there’s someone at work (a boss, employee, vendor or customer) whose sole purpose on earth seems to be to make your life miserable.Just thinking about them can prompt a strong emotional … Read more
To lead and influence others, you need to communicate effectively. We explored this issue by first looking at Why Is Effective Communication So Difficult? The answer boils down to a lack of alignment between the three critical elements of communication: The earlier post shared the giant mistake communicators make: assuming that what you mean is what gets heard. Or, as … Read more
Let’s face it: as a leader and a communicator, you want to influence others.It’s hard to influence others if they don’t listen to you. Last week’s post asked Why Is Effective Communication So Difficult? The answer boils down to a lack of alignment between the three critical elements of communication:The post shared the giant mistake … Read more
Communication is critical to the success of any enterprise. Like the circulatory system of the body, it’s the connection between all the different parts of an organization. It the link between leaders and constituents, suppliers and distributors, employees and customers. In the same way that the circulatory system can become diseased (arteriosclerosis) and threaten the … Read more
