While working on his masterpiece Ulysses, the novelist James Joyce ran into a friend who asked him how the writing was going. Joyce responded that he’d been working all day and had produced only 2 sentences. The friend asked, “You have been seeking the right words?” “No,” said Joyce. “I have the words already. What [...]
Words can clarify or confuse. A favorite pastime of mine is to watch politicians or corporate CEOs squirm when asked straightforward questions on sensitive issues. Accountability can be tough; the language of leadership is not for the faint-hearted. Here are some of the top code lines that contribute to the growing cynicism in today’s workplace: [...]
“No news is good news.” You’ve heard the cliché for years, but I beg to differ. “No news is NOT good news where customers are concerned. It reflects lousy follow-up. Case in point: We had been waiting on end-of-year tax documents for various entities so that our CPA firm could file income tax returns. All [...]
Stop. Think. Three more people lost their lives on Monday and more than 170 others were maimed through another senseless act of violence. Those at the scene yesterday rushed to render aid—to apply tourniquets, to carry people to triage tents, to whisk them away to cover. So how do you communicate caring the day after? [...]
Many times I’ve felt the urge to give a salesperson a piece of my mind after some obnoxious communication habit, insensitive comment, or ineffective process. But then I need my mind—all of it—so I typically refrain. But the high performers stand out from the crowd because they’ve mastered “the little things” that the bottom-half on [...]
“I LOVE ice cream.” “No, you don’t,” Mrs. McGowen, my 5th grade English teacher insisted. “You LIKE ice cream. You LOVE people.” Okay, if she insisted. I’d tone down the tenor for my essays, but I was determined to remain the expert on my feelings. So how do you know when someone else presents their [...]
If someone does not understand your instructions, don’t assume a patronizing or irritated tone and repeat the same words: “As I told you earlier, the equipment needs to be cleaned thoroughly.” If you “told him earlier,” don’t tell him again in the same words. Assume that the question is a good indication that the follower [...]
“…Conscious ignorance is the prelude to every real advance in science,” insisted physicist James Clerk Maxwell. At a time when there was no comprehensive theory of electricity and magnetism, Maxwell pointed the way to existence of the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, stating his new concept this way: Energies reside in fields as well as bodies. [...]
“If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you know I don’t often run guest columns. But the following guest blog by Jessica Sanders presents an argument for leaders communicating with specificity—with the numbers.” As a leader, it’s imperative that you are able to properly communicate with your team at all times. While annual employee [...]
A new year means new budgets for your clients and prospects and new opportunities to propose your services and products. You may find yourself offering a proposal in one of two situations: 1) You send an unsolicited proposal to persuade the reader he or she needs your product or service; or 2) The reader is [...]
