News & Tips
Why Motivation Doesn’t Last
No matter how long your tenure as a team leader has been, you’ve probably seen it. Motivation can fade. Individual employees who seemed so full of life and so engaged in the job eventually settle into rhythms and patterns and might even burn out. Teams that were formed with an inspiring mission...
Decision-Making for Leaders: Beyond Pros and Cons
You believe in the conclusion, and then you create supporting arguments.— Daniel Kahneman You weigh options based on the decision you’ve already made, while pretending to be open minded. Leaders make decisions and then find ways to look smart for making them. Problems: It helps to know the problem...
Working from Home? Top-Value Targets Like Company Executives and Directors Need a Cybersecurity Plan
Cyber criminals have long known that an effective way to breach a company’s security is to target its top-value personnel, including the board directors and senior executives who have unfettered access to the company’s most sensitive information. With the majority of company directors and officers...
5 Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic for Good
There’s a quiet battle raging within most entrepreneurs when it comes to self-esteem. It doesn’t matter how smart, attractive, or successful you are - when you lack confidence, you will be falling short of your own potential. When you finally learn to accept yourself as you are and stop comparing...
How to Stop Asking, “How are You?” and Create Real Conversation
Stop asking stupid questions like: How are you? How are you doing? How are you feeling? You already know how people are doing. The future feels like mushy spaghetti. Answers to, “How are you?” sound inane because they are. What’s worse than “Fine”? What if “How are you?” comes from your heart....
Bad Decisions Don’t Just Happen
A few years back, my team and I prepared for the launch of our new leadership product. We were excited. We even skipped a few key steps in our rush to market. We just knew we had something special. We messaged hundreds of thousands of people about the product, and when the launch was over, we’d...
One Thing Top Sales People Get Right (and How to Stop Talking So Much)
"Willy: I don't know why—I can't stop myself— I talk too much. A man oughta come in with a few words. Charlie's a man of few words, and they respect him. Linda: You don't talk too much, you're just lively." Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller We all have sympathy for poor Willy Loman in Death of...
Take Your Virtual Meetings to the Next Level
By now, you’ve mastered virtual meetings. Right? The technology is humming, and everyone has fallen into a comfortable rhythm. But could that be the problem? One of the dangers of remote meetings is the predictable nature that many of them take on. Standard agendas. A short slide presentation. A...
How Can I Make Sure My Team Meets Deadlines?
I get antsy when I haven't heard anything as a deadline nears. A reader asks: I manage a team of folks who often say they'll get something done, but then the deadline's in less than 48 hours and they have nothing sent to me yet (after an earlier reminder). How do I remind them to get things done...