My friend has been trying hard to fit in at his company. Like all of us, he carries insecurity and tries hard to say and do the right things. So he was excited to join the recent team diversity and inclusion training day. Here’s a chance to connect authentically with other team members, he thought.
Chances are, your email owns you. It’s open on your computer as you read this, or it’s an app away on your device. Your inbox is an endless fountain of opportunity—and challenge. Because it doesn’t matter whether you fight to control it or resign to the flood; either way it owns you. Its constant flow
Recently we made the difficult choice to terminate a team member because she wasn’t producing sufficient results. The measures were clear, but the decision wasn’t. She is a person of integrity, professionalism, courage, compassion…and I could go on. We wanted to keep her on for her intrinsic value, but the numbers weren’t working out. For
I have a confession that hurts to write: I don’t have much appreciation for people who aren’t useful to me. When someone works hard and improves their results over time, I’m invested in the relationship. When they aren’t demonstrating the activity I expect, I distance myself from them and consider ways to “fix” the situation.
The CEO of a consulting firm asked me how our company has landed among the “Best Places to Work” for the past five consecutive years. After considering a number of factors that drive employee engagement, I told him, “One-on-ones.” “Oh yes,” he said. “We do those, too.” So then I described what one-on-ones are like
You have someone on your team who is checked out. He might be smiling, putting in his required hours and keeping busy, but his heart isn’t into it. He’s going through the motions. When this happens, studies show it’s likely due to one or more fundamental issues: The person has lost pride in the organization,
Last week, I introduced a four-step process for growth that I’ve seen work effectively in a variety of situations. But I realize taking the steps is often easier said than done, particularly when big obstacles stand in your way. That was the situation Beau Garrett faced four years ago. He’d just taken on the role
Life is about growth, whether you’re running a company, yourself or your family. If you’re not growing you’re either stagnating or falling behind. While it’s possible for growth to happen organically, it’s not something you can or should depend on. Positive growth—growth that leads to value—takes conscious effort. So how do you do it? To
We talk a lot about employee engagement and its connection to organizational results. And substantial research shows that employees are more engaged when they feel valued by their supervisor, senior leaders and company culture. But does it matter if our vendors are engaged? Will it affect their productivity and commitment if they feel valued? Peder
It vexes us all: that never-ending, un-prioritized barrage of messages—from spam to strategy, trivial to tragedy. Since nearly every coaching session I conduct makes its way to the problem of email, I decided to interview Nate Whittier, a good friend and the best industrial psychologist I know, to learn how we might manage email more
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE