I’ll never forget feeling like an utter failure in my second real job. Since I had excelled in technology and process in my first real job, I thought this new role — which involved managing the development of a customer-facing website — would play to my strengths. But the job turned out to be much
A year and a half ago, three people presented our team with individual business opportunities. The first was to expand geographically. The second, to develop a new line of business. And the third was to target a new customer segment. Each opportunity, and the person presenting it, seemed like the right bet at the right
Got issues? I admit it: I have plenty. I tend to be overly anxious, obsessive compulsive, controlling, self-focused, too much of a people-pleaser and defensive when criticized. And that’s just for starters. It’s not only OK to own up to our issues, it’s important. Step four of Alcoholics Anonymous’ famous 12 steps refers to making
Mary manages a team of experienced people. Her philosophy: “I’m here to remove barriers —to jump in and support my team when they need it.” John works on the team reporting to Mary. He likes working for her because she is supportive, caring and knowledgeable. Mary steps in to help John solve problems, prioritize efforts
When U.S. economic leaders gathered in April 2000 to celebrate ten years of prosperity, Alan Greenspan announced that they had figured out the model for success. “I do not believe we can go wrong,” he said. Well, he was wrong. After that meeting, the economy was hit with two recessions, the largest financial crisis in
The past week brought communication of conflict and crisis. I read news of human violence, learned about friends in difficult circumstances, and I had hard conversations. My mind was on high alert. As situations arose, I was one part anxious, one part awkward, and one part focused. Have you been there? Where I was directly
Our boys have been working hard at school. After seeing their recent report cards, we wanted to affirm and appreciate them for their good work. We understand basic psychology well enough to know that appreciating their behavior will likely result in more of that behavior. But we’ve also come to realize that placing our appreciative
It’s hard to persuade someone to think or do something they are not inclined to do. People often don’t have the need-to, want-to, can-do or will-do attitude to change. Whether or not we’re successful in the attempt usually comes down to a single important decision we make about how we will go about persuading the
I’ve been thinking about our most valuable currency as leaders. It’s not something you can store in banks, lend or steal. It is, however, something you can use and accumulate in a business, whether you’re an individual, a partnership or a corporation. While general accounting principles don’t classify it as such, it is a legitimate
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