The following post was written by my good friend Isaac Vogel, who owns a successful painting company. I appreciate the simple, actionable, relevant guidance here for anyone in any role. I’ve spent most of my career in sales and I always bristle a bit when I tell people I’m in “sales” or when a customer
While walking our dog recently, my wife and I started arguing about a very trivial issue. It had something to do with the timing of planting grass seed on our lawn. This is not a hot topic for either of us, yet there we were arguing about when to spread the seed. Later in the
Several years ago, I facilitated an overnight high stakes meeting for a group of executives. A week prior to the meeting, one of the executives texted me with demanding questions about his personal sleeping arrangement. Another emailed me with suggestions about our agenda. A third called me to discuss his concern that some of the
You don’t need a sledgehammer to fix a leaky faucet. A tape measure won’t do the job either. It’s the same when it comes to solving problems and making decisions with others. Being pushy or defensive like a sledgehammer never helps. And remaining quiet and passive, continuously measuring up others and the topic, just won’t
One thing I’ve gained from nearly two years of seeing myself on Zoom and Teams video meetings is that I’m starting to truly understand how others see me. My eye contact, facial expressions, and other non-verbals have all been on display to me daily! Have you noticed anything as you’ve watched yourself during video meetings?
For many organizations, hybrid work is not going away any time soon—if ever. Hybrid can come in all kinds of configurations. Two team members might work from their house while three will work from offices…and all in different cities. This means most leaders have become remote leaders even if they still maintain the corner office
Anson Dorrance is undoubtedly one of the greatest soccer coaches of all time. As former U.S. Women’s National Team head coach and legendary University of North Carolina head women’s soccer coach, he has led his teams to win a staggering number of championships and developed some of the best female soccer players in the world.
Breathe. Look up. Shoulders back. Push harder. Release the fear. When I went through certification to become a group fitness instructor several years ago, I learned about the power of these kinds of “coaching cues,” quick words spoken in the moment to help someone improve their performance in real time. Coaching cues aren’t just for
Social interactions have been key to human survival for thousands of years. So it’s not surprising that hard feelings like rejection, disapproval or disappointment from others can be nearly intolerable. For example, one executive I know is currently facing the massively difficult task of possibly removing one of his key leaders. Several employees have complained
It was a high-stakes meeting. Others had given their opinions, and I decided I should speak up, too. So I did. As I was speaking, though, I began to have the sense that I wasn’t saying exactly what I wanted to say. I tried to convey confidence through a strong voice and gestures, but I’m
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