Years ago, I worked with a leader whose behavior would completely change during the final three days of every quarter. He would transform from a magnanimous, caring leader with a natural, relaxed demeaner into an anxious, ruthless man. Everyone knew that, for those three days, he was to be feared…unless we were comfortably ahead of
Eugene Peterson wrote in his memoir that he was hurt when his son said to him, “You only preach one sermon!” As an experienced and well-regarded minister who preached on many different texts and applications, the elder Peterson couldn’t believe his son would say such a thing. Then one day, the comment made more sense.
In April, we succeeded in getting our client’s attention, creating interest, and building the belief that our project would make an impact. But COVID made a lot of other things seem more urgent to them, and interest in our project stalled out. The question for us was, should we all just go into a holding
So there my colleague and I were, listening to the needs of a client. Like doctors, we internally formulated our diagnosis as we learned about our patient’s symptoms and situation. The more we heard, the surer we were of what the patient needed. In fact, we were certain that we could help. And not only
As organizational hierarchy has flattened and cross-functional teams are increasingly responsible for getting the work done, everyone needs to be able to influence. In fact, last week a human resources manager told me that influencing makes up almost his entire job. “Every now and then I have to tell people they can’t or have to
I am advising a leader right now who has high expectations of others. Someone on her team can’t seem to meet those expectations on a project, and there isn’t much flexibility to upskill, move, or replace them. It is creating tension. The leader has three choices in the face of this tension: absorb it, avoid
How do you sell (or outreach, fundraise, negotiate, network, interview, or gain buy-in) when the people you’re trying to reach are remote and afraid? Being socially distanced can prove to be challenging but also full of opportunity for new growth and outreach. Giving in to fear and isolating yourself beyond necessary means will only lead
Take a moment to watch Bill Gates in this video. Consider how you view his credibility. According to a global poll of 42,000 people, he’s the most admired person in the world. He generates instant credibility, doesn’t he? When you watch, your brain remembers something about his accomplishments and wealth. But you can’t process all
Credibility: the quality of being trusted and believed in. (Oxford Dictionary) Think for a moment about where in your life you’d like more credibility. Perhaps it’s with people in your company who aren’t on your team or in your department. Maybe you’d like more credibility with potential customers, or with a group or community that’s
I often wonder what meetings would be like if there were time limits on each person speaking. In professional basketball, for example, they allow each team 24 seconds to take their shot at the net. The clock resets only after a team has attempted their shot or turned the ball over to the other team. Think
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