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
John recently had a high-stakes meeting that did not go well. He became flustered and defensive when the CEO hit him with unanticipated questions and ideas about his team’s status. John admitted that he didn’t have good answers to the questions. But he also insinuated that the CEO’s questions weren’t relevant (after all, John had
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
It’s not easy to lead or influence when you’re struggling to cope with the stress or frustrations of the moment or with anxieties about what might happen in the future. This is why self-regulation is such an important quality for leaders. According to Verywell Mind, self-regulation is the ability to act in a way that
Forget titles, authority, or experience. Think of leadership as helping others be and do their best as they work toward a shared objective. With that definition in mind, let’s consider what gets in the way. Everyone reacts differently. I have twin teenage boys who I try to motivate every day to be and do their
After a year of doing all meetings virtually, I have discovered many essentials to making virtual meetings more productive and engaging. Beyond my own meetings, I’ve trained hundreds of leaders in the past year on how to reduce boredom, multi-tasking and burnout in virtual meetings. Of course, some virtual meeting fatigue and frustration is inevitable.
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.
One day last summer, as our family was finishing up our time at the pool, my son decided to walk away and wait patiently. He never said he was leaving. Just disappeared. We weren’t scared as much as we were confused. “Where did he go!?” Then we got frustrated. “What does he think he’s doing
This is gross, but every time I reach under my desk chair, my finger presses into something soft and gooey. I’m pretty sure it’s food. This has been going on for weeks. I have done nothing about it. It bothers me, but not enough, I suppose. Perhaps this is one reason why it’s hard to
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
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