Leadership as the Art of Creating Followership
In his book, The Dynamics of Management: Mastering the Art of Influencing Others, Doug Jordan argues that successful executives must master the dual requirements of
2016-12-02
A Journal of Discovery and Transition
Management Development in the Absence of Organizational Process
You may have found my previous blog on this theme a bit jaded; but for many of you I’m sure it came close to the
2016-06-15
Management Development as an Organizational Process
In my years of coaching and consulting it no longer surprises me when a client tells me, ‘our company doesn’t do a good job of
2016-05-10
Millennials in the Workplace
Admittedly my perspective may be skewed by my location – I’m in Ottawa, surrounded by abstract public servants, or self-important technology (especially software) companies. They
2015-10-07
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 9d: Balancing Politeness and Honesty – Getting the Balance Right
As with many things in life we all have to manage a balance between politeness and honesty. Such balances will be personal to us and
2015-09-09
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 9c: When Deception Goes beyond Politeness, and Honesty has Negative Consequences
Okay, we all know about social niceties, even political correctness – communicating so as not to offend. But what about deception that deliberately, and persuasively
2015-08-20
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 9b: Is there a place for deception?
Deception in interpersonal relationships is commonplace. Deception can be especially prevalent when being polite, and it may not be as benign as you might think.
2015-07-08
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 9: Balancing Politeness and Honesty
The reason for using tact and diplomacy in communications – being polite so as not to offend – is to avoid adverse social consequences. But
2015-06-24
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 8: Honesty in Business Conversations
Your first thought might have been – oxymoronic. But lets not be quite so cynical. While we do wish to speak about communicating with honesty
2015-06-11
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 7: Faux Pas and Humour
A ‘faux pas’ (from French meaning ‘false step’) is usually an accidental, or unintentional, breach of socially accepted norms, manners or etiquette. Naturally, communicating with
2015-05-28
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 6b: T & D Strategies
Consciously or not we often adopt communications strategies based on previous communication encounters. These encounters may or may not be appropriate points of reference, or
2015-05-21
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 6: T & D Strategies
Even when you have mastered effective communications techniques – attentive listening and getting your message across – you may still not be a consummate communicator.
2015-05-14
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 5b: Five Keys to Getting your Message Across
The goal of effective communications is not to be nice, necessarily, but to get the other party to ‘act’ on your message. You need them
2015-05-06
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 5: Getting your Message Across
Most people prefer to talk than to listen – which is why listening is so hard. Even so, getting your message across is about getting
2015-04-28
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 4: Common Listening Misconceptions
We are all capable of listening effectively in different situations and to different people. Listening effectively is, however, an active process – something we have
2015-04-21
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 3b: Two Components of Attentive Listening
Attentive listening requires both cognitive and emotional processing: active listening and empathetic listening. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t very good at either one! Active Listening
2015-04-14
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 3: Attentive Listening
There are two components to effective communications: Listening and Messaging. Just as there are two parties to every communications event, both are necessary for a
2015-04-08
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 2: Four Facets
“Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.” – Isaac Newton “Diplomacy is the art of letting somebody else have your
2015-03-31
Communicating with Tact & Diplomacy, Part 1 in a 9 part series
Effective communication, especially listening, is something everybody knows is important. Amazing how ‘everybody’ doesn’t do it. This series of articles is about the obvious; so
2015-03-23
Job loss – other losses – and a few surprises
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her book On Death and Dying brought into the modern lexicon the notion that when people are first told that they have
2015-02-28
In defence of ground hogs
It’s not their fault. They never claimed to have e.s.p. and the ability to forecast spring, or anything else. They were forced into it by
2015-02-21
On Procrastination: Summary
This series has hardly been the last word on overcoming procrastination but maybe it gave you a couple of insights, and more importantly some inspiration.
2015-01-02
On Procrastination Part 7: The Value of Positive Self-Talk
Despite my earlier diatribe against positive self-talk in the shallow Anthony Robbins style, it has its place if framed properly. Cognitive Therapy can help us
2014-12-31
On Procrastination Part 6: Using Cognitive Therapy to Overcome a Negative Explanatory Style
Procrastination can be defined as one’s voluntary delay of an intended course of action despite being worse off as a result of that delay. A
2014-12-31
On Procrastination Part 4: What can we Learn from the Optimistic Explanatory Style
There are a lot of ‘motivational speakers’ out there from the Anthony Robbins School of Positive Self-Talk – Awaken the Giant Within – who first
2014-12-15
On Procrastination Part 5: Negative Explanatory Style – Chief Cause of Procrastination
Being an optimist – or more accurately perhaps, having an optimistic thinking style when things are going alright – is one thing. Learning how to
2014-12-15
On Procrastination Part 3: Self-Efficacy, Self-Leadership, Self-Reinforcing
Turns out people who have high levels of Self-Efficacy and Self-Leadership (which includes Personal Goal Setting, Positive Self-talk, Self-Monitoring, and Self-reinforcement) have much less difficulty
2014-12-04
On Procrastination, Part 2: The Role of Self-Esteem
I said in On Procrastination Part 1 that people are concerned with self-esteem and so worry about being judged, and in particular about being judged
2014-11-15
On Procrastination
I’m not a psychologist, but … As an executive coach many of my clients raise this issue of procrastination as one of 2 – 3
2014-10-31
Thoughts on Pay Practices: Part 6 – Problems with ‘contingent compensation’
Many organizations offer a substantial contingent compensation component (incentive bonus schemes) to many employees as part of the overall pay package – 20-50% of total
2014-08-19
Thoughts on Pay Practices: Part 3 – Performance Recognition
I used to be a great believer in linking performance appraisals with ‘performance pay’ – annual MBO type performance reviews were supposed to drive the
2014-07-17
Performance Reviews Part 4: Summary
a formal performance review process is still critical to organization effectiveness, but maybe not for everyone, especially if pay is not linked to performance
2014-06-23
Performance Reviews Part 3: Evaluating the CEO/ED
Performance reviews of the CEO by his/her chair, especially under ‘Carver’ governance rules, is often flawed in at least two ways:
First, the performance of the ED often is undifferentiated from the performance of the agency as a whole.
Second, the adequacy of the information upon which a judgment must be based.
2014-06-17
Not Another Performance Review Part 2: 4 Steps to Effective Reviews
Despite the criticism of the annual performance review ritual, employees still want to know, on the record, where they stand. This is especially true for
2014-06-12
Not Another Performance Review, Part 1
For years, performance reviews have been criticized. There is a current movement in the literature decrying the annual performance review ritual as archaic and ineffective, irrelevant, and possibly even counterproductive . This despite the fact that employees frequently report in surveys that they lack adequate feedback on their performance and behaviour.
And it’s unfortunate. Because the annual performance review is a key event in the ongoing cycle of managing expectations.
It comprises four components: …
2014-06-06
Management Effectiveness Coaching: What to expect from your coach, and yourself.
You will get out of this coaching program what you put into it. But here are seven things to keep in mind.
2012-02-09
Management by FEAR
Summary We learn our management lessons in many ways: courses, experience, mentors and role models. One of the lessons I learned, and find myself still
2011-09-20
The Dynamics of Management
Management effectiveness includes not just mastery of the mechanics and processes of a business but the intangible, ever-changing interpersonal dynamics of organizational life.
2011-08-23
Individual Succession Planning
Careerists should do their own succession planning and find their own replacements. Evaluate their immediate team and provide development assignments and coaching.
2011-01-28
Career Satisfaction and Management, Part 3
To experience career satisfaction in management requires three elements: to see business as an intellectual puzzle, to influence others behaviours, to overcome conflict.
2010-12-10
Career Satisfaction and Management 2
Drive Theory of motivation (Lawrence and Nohria) provides a lot of insight into what ultimately affects a satisfactory career.
2010-12-02
Career Satisfaction and Management
Career satisfaction is highly related to the notion of utilizing our best talents in the pursuit of authentic happiness (Martin Seligman)
2010-11-18
Managers, Leaders and Executives
Managers are not just mechanics reliant on process and authority; they must be leaders too – they must have the capacity to get others to respond to them in the achievement of some goal.
2010-10-30
Effective Delegation
Leadership is about followership and nothing produces more committed followers than empowering and engaging them through effective delegation.
2010-06-25
