A recent article at trainingindustry.com has us thinking about the importance of emotional intelligence, or EQ, as US businesses start to return to in-person work. Of course, EQ and its component parts—self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills—have been considered an essential management skill set for decades. At the same time, in conversations we’ve been...
read more
When we are asked to develop a Leadership Communication training program for a client, it’s almost always because the leadership development training they’ve already invested in neglected to include a communication component. This article will address this major flaw in the leadership programs out there. Let’s think about what it looks like to lack real...
read more
Over the last several decades, our economy has shifted from one with lots of rote work, whether blue-collar or white-collar, to one in which routine tasks are automated. This means that tasks still dependent on human input are more complex and nuanced, requiring employees with excellent social skills, agility in responding to new situations, and...
read more
It’s such a tired old saw: “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” Tired or not, there’s wisdom in it, but the idea only works if ambitious employees take it beyond just how they dress and think of it also in terms of how they communicate, explain, and express professionalism. As...
read more
We’ve been talking recently about our collective experience with communication challenges in the various places we’ve all worked. One topic that keeps coming up is how often what seems like a problem with process, productivity, or achieving benchmarks ultimately turns out to be a communication issue. We’ve put together a list for leadership to think...
read more
What We Assume An episode of This American Life from several years ago featured “Chainsaw” Al Dunlap, the CEO who was brought in to restore the Sunbeam corporation back to profitability in the 1990s. While he’s now on several “Worst CEOs Ever” lists, at the time, he had his admirers. This got me thinking about...
read more
In other blog posts, we’ve been talking about hybrid meetings: how to lead them successfully, how to practice good participation behaviors, and even how to dress and set up your space to look professional on Zoom. This led us to think about what an organization’s leaders can do to ensure an efficient, effective, and equitable...
read more
If your organization is like many others, you’re worried about the spread of Coronavirus and what it means to your people and your business. It’s an uncertain, disquieting time for everyone. As we are already seeing, many organizations are making commonsense decisions to reduce travel and asking employees to work remotely. What that means, of...
read more
Praise for All the Leader You Can Be: The Science of Achieving Extraordinary Executive Presence There is no doubt that communication is a skill that must be developed by everyone who wants to move into leadership roles. It’s no surprise then that my colleagues and I have been working with business leaders to improve their communication...
read more
If you are a trainer or a SME who delivers training, one of your major responsibilities, and possibly one of your major challenges, is knowing how to use the conversation that takes place during training delivery to meet your learning goals. Some trainers welcome unplanned, spontaneous interaction with learners. Others prefer a more controlled Q&A...
read more