There is nothing more immobilizing than hanging on to knowledge whose time has expired
I believe in ghosts. Not only do I believe in ghosts, I've seen how they haunt workers, teams, departments and entire organizations. And nowhere are these workplace ghosts more insidious than in the area of collaboration. What I'm calling "ghosts" are out-dated attitudes and behaviours about collaborative knowledge sharing that still haunt corporate halls and…
The way to focus people on the organization's optimal future is to get them to pay attention to their own insights
Don't you just hate dealing with people who fight against every plan for organizational change? You know the type: They're disruptive, set in their ways, and highly resistant to change, even when it is obviously in the best interest of the business. Well guess what? Research suggests that those trouble-making, inflexible, change resistors are ...…
What could possibly go wrong?
Don’t like being interviewed on video? Prefer an in-person meeting? Well, you're out of luck – video interviewing is here to stay. That means learning to avoid the pitfalls of virtual interaction. Here are my answers to some questions you should be asking to prepare for your upcoming video interview. Question: Can you tell me how to…
A video cover letter, if done correctly, is personal and engaging – and could very well be the difference between being ignored or getting the interview
We are witnessing the death (or at least the ineffectiveness) of the traditional cover letter for job applicants. If you want to stand out in the crowd, hiring managers today prefer something a little more interesting and efficient. A video cover letter, if done correctly, is personal and engaging – and could very well be…
Visualization can eliminate some of the unknowns that create stress-induced anxiety in the average person, just as it does for elite athletes
Success can often be seen first in the mind's eye. The performance of most elite athletes is directly affected by their thoughts; they must master their inner emotions when the pressure is on. Learning to harness the power of the mind is an extraordinary gift, not just for athletes but for any of us who need…
Want to brighten your mood, make a lasting impression, encourage collaboration, and positively influence others? Then smile
Smiles have a powerful effect on all of us. The human brain prefers happy faces, recognizing them more quickly than those with negative expressions. Smiles are such an important part of communication that we spot a smile at 90 meters – the length of a football field. Smiles can also be your secret to success.…
Building and sustaining organizational excellence requires exceptional people dedicated to the task
A blog from a couple of years back by marketing guru and all-round provocative thinker Seth Godin entitled The fruitless search for extraordinary people willing to take ordinary jobs took me back to a boardroom conversation about executive pay. Every company has a ‘compensation philosophy’ that it uses to guide how it sets the pay…
People believe what they see, not what they hear
Of course I'm not talking about you. You may be a respected professional whose expertise speaks for itself. Your body language is a minor consideration. Or is it? Here's an email I recently received from an engineer: 'The Project Manager introduced a new consultant. The new guy smiled and shook hands with everybody, but it…
A leader's expectations of his employees is a key factor in how well people perform at work
Pygmalion in the Classroom, one of the most controversial publications in the history of educational research, shows how a teacher's expectations can motivate student achievement. This classic study gave prospective teachers a list of students who had been identified as "high achievers." The teachers were told to expect remarkable results from these students, and at…
Everyone lies – it's part of human nature. And nothing can weaken a network or destroy a reputation faster than being exposed as a liar. So minimize your lies
Wouldn’t it be convenient if the workforce were divided neatly into “us” versus “them?” We, of course, would be the good guys who were always upfront and truthful. They would be the rotten apples whose destructive lies betray the confidence placed in them and ruin everything for the rest of us. If that scenario were…
And what to do about it
I met Brenda when she managed a 2,000-person department for a Fortune 500 company. Brought in to help her with an upcoming change initiative, I was impressed by Brenda’s intelligence, creativity, political savvy, and dedication to her job. She had all the qualities of a senior executive – which was her career goal. But she…
The new leadership is a blend of personal and interpersonal skills that form the basis of your ability to impact, influence and inspire others
Most executives agree that collaboration is more important than ever in today's turbulent business environment. A company's very survival may depend on how well it can combine the potential of its people and the quality of the information they possess with their ability – and willingness – to share that knowledge throughout the organization. Deloitte’s Future of Work research…
Working from home could enhance your work-life balance, but negatively impact your development and career trajectory
As we approach three months working in pandemic lockdown, many organizations are toying with the idea of making remote work a more permanent fixture. The potential advantages are obvious: financial savings from reduced office space, reduced commuting time for employees, the ability to hire from outside the region. For many organizations, the experiment with virtual…
But you can genuinely project it through tapping into authentic emotions, expanding your posture, and dressing for success
Think about a time when you needed to project confidence but felt uncertain or insecure. How did you handle it? Did you try to hide these feelings and just "fake it 'til you make it?" If you did, it probably didn't work. The problem is that attempting to suppress genuine emotions requires so much conscious…
The goal of leadership without authority is to get others to willingly co-operate and engage, rather than following directives because you’re the boss
With flatter management structures, increased outsourcing, and the moves toward collaborative cultures and cross-functional teams, the criterion for the job of leader is changing. More and more people are assigned to leadership roles in which they have no positional authority. The goal of leadership without authority is to get others to willingly co-operate and engage,…