My favorite book growing up was Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. It told the highly relatable and true story of the author's young son Alexander, who was having one of the worst days of his young life, suffering frustrations, setbacks, and indignities large and small. As adults, we
Scientist and best-selling author Hans Selye wrote: "Stress is not necessarily bad for you; it is also the spice of life." A certain amount of stress is actually a good motivator. Without stress about deadlines, we would probably procrastinate. Without the stress of maintaining client relationships, we might say everything that was on our minds --
Let's say your colleague shows up for your Zoom meeting crying. When you ask what's wrong, they share that they're having a tough time balancing the demands of work with three young children at home, caregiving for aging parents, and dealing with a spouse who travels constantly for work. So, what does this colleague look like? Did you
"Everybody is stressed" used to be hyperbole. But today, it's reality. And none of us know how long this is going to last. Between working remotely, homeschooling our kids, health concerns, racial tensions, economic challenges, and more, the list of worries and tensions can seem endless. If you're a leader whose intention is to treat
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," begins Charles Dickens's historical novel A Tale of Two Cities. For most of us, we know how to communicate with our team in both of those scenarios. In the best of times, we seize the opportunity to celebrate wins, offer positive feedback, highlight the impact of individual contributors and
Today's rapidly changing business environment calls for a new approach to sales, customer service, and relationship development. The need to become your clients' trusted adviser in an uncertain world is very important during this time. But this can be tricky in this virtual landscape for several reasons. First, when your customers are feeling reticent to buy
Most of us have come to appreciate (or at least tolerate) working virtually. It makes setting up meetings simpler, decreases commuting time, allows for more flexibility, and levels the playing field for team members who were already working virtually with nonvirtual colleagues. But for all its benefits, one thing that working online doesn't make easier is
Whether you're connecting with your colleagues over the phone or by video, being able to replicate the interpersonal connection of an in-person meeting is hard. We're often missing the clues and cues that each of us send (consciously or unconsciously) to demonstrate engagement, attention, agreement, disagreement, commitment, disinterest, and more. However, we don't have to miss them.
