For many people, making presentations is fraught with a fear of being judged (which, let's face it, you are), concerns about being caught unprepared, and the risk of ruining your reputation. As British judge Sir George Jessel once remarked, "The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops...until you stand up to
For many leaders and teams, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are a core indicator of success. KPIs serve as the foundation for performance evaluations, compensation, promotions, and can even point to the health (or lack thereof) of the company overall. At their best, KPIs can facilitate clear, relevant, timely communication for you and your teams about what outcomes matter most,
Giving and receiving developmental feedback from anyone is challenging. And for middle managers, this can be especially tricky. Why? First of all, many middle managers wrestle with the transition from peer to supervisor. They worry that their former colleagues may not see them as having earned their new authority, or that these colleagues resent them for having been promoted (especially
Every time I teach workshops for managers, I hear one question over and over: "How can I motivate my employees?" It's an important question. Motivated employees are more likely to think creatively, go above and beyond, hold themselves and others accountable for results, work autonomously, want to learn and grow, feel personally connected to the company, and ultimately
Being brave can truly pay off. A typical work day for most of us is filled with conversations. Managers and direct reports discuss what work needs to be accomplished, by when, and what success should look like. Colleagues talk about the impact that recent changes are having on their roles and their teams. Leaders articulate their vision for the company's future,
Having conflict at work is inevitable. With all of us managing so many competing priorities, negotiating limited resources, and aiming to be both tactical and strategic, it's amazing that any work gets done at all. And despite the fact that so many situational, organizational, and systemic issues in our companies contribute to our stress, we tend to point to other people
People aren't going to approach you to tell you you're unapproachable You're busy. You're stressed. You're overworked and under-resourced. It's one thing to feel that way. It's another thing to share those feelings with your colleagues honestly, openly, and without blaming others. Neither of those will likely undermine your impact and credibility as a leader. What will? Acting
Since we all know that managing multiple priorities will always be a challenge... I have yet to meet the professional who has declared, "Time management? I've got that handled." (And if that's you, please send me a DM on Twitter so I can interview you for a future article). Most busy professionals struggle with assessing how
Avoiding the subject isn't an option if you care about your future. People managers wear many hats: delegator, goal-setter, accountability-partner, brainstorming buddy, performance evaluator, obstacle-mover, resource-allocator, and more. (This, of course, is all in addition to their day jobs of actual work.) And there's one critical role for managers that often doesn't get addressed: career developer. According to research by Right
Apologizing may just ruin your presentation. Every presentation is an opportunity to demonstrate your confidence, competence and character. You have the chance to prove that you understand your audience's concerns, and show how you can meet their needs. And, when you do it well, you also get to boost your personal and professional credibility. Until you say, "I'm sorry." Saying, "I'm
