Better to give than receive? Not when it comes to feedback in the workplace.
Providing feedback is one of those ‘must-do’ activities for effective leaders. Yet we don’t talk about receiving feedback very often, and I believe that is just as important. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been witness to a number of constructive — and unconstructive — exchanges of feedback. Providing feedback is critical, but how it […]
Managers can hear a lot from moments of silence
It was completely silent. I didn’t hear a sound. Nothing. Really, I mean nothing. Last Thursday night, in the pitch dark and hazy fog, I stood atop the Mount Washington Observatory weather station, pictured here, at the summit of Mount Washington. This legendary place located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, is known for […]
The real reason managers shouldn’t ignore a problem
The perfect employee. The perfect manager. The perfect workplace. Wouldn’t it be nice if that existed? When it comes to managing people, one of the best things we can do is to realize that nothing will ever be perfect. There will always be problems. There will always be conflicts. It’s how we deal with them […]
Fear in your workplace is killing performance
Managers can be oblivious to the fear that employees face in the workplace. Is there fear in your organization? Are you indeed even creating it? It’s a deeper issue than what one might quickly assign to obvious root causes, such as layoffs in financially struggling companies, performance issues, or extreme friction between a manager and […]
How to handle well-adjusted (and not-so-well-adjusted) employees
A friend and Graceful Leadership blog reader emailed me after the last post and said that she was glad to hear that the recent chiropractic visit helped Grace and that she hoped Grace continued to be “well-adjusted.” Of course, I loved that she cared about Grace. And at the same time, it struck my funny bone […]
Managers who dig in lose sight of the big picture
Good managers know when to focus. But first they must be aware of their surroundings. When Grace is fixated on something, it’s nearly impossible to get her off of it. She gets so wound up, either excited or nervous, and then she loses all sense of the big picture. You can see her here hyper-intent […]
“What bears have taught me about being human”
When I saw the title slide on the presentation given two nights ago by New Hampshire bear expert, Ben Kilham, I knew I was going to enjoy the evening. Hosted by the Jaffrey Conservation Committee, my husband and I, along with another nature-lover friend, went to a talk Kilham entitled: “The social black bear: What […]
Two easy steps that will lead to mutual respect
Have you ever had a manager or a co-worker show you a lack of respect? I bet you have. When two or more people come together come together to brainstorm ways to work through difficult relationships, respect is one of the first words that surfaces. “Everyone should respect one another,” is echoed again and again. […]
Managers: Listen Up!
Everyone knows (or at least they say they know) how important it is to be a good listener. But are you? Would you, as a manager, be more effective if you were a better listener? You bet you would. So read on to see how. It’s easy to describe what good listening looks like: active […]
Signals of discomfort are often subtle
The walks are off. Grace won’t walk down the street again. Last week she agreed to go four straight days. On Thursday, I could tell the walk had become a chore. She was trying to do what she thought she should do, but I could tell that it’s wasn’t fun for her. In fact, she […]
