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I signed up last year for a regular email from the Blessings Experiment. They have a movie called May You Be Blessed that you can view and send on. As a result, I get amazing, inspirational messages. It's a little love-of-life potion that appears in my email inbox when I'm often ready for a motivational moment. You can subscribe too.
Continue reading "Making a Difference" »
I am passionate about helping new managers succeed. That passion directly influences the purpose and values of NetSpeed Leadership. That passion attracts consultants who parter with us to deliver highly effective training programs to that most critical level of leadership.
Continue reading "Helping New Managers Succeed" »
I was recently given a copy of a fascinating book, Attracting Perfect Customers: The Power of Strategic Synchronicity by Stacey Hall and Jan Brogniez. If you've read this blog before, you'll know that this book is right up my alley--business-oriented and yet completely attuned to the spiritual principles and practices that are the foundation of building a satisfying, rewarding life.
Continue reading "Are You My Perfect Customer?" »
Skilled managers and team leaders know that when motivating employees one size does not fit all. Every person on your team is moved by some combination of internal and external motivators. What works for one employee might actually have the opposite effect for another employee. Your motivational tool kit needs to be revisited and refreshed regularly if you want to keep every individual engaged.
Continue reading "Motivational Tools to Engage Every Employee on Your Team" »
You've probably noticed that a good chunk of the world approaches problems, tasks, people, and play differently than you do. If you lead a team, you may have wondered why some people enjoy the camaraderie of team meetings while others suffer through those same meetings hoping they'll begin on time and end quickly. You may have discovered that the drive to action exhibited by some members of your team is balanced by the need to evaluate or analyze expressed by others on the team.
Continue reading "Building Your Team: Understanding and Appreciating Communication Style Differences" »
If you lead a team, you know that the journey to high-performance is ongoing. It's the rare team that achieves high-performance and just stays there. In my business life, whether I've managed a team within an organization, or run my own company, it's been unusual to keep the same team together for longer than a year. Team members come and go, driven by the needs of the organization and their own career goals. And every time the members of a team changes, the team needs to regroup and refocus.
Continue reading "The Seven Characteristics of a High-Performing Team" »
It's the end of the year and in this time of reflection and evaluation, I'm looking back at the decisions I made over the past 12 months to see how they have affected our company. As I reflect, I'm paying attention to that voice in my head that is tempted to blame our failures on other people (or organizations) while taking complete credit for our successes. If I want my team to work together effectively, I have to resist this impulse to assign blame or take credit.
Continue reading "Helping Your Team Take Responsibility" »
We're in the midst of our goal setting time when we begin to dream, imagine, and strategize for the coming year. I always find that my creative juices and my energy flow when I'm thinking about what we can create as a team for our company.
Continue reading "Strategic Planning" »
I have taken on the riskiest job I've ever performed in my life recently: teaching Sunday School for ten children, ages 5 & 6. I took on this task for many reasons but top of the list were first, my desire to give back to a children's program that has really served my own kids and second, a goal to develop better parenting skills and strategies.
Continue reading "Taking Risks with a Good Coach" »
In my last post, I ranted about a frustrating customer service experience. When I finished ranting, I asked myself, “Do I want to continue having these kinds of frustrating experiences, or am I ready for some personal transformation?” I opted for transformation.
Continue reading "Leadership is Transformative" »
I've been reading a great leadership book recommended by my friend and colleague, Kathianne Lewis. It's called The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life by Geshe Michael Roach.
It's rare to find a book that actually combines business and spiritual insights in a simple, compelling way.
Continue reading "Leadership: Take it From the Buddha" »
I just delivered a web workshop on Appraising Performance. (The next one is scheduled this Friday so if you are interested, register today.) The session was based on the content from one of our NetSpeed Leadership modules. In preparing to deliver a workshop, I like to cruise around the Internet and see what interesting insights or statistics might allow me to make the content come alive for participants.
Continue reading "Let's Get Real About Performance Evaluation" »
I had a most distressing and enlightening experience over the past weekend. For four hours on Saturday, I believed that a friend and colleague had been killed in a freak bus accident. When I opened up the Saturday paper, my eye fell on an article about a local woman who stepped off a bus and fell under the wheels as the bus left the curb. She was on her way home after a long day. The details listed in the paper included her name and age, as well as a fellow passenger's description of her as a beautiful woman with a soothing voice. He said she had a sparking light in her eyes and he just had to talk with her. He was shocked when her life ended right after their conversation.
Continue reading "Creating Your Own Experience" »
I've begun to rethink podcasting. In a recent NetSpeed Leadership newsletter article focused on change, I made the statement, “My least favorite innovation is podcasting and, okay, I'll admit that I don't understand how anyone can learn anything by listening to an audio feed. I saw an article in the newspaper this week that featured podcasting as a way for personal fitness trainers to provide an exercise program directly through their customers' headphones. It's the first application of this technology that I've found remotely useful because it occurs at a moment of need when the listener is motivated to listen.”
Continue reading "Rethinking Podcasting" »
We have just returned this morning from our annual trade show, the International Conference hosted by the American Society for Training & Development. This year the conference was held in Dallas, Texas. NetSpeed Leadership participated in the EXPO featuring 400 suppliers and vendors who offer products and services for folks in the learning and development arenas.
Continue reading "Do Good. Feel Good." »
Have you seen the cover of the April edition of Fast Company magazine? It features Josh Rushing, former Captain in the U.S Marines and now a host on Al Jazeera International. Besides the obvious fact that this man has gorgeous blue eyes and a steady, unflinching gaze, he has demonstrated incredible courage.
Continue reading "Leadership Takes Guts" »
Recently my friend Rev. Dr. Kathianne Lewis gave me a copy of Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism by Patricia Aburdene. The subtitle on the book cover, Seven New Trends That Will Transform How You Work, Live and Invest, certainly got my attention.
Continue reading "Spirituality and Leadership" »
I've had to make a number of tough choices in the past year and I find it is getting simpler (though not easier) to make them.
This week my husband and I decided to end an activity that has meant a lot to both of us: singing in our church choir. With great sadness, we said goodbye last night at our final rehearsal. My feelings over this decision probably mirror those of anyone who must choose between competing priorities.
Continue reading "Making Tough Choices" »
I have a confession to make: I'm a bit of a controller. Once I get an idea in mind, I move heaven and earth to make it happen. But life is life and sometimes reality intrudes on my vision of how things ought to unfold. I've noticed over the years that I'm getting better at releasing control and allowing the creative flow to occur.
Continue reading "Releasing Control/Gaining Creativitiy" »
Leaders know that occupying the leadership role can open you to increased scrutiny and even personal attack. Ethical leaders strive to consider the common good while maintaining their personal integrity in the service of developing their organizations. Yet, even the most ethical, honest and open leader can be subject to unfair allegations.
Continue reading "Taking a Stand for an Ethical Leader" »
I had lunch today with a colleague in organizational development and training who has a mighty vision of the work that she will do in the world on the next phase of her journey: it's powerful; it calls her to become more skilled; it uses her talents; it contributes to the world in a meaningful way. She has no idea how she will pay for it or what it will take to bring it to fruition, but it's one of those irresistible ideas that has reached out and grabbed her. She's a visionary leader!
Continue reading "It's the Vision That Counts" »
Call me sensitive but I'm very weary of reading obscene or vulgar language in my professional publications. Recent case in point: Jack Gordon's editorial in the January 2006 edition of Training Magazine. It's called Straight Talk so I suppose he feels justified in including the phrase, "Bend over, here it comes again" in his rant about change management. I found it offensive, however, and showed it to several colleagues to see if they had the same reaction.
Continue reading "Taking the High Road" »
Welcome to the NetSpeed Leadership blog. My friend and colleague, Lynn Gaertner-Johnson of Syntax Training, has been happily blogging about business writing for six months. She has had a marvelous response from people around the world who've learned useful writing tips through her blog. With Lynn's encouragement, I'm posting my first blog today.
Continue reading "Management Matters" »
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