Last week, we started to talk about how to survive office politics. Our first tips were: Reframe politics to diplomacy. Develop strong relationships. Distinguish between office politics and horrible behavior. Know what you can control. Get a coach or mentor. Some of you noted that we left off drinking as a coping mechanism, and we are sorry that it won’t … Read More
Office politics. They can be enough to have most seasoned professionals reach for the straight jacket and call it a day. People want to be recognized for how well they do their work and their achievements, not how well they get along with—or appease—the boss. At the end of the day, we are in business, and results are the only … Read More
So far, the 2020s have been rough: pandemic deaths, COVID shutdowns, supply chain challenges, inflation, interest rate increases, and whatever the hell Elon Musk is up to this week. Let’s not forget the wars in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza, further instability in the Middle East, the increasing tensions between mainland China and Taiwan, and whatever political show the United States puts … Read More
If you don’t know where you are, it’s impossible to get where you want to go. It’s like asking Google Maps for directions to a restaurant when it can’t figure out your starting location. It’s similar for professional development. You need to be clear about your strengths and weaknesses to determine a path to improve or gain new skills. That … Read More
“Beware the Ides of January.” That should be the warning for people starting the New Year with new goals. It’s about this time in January the enthusiasm for those run into the realities of life. And, if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, the cold and dark of January isn’t helpful. We know from personal experience and good research that … Read More
I’ve led workshops for teams at large organizations and small, for-profit businesses and non-profits, and higher education, and there has been a common thread—people don’t want to put numbers to goals. That’s ludicrous. How can you NOT have a number? It’s like having a business and saying, “We want to be profitable.” Okay, how much revenue, how much profit, by … Read More
At some point during my education, I remember seeing a film in school about trained responses. A psychologist trained monkeys to hit a lever and they would get a food pellet. It was a one-to-one action. Hit the lever once, get a pellet. Then they changed the response stimulus to require hitting the lever three, five, 10, or more times … Read More
How many relationships have hinged on this question? Can addicts stop using, mean people become nice, a conservative a liberal or vice versa, an atheist a believer, an extrovert an introvert, a couch potato athletic, a follower a leader, a bad negotiator a good one? Can people become a Pathfinder? Neuroscience and Psychology, along with a lot of anecdotes, say … Read More
