Communication Strategy
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Could Your Efforts to Build a “Friendly” Work Culture Doing Your Company More Harm than Good?
One of the most interesting workplace trends I’ve noticed lately is the obsession with making sure people get along. There’s a constant push to “make friends at work,” as if camaraderie is the secret ingredient to performance. And while I’m a firm believer in fostering respectful, positive, and collaborative work environments, let’s be clear: genuine…
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Beyond the Buzzwords: Why Business Books Can’t Replace Real World Experience
The text emphasizes the value of surrounding oneself with smarter individuals to foster growth, challenging the discomfort of not knowing. It critiques superficial management approaches and highlights the importance of learning from experienced practitioners. True expertise involves continuous learning and engagement, while teaching should also involve seeking knowledge from others.
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“What Did We Learn?” The Key to Cultural Transformation
I’m often asked how a continuous improvement culture is created. The common mistake is to think that engaging in endless one-off improvements will somehow start a flywheel effect of getting staff engaged in a problem solving mindset. Why doesn’t it work? We often forget to review the language we automatically use around the office as part of…
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Constantly Blindsided? It’s Likely Your Fault
How often are you surprised by situations that appear to escalate quickly with little warning? It’s a sign of today’s modern times how technology and a culture of careful conversations has led to an epidemic of dysfunctional communication. In a world of texting, chat and remote work our communication has become so efficient, it’s ineffective.…
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Employee Pet Peeves: Managers Who Self Brand
I find it amusing when managers articulate their leadership styles, akin to those without wealth attempting to flaunt affluence. True prosperity doesn’t demand a grand display. Your management style becomes apparent through the reactions of your team; there’s no need to explicitly declare it. A common manifestation of this is seen when someone reads a…
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The Risk of Silence: Helping Others Speak up
Ask yourself: how often are you blindsided by situations, and how easy is it for others to approach you with difficult information? One of the quickest ways to reduce risk is to be aware that a situation might be developing. More importantly, great communication increases the speed of problem-solving and execution. As a Continuous Improvement…
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Why Email Is Inefficient
One of the typical complaints I hear from staff and executives alike concerns the overwhelming number of emails they receive. Ultimately, the intent is to communicate something. That’s the rationale for sending out hundreds of emails, sometimes in a day! But when I ask, “Is this effective?,” the answer is usually, “No”. People ignore these…