Dear Teressa, Any advice on how I can get more people to speak up in my meetings? ~John V. John, I’m glad to hear that you’re a leader who wants more voices in the conversation – more people engaged and contributing. Here are several strategies that have worked for a number of my clients. […]
Read More →I’m a manager in a large company with 15 direct reports. Sometimes, I have trouble figuring out how to handle certain performance problems. How do I figure out what to do? ~D.G. Dear D.G., Here are a few “how to” pointers for your consideration. As you weigh various options, remember to make use of […]
Read More →Dear Teressa, I currently work part time in education and I absolutely LOVE IT!!! But I’m working a full time job I totally dislike. How does a single mother with two children, break into a career that she absolutely loves, even after exhausting her “network,” applying to numerous jobs in the education field, extremely active on […]
Read More →Q: Dear Teressa, I have a burning desire and drive for making my Motivational Speaking business a huge success. It is important to mention that I discovered my purpose (Motivational Speaking) in 2010 but I started speaking at school during my spare time in 2007. I am a full time employee at a public institution […]
Read More →I voluntarily had myself videotaped twice in the last few weeks. One taping was of a keynote address, the other of a golf lesson. Both were incredibly instructive. I picked up specific behaviors, many of them subtle, that I could only fully understand by watching myself in action. Pictures really speak thousands of words, but […]
Read More →Whether I’m watching Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady, Cole Hamels or Michael Vick, I notice how they do what they do – the mechanical and mental aspects of their performance. An important lesson – one many of us can learn from – is the resilience of those at the top […]
Read More →Every week, the content of my blog is based on a real-life scenarios – ones I’ve experienced as a facilitator, executive and personal growth coach, keynote speaker, as well as a manager and leader. Unresolved challenges at work and in life often get in the way of productivity and personal satisfaction. They cause us to question ourselves and the value of contributions we make. Issues at work also […]
Read More →I’ve been searching the web trying to figure out who first said, “Done is better than perfect.” Long before it became synonymously attached to “Lean In” author Sheryl Sandberg, it was a phrase that perfectionists and endless tweakers used to break them of crippling, obsessive behavior. If you know who first said it, please shoot […]
Read More →Recently I heard a quote that got right to the heart of conflict and how to resolve it. I’m paraphrasing, but it was along the lines of “conflict does not rise out of a clash of good and bad, it rises out of a clash of good and good.” In other words, each conflicting party […]
Read More →For many, being assertive is difficult and the reasons are varied. Maybe you don’t want to hurt feelings or come off as cocky and aggressive. Or it could be that you don’t have confidence in your own opinion and fear that others will prove you wrong if you speak up. Assertiveness is about confidence. It’s […]
Read More →To get clear about the best way to effectively address a specific performance or behavior problem, the first step is asking yourself which course of action the problem calls for? Is feedback sufficient? You simply describe the person’s behavior and its impact. Is coaching more appropriate? You work to strengthen performance through teaching, training and […]
Read More →Are you more tenured with many more years of experience than the person to whom you report? Is your manager the same age or younger than your children? These days, it’s not all that unusual for older people to report to those who are much younger. According to a 2012 CareerBuilder survey, “One third (34 […]
Read More →While the specific ways people react to change vary widely, there are always two components to everyone’s reaction. One component is their logical reaction and the other, their emotional reaction. Here are two suggestions that can help you deal with changes in your workplace and life: First, get beneath the headline. Try to understand the […]
Read More →While interviewing a group of people for a client’s 360 Feedback process, one of the raters told me she has a rule with her team. They have to make at least one mistake a week and tell her about it. She is also bound by the same rule. She has to make at least one […]
Read More →Do you have a BIG idea – one that will transform your career, your company’s business model, streamline processes, save significant time and money, land you a brand new role or help you branch off and build your own successful enterprise? Have you put a plan of action in place or are you stalling, plagued […]
Read More →What could you do with two to two-and-a-half hours each day? Probably, a lot. That’s how much time the average person loses to interruptions and distractions. If you get distracted easily, things like unplanned telephone calls, responding to the ding of emails, answering text messages, drop-by-visitors, hallway interactions, emergencies and crises can quickly derail your […]
Read More →There is wisdom in turning a welcoming ear to complaints, in listening to negative comments – whether at home or in the workplace. Why? Because, like it or not, those complaints and grumblings are feedback, most probably based on a germ of truth and, certainly, they hold the seeds of a solution. Listen carefully and […]
Read More →When it comes to pressure in the workplace or at home, which situations trigger feelings of overload, burden, overwhelm and stress? How do you typically react? Do you freeze up, get angry or cranky, gossip, feel frustrated, or stop working and start complaining? Do you overreact? The next time pressure and overload land in your […]
Read More →In a year-end post by blogger Penelope Trunk called “15 Things Overachievers Do,” one of those things was they steal things. She admitted to stealing this particular blog idea from “Thought Catalogue. Forbes.com contributor TJ McCue stole the same idea from Penelope for his year-end piece “13 Things Overachievers Do.” My point: achieving great things […]
Read More →We look to tools and techniques to help us manage time. And they can, to a certain extent – that being the degree to which we take a disciplined approach to their application. The effectiveness of any time management tool is squarely in our hands. To manage your time more effectively, you have to improve […]
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