Do You Really Communicate As Effectively? William Butler Yeats once said, “Think like a wise man, but communicate in the language of the people.” While you could interpret, “language of the people” in a lot of ways, in my view, Yeats is saying know your audience and speak to them so they will understand. […]

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 Unplugging Is Not A Luxury, It’s A Business Necessity Whenever your weekend takes place, be it Saturday and Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, etc., what’s most important is to use that time to rejuvenate.  Here’s how James Reinhart, CEO of ThredUp.com, told Oprah.com he uses his weekend time. He stops spinning. Follow his example by […]

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  Of the over 40 videos on my website, tmgspeaks.com, the most popular one is, “How to Listen More and Talk Less.” I’m delighted that people are interested in becoming better listeners. It seems, at times, that the scales are tipping dramatically away from “listening to understand,” and toward “listening to respond.” The two modes […]

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 The prevalence of overly biased thinking is something we seem to be confronted with more and more. Increasingly, I hear people questioning how we got here, why, and what can be done about it. Virginia Tech professor Ann-Sophie Chaxel conducted a study to see if people can be led toward less biased thinking and […]

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These 3 Questions Can Turn Problems Into Solutions When something bad happens, it can launch us into a negative spiral of thoughts and reactions, “blame-storming” or an overwhelming sense of intractable defeat. Such reactions are not productive, nor do they acknowledge the full reality of the situation. Remember, there are opportunities within what is perceived […]

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Is Your Comfort Zone Holding You Back? Are you ready to move up the ladder, but feeling plagued by the “What if’s?” Are you nervous or unsure about a new role you’ve got your eye on, or a lateral move into an area that will broaden you experience and responsibility. Rest assured. You’re not alone. […]

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If You’re Not Relevant, Your Job May Not Be Safe In your company, are you seen as competent and capable? If you’re not asking that question of yourself, you can bet people who count on you to deliver results, or look to you for leadership, are asking it about you. Here are six questions to […]

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Regular One-On-Ones Could Prevent Future Crises Few leaders have the luxury of exclusively leading people. Typically, leaders have extensive to-do lists of their own. But, as a leader, your highest priority is supporting, motivating, guiding and inspiring the people who report to you. If you’re not already holding regular one-on-ones with key members of your […]

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What Made Businesses Great In 2001 Still Works Today Jim Collin’s book “Good to Great” was written in 2001. The “Level 5 Leaders” he wrote about were most effective at producing high returns. But by their very nature, Level 5 Leaders aren’t in the headlines. Their accomplishments are rarely showcased as examples of success. But […]

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Are You A “Yes” Person Or A “No” Person? The first response to just about any question for a “no” person is, “No.” Even if the answer turns out to be yes, the “no” person starts with “No.” “Yes” people usually begin with, “Yes,” or at least, “Let me see how I can help you.” […]

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Let Conscious Choice — Not Emotion — Drive Your Actions When things go wrong, what do you focus on? Identifying who made the mistake or whose fault it was? Do you obsess about the weak link in the chain? Or do you use your finite energy to craft a solution? I’m sure you can guess […]

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How To Move Forward With Emotionally Intelligence When a project you’ve made a significant investment in goes south because you misread the direction of the market, or your plan was poorly executed, can you check your ego at the door? Or do you waste time and energy trying to cover up missteps or attempting to […]

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 These Simple Steps Can Change Your Perspective Some people are fortunate; they find meaning in the work that they do. Others have to dig a little deeper to experience a sense of significance in their everyday tasks. If that sounds like you, here are four ways you can find greater meaning at work — […]

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The Rules Are Changing. Are You? Company holiday parties are an important place for coworkers to bond and get to know each other outside of the work environment. But this year, scrutiny of everyone’s behavior is more intense. It’s important to keep in mind that not all harassment is sexual or physical. Here are some […]

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Pledges and Commitments That Create Accountability Ever held a meeting where everyone seemed enthusiastic about the topic and next steps? But, soon after, it was back to business as usual? Here are two tips that may increase commitment and foster progress. After introducing the meeting’s purpose, objectives and agenda, ask participants to respond to this […]

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If Not This Season, Then When? I enjoy this time of year. And, it’s seems many others do, as well. It’s a season of fun-filled gatherings and sharing good wishes. Kindness, warm smiles and generosity are legitimized in all dimensions of life. Giving takes center stage and even goes beyond the material. Perhaps you and […]

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 Based On A Tweet from Paul Osincup A Twitter post that whizzed through my stream read, “When addressing conflict with others, remind yourself — curious not furious.” It can be difficult to calmly and respectfully get to the bottom of an issue in the heat of battle. Our natural response is to put up […]

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The Struggle Is Real Fear of failure is pretty widely accepted as a real thing. But its lesser-known counterpart, “fear of success,” can look and feel the same. Both have similar consequences. Fear of success can be characterized by anxiety fueled by the belief that if you’re successful at the thing you’re dreaming of, you’ll lose […]

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In addition to meeting day-to-day goals, leaders are responsible for developing and communicating vision – the broader organization’s vision, as well as their department’s. Successful leaders revisit their vision often with staff and make sure their team can articulate the priorities that drive business results. If you’re in a leadership role, have you’ve taken the […]

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