The day after a massive layoff, an executive scheduled a meeting with the talent remaining in his organization. At the meeting he said, “You were retained because you are the best of the best. You don’t have to fear that you’ll be laid off.” He then ended the meeting. The individuals at the meeting never…
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When we speak to other people who know our language, we assume they hear what we are saying. But often, our words are communicating one thing and our facial expressions or gestures are communicating another; or perhaps the listener has heard those words before in a different context and is applying past experience to the…
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Facing failure is always difficult and facing the failure of a change you championed is no exception. You may feel your resilience slipping away and you may find yourself being short-tempered with those to whom you assign responsibility for the failure—or with completely innocent parties. In the meantime, the organization or team itself may stutter…
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Convincing others—persuading them to change rather than compelling them—is often difficult but an essential leadership skill. Dr. Robert Cialdini, an expert in persuasion, has developed six principles for persuading people to change their ideas or course of action: Reciprocity: You give something, so that the other person wants to give back to you. Scarcity: You…
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An organization, like an individual, goes through many changes whether or not those are anticipated and planned for. External changes in the economy, politics, regulations, technology, and competition can have huge impacts for a company. Organizational change may be prompted by leadership changes, new ideas, internal and external growth, or a myriad of other internal…
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One of the sureties of life is that change will happen: the seasons change, we grow older, other people come into and out of our lives. If change is that inevitable, how do we know when we ourselves need to change, how do we prepare for change, how do we get through it with our…
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How do you define a crisis? The words “unstable,” “dangerous,” “breakdown,” “unplanned,” “stressful,” and “unexpected” occur over and over again across every field from aerospace to finance and psychology, whether the crisis situation is professional, personal, or community-wide. Preventing a crisis in the first place is the best option, but often impossible to accomplish, especially…
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When change is required, communication ensures that everyone is on the same page, understands the need for the change, and is committed to the change, not to proving that it isn’t necessary. When change affects only one person, a private discussion with that person is often sufficient; if it affects the team, then a team…
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Your business may be large or small, your team close-knit or dysfunctional, but change is seldom easy. Even in a group of two, changes may require seemingly endless discussion (moving to a new location, buying an expensive product) and others never really catch hold. One rule of thumb, the 20-50-30 rule, states that 20% of…
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The ability to focus and concentrate on a task is embedded in the cerebral cortex, and it can be improved. Focus refers to the broadness of one’s attention—the smaller the area of attention, the greater the focus. Concentration refers to the depth of attention—the ability to maintain attention on a single object or activity. Among…
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