What’s the Point of This Conversation?
Following my recent blog post about clarifying the goal of a meeting, I had the opportunity to put that advice into action. A colleague of mine was asking for my opinion on a situation she was grappling with. She began the conversation with, “I want to ask you about a situation.” And then she launched [...]
Setting Goals in Conversation: What Do You Want?
Following my recent blog post about clarifying the goal of a meeting, I had the opportunity to put that advice into action. A colleague of mine was asking for my opinion on a situation she was grappling with. She began the conversation with, “I want to ask you about a situation.” And then she launched [...]
Managing Work Meetings: Lose — But Don’t Lose — the Lesson
Facilitating can be a messy business. Anyone who has spent any time managing meetings has run into those moments when things seem to have gotten out of control. As facilitators or meeting managers these moments can get very uncomfortable, even scary. We tend to assume that we should always know what is happening and be [...]
Giving Feedback: The Power of Positive
In some recent posts I have talked about the power of positive feedback and how hard it is to hear it. Recently I had a client talk to me about improving team morale. Her team was struggling with reductions in staff and budgets—a common experience in today’s economy. The team has been feeling overwhelmed and [...]
How to Change Conflict into Learning
It always surprises me that I have to keep learning the same lessons over and over again when it comes to conflict management. Maybe you have that experience yourself. I teach others all the time that asking questions is an important part of having productive conversations, yet last week I had my own reminder of [...]
Finding the Job That Fits
Even in today’s market it’s important to be sure you find a job that is a good fit for you. A good fit, where you feel comfortable and where your talent and skills are valued and well utilized, will support both your success and the organization’s long-term success. When job hunting, most people focus on impressing an [...]