Your mother was right about first impressions being important, but they’re not always the ones you want to rely upon when it comes to building a working relationship. This is particularly true if you think the other person lacks the ability to do the right things the right way based upon what you’ve heard from […]

It is difficult even for Doers to do their best work in a tension-filled environment. So, consider what it would mean should the conflicts you’re currently embroiled in remain unresolved. Not everyone is comfortable disclosing his or her frustrations in an open forum. Hence, the best option for sharing your truth with others is to […]

As a Doer your purpose in offering criticism – constructive or otherwise – is to achieve clarity and build trust, not to hurt the other person’s feelings. But that may happen anyway especially if that person has not invited your comments or has not been open to your feedback in the past. Early attempts to […]

Attracting Doers and keeping those already on board from jumping ship when a more challenging opportunity comes along is a two-pronged problem. The enduring attractions to high performers are opportunities to grow within their profession, to make a measurable difference in the lives of others and to accomplish something within your firm they could not […]

Full disclosure regarding the potential downside of what lies ahead exposes everyone to the truth about the difficulties they’re about to face. More importantly, it triggers the search for new tools and new ways to make change happen. Lastly, it generates critical questions like: Are we missing something? What current resources are available? Whose help […]

It’s not your imagination; people are becoming more disingenuous and disrespectful in their person-to-person transactions. Common courtesy and civil behavior are being replaced by an in-your-face attitude that not only breeds contempt among peers, but also dampens their collaborative spirit. Working with disgruntled and disagreeable people is not easy, but it can be done if you use the following […]

Our capacity to listen is greater than our ability to speak. So why is it, then, that we yearn to be great speakers rather than good listeners? To know that you’ve been heard is one of the most confirming feelings you’ll ever have. Sadly though, paying full attention while someone else is speaking requires more […]

Joe was a machine operator in a high-tech manufacturing company. His story is a good example of how the learning process applies in a competitive enterprise. As a loyal employee, Joe had been running the cutting machine for years with no complaints. Things began to change when the production quota was raised and Joe’s rejection […]

Typically, non-performers have little interest in learning without some external stimulation. Understanding how learning takes place progressively in four stages could be very useful to anyone in a leadership position. Armed with this knowledge you can put on your motivator hat and light a fire under some of your least productive followers. Stage 1 – […]

Doers have something special working in their favor: the innate desire to do a good job that triggers a willingness to acknowledge their own incompetence. Doers are also willing to put up with a certain amount of discomfort during the learning process in order to experience the end result—recognition of a job well done. The […]