Has your boss ever tried to hide criticism in a compliment? “You’re doing great, but…” What about the old positive feedback, negative feedback, positive feedback sandwich? “Hey, Mark. Great job with the Morgan account. Next time, […]
Tag: Motivation
Cash Rules Everything Around Me
One of our vendors went out of business a short while ago, and our office was abuzz with speculation about why this seemingly good company went under. “What did them in?” one of my peers […]
Management Skills: Firing Yourself
Have you ever seen a new guy come into your organization and quickly rise above everyone else’s performance? Not all new guys are shooting stars, but every now and then a new golden boy, a […]
Submissive, Assertive, and Aggressive Management
An employee shows up to work slightly out of dress code. He is wearing a midnight blue shirt when the policy clearly states only light-colored shirts are acceptable. I find that if the manager says […]
Adversity and Resolve
Last Sunday, an early snow storm slammed Connecticut and its still leafy trees causing a record 800,000 homes to lose power. Most residents’ electricity (and heat) was out for at least three days, and some, […]
The Uprising
I am one of the two million people who watched this YouTube video called “Joey Quits” this week. The three-minute video shows a young hotel employee, Joey, storming into his workplace where he is treated […]
Understanding Management
I’ve been called many names. “A good manager needs to be like the mayor,” I heard a top-level executive declare last week. The comparisons don’t end there. What makes management so hard to understand that […]
I Know Nothing
I go through these development cycles at work. I get to a point where I am quite sure I have mastered the field of management. I begin to imagine myself as a gift to the […]
Conflict Management Summer Class
It was a summer Saturday at 8:00 a.m. and thirty-six MBA students reported to class for an accelerated two-weekend class on conflict management. For most students, the five class meetings would replace normal days off, […]
Remembering My First Leadership Lessons
I recently remembered a childhood experience from when I was nine or so. I used to ‘work’ with my grandfather during summer vacation. His name is Billy Stamboly, Gido to me, which is Arabic for […]
Leader As A God
Turns out I am not a God. I thought I might be. I became a leader so early. The youngest to have that much so-and-so in company history. I was recruited by the owner for […]
Victory At All Costs
Last week, I attended a luncheon where Steve Forbes was the special guest. He spoke about the importance of having a long term focus. “We have to remember to step away from the daily demands […]
Lessons From The Mission That Killed bin Laden
I was up later than usual Sunday night, too late for a work night. I was caught up watching one of my favorite bank robber movies, Heat. Long movie. Just as I was about to […]
Can Managers Be Artists?
Eli Broad, famous billionaire and philanthropist said on “60 Minutes“ last week, “civilizations are not remembered by their business people or bankers or lawyers, they are remembered by the arts.” Can’t managers be artists too? The […]
Management Skills: Be Trustworthy
Gravity keeps the earth rotating perfectly around the sun. If that gravitational force became any weaker, we would drift away from the sun forever. Trust is the gravity that keeps our relationships in orbit – […]