23

Sep

How long do I wait before terminating someone?

1 comment

3coze

change, change management, fire, resistance, resistor, terminate, transformation, when to terminate

About teams, Be a better team leader, How to fix teams

My favorite source of topics for posts are the questions I get at the end of my speeches. Last week, I was giving the opening keynote in a room full of mayors and local government representatives. The speech was called, “Change Has Changed.” It’s about the challenges of leading teams through perpetual change…the kind that […]

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17

Jun

Simple Steps to Rehabilitate a Bad Reputation

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3coze

bad reputation, boss, boss doesn't like me, brand, favouritism, holds a grudge, leader

About teams, Be a better team leader, Communicate, Right Words to Say

I was working with a team recently that had developed a bit of a bad reputation. The management team of their organization had decided that they were complacent, stuck in the past, and not driving hard enough for growth. The team leader admitted that there was a kernel of truth in the statements but insisted […]

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20

May

Should you pick your battles?

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3coze

argument, battles, colleagues, conflict, debates, fights, passive-aggressive, war metaphors

About teams, Be a better team member, Communicate, conflict, How to fix teams, Personal Development, Right Words to Say

“Do you agree that we should pick our battles?” This was a question I got during the Q&A session of a keynote speech I gave last week. I think I surprised the questioner with my response, which means I might surprise you too, so here goes. If you are “picking battles,” you’re getting conflict all […]

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22

Apr

Interpreting the Body Language on Your Team

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3coze

body language, communication, conflict, Mark Bowden, trust, Truth and Lies

About teams, Communicate, Interviews, Personal Development

Something a little different today. Rather than a post, I’m bringing you an interview with the marvelous Mark Bowden, a world-renowned body language expert. I had the opportunity to talk to Mark about his new book, Truth and Lies, What People are REALLY Thinking. The book is full of tips on how to interpret body […]

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25

Feb

Is ‘Success Theatre’ Masking Rot in Your Organization?

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3coze

Board of Directors, conflict, decision making, GE, General Electric, Jack Welch, Jeff Immelt, success theater, Wall Street Journal

About teams, Be a better team leader, Headline News, Horror Stories, Strategy & Planning

I read an excellent article in the Wall Street Journal this week entitled “How Jeffrey Immelt’s ‘Success Theater’ Masked the Rot at GE.” In it, authors Thomas Gryta, Joann Lublin, and David Benoit describe how the Immelt and his top leaders, “projected an optimism about GE’s business and its future that didn’t always match the […]

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18

Feb

How to Get People To Live Up to Your Expectations

1 comment

3coze

accountability, alignment, communication, communication breakdown, expectations, goal setting, goals

About teams, Be a better team leader, Be a better team member, Connect, Right Words to Say

We got talking about expectations in a session I was facilitating last week. The conversation was like a giant projective test; quickly exposing the participants’ core ideologies about people, and relationships, and trust. Some of the people around the table talked about the power of the self-fulfilling prophecy and how setting lofty goals can inspire […]

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11

Feb

The #1 Crisis Facing Organizations: The Need for More Conflict

8 comments

3coze

conflict, Galbraith, laterals, matrix organization, priorities, prioritization, star model, strategy, structure, SWOT

About teams, conflict, Horror Stories, Strategy & Planning

I’m deep into writing my new book and I’ve had an epiphany: Organizations are built to require conflict while employees are built to avoid it. I see this impact of this problem every day, but it took me 20 years to name it. Now it’s so clear. We have set up a fundamental tension between […]

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04

Feb

How to Cope with Backlash to Your Feedback

7 comments

3coze

defensive coworker, defensive teammate, defensiveness, emotional, feedback, performance management, resistance

About teams, Be a better team leader, Be a better team member, Communicate, Contribute, Personal Development, Right Words to Say

I facilitated a workshop this week that has given me lots of juicy fodder for discussion here with you. The session focused on uncomfortable discussions, including considerable time on how to give and to receive feedback. The conversation evolved as it usually does: we started with the mechanics of how to give feedback and quickly […]

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26

Nov

Don’t pass conflict aversion to the next generation

1 comment

3coze

bullying, conflict avoidance, parenting, passive-aggressive, raising children, sexual harassment

About teams, conflict, Horror Stories, How to fix teams

In my previous post, I shared with you the idea of “conflict debt,” where we avoid the uncomfortable conversations that are desperately needed for the health of our organizations, our teams, and ourselves. When we avoid these prickly situations, we rack up conflict debt and start paying debilitating interest. But if conflict aversion is so […]

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19

Nov

Conflict Debt

19 comments

3coze

book, conflict, conflict resolution, keynote, overwork, presentation, priorities, speech, stress

About teams, Announcements, conflict

I’m super excited. I’ve finally found the big idea for the speech and book I’m working on. I’ve told you before that it’s about conflict—that’s been clear for a long time. But how do I convince people that conflict isn’t evil and it’s not going to make you a bad person, destroy your relationships, or […]

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