What Is the Difference? There is no doubt that there is a difference between "young people today" compared to their older colleagues. "Young people seem to want everything right now! They don't seem to want to pay their dues or wait their turn." "Why, when I was their age I appreciated when I was given the opportunity to do something interesting." "Young people don't seem to have any respect. They are on their computers or phones texting in the … [Read more...] about A Conversation With Millennials
Inter-Personal People Skills
#95 The Air Traffic Controllers Were Not Managed!
Hello everyone, I think that the "air-traffic-controllers-asleep" issue has some interesting lessons for us in the area of management. Here is what I mean. One of the workshops I conduct includes a section devoted to the topic of “how to develop your team culture”. That is, what can a manager do to develop and propagate the culture that the manager wants to “install” into the organization? Now for many managers the culture they think … [Read more...] about #95 The Air Traffic Controllers Were Not Managed!
#82 Buy-In Once More
"Buy-In, Once More With Feeling!" Hello everyone! Buy-in is everywhere… it's everywhere! Most of us involved in business, technical organizations, and teams think of buy-in as a common requirement for our success. Buy-in isn't just something that managers attempt to secure from their direct reports. Buy-in is a requirement for all human endeavors that require more than one person. Buy-in is the thread, the weave, that holds the fabric … [Read more...] about #82 Buy-In Once More
#81 Building Buy-In Is Easy
"When you know what to do" Hello everyone! The big question is... I often get asked these questions: "Steven, how do you get buy-in from people?" or "In this difficult business environment, how do you get people to buy-in instead of worrying about other things that take them away from what they need to be accomplishing?" or "How do I get the team to give buy-in and have everyone pull in the same direction?" It doesn't much matter how … [Read more...] about #81 Building Buy-In Is Easy
#80 First Rule of Leadership
The #1 leadership rule you need to know!" Hello everyone! If you were to pick one and only one leadership rule, I've put it in this blog. Everything else about leadership pales in comparison to this rule. I've devoted this blog and this week's ezine/newsletter to just this topic. We often hear the following definition of leadership: "Leadership is the ability to get people to do what they don't want to do". Or some variation on that … [Read more...] about #80 First Rule of Leadership
#79 Trust Your Experiences
"How do you recognize good management advice?" Hello everyone! "Who do you trust and what is the truth in management?" This last week I was reading some of the blogs on the people skills necessary for successful management. One blog, in particular, caught my eye. It had to do with "behaviors" that are necessary for a good manager. Some of the behaviors put forth by the author included things like these soft skills: 1. When you are … [Read more...] about #79 Trust Your Experiences