Communication
Learn to tell a good story
All of us love a good story. So my advice to leaders is to make good use of them. Good stories can do three...
Communication
Communication
How gender affects the decision-making process
This post is an excerpt from”Gender Intelligence,” by Barbara Annis and Keith Merron (HarperBusiness, May 2014). Buy the book at Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble,...
Communication
3 ways to tap the power of community
Smart leaders are developing a competitive advantage by creating a sense of connection and community among employees and customers. In the fitness world, SoulCycle...
Communication
The emotion-based approach to public speaking
The late Maya Angelou once said. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will...
Communication
Business pivots: Staying true to your (new) vision when dealing with resistance
So you’ve decided to take your business in a new, more exciting and more profitable direction. At least, that’s how you see it. Unfortunately,...
Communication
Leadership and customer-centric habits drove Sprint’s dramatic turnaround
My family has been a Sprint wireless customer for more than 10 years. We’re happy now, but in 2007, we almost fired Sprint because...
Communication
Are you approachable?
When I interview the stakeholders on the strengths and gaps of the leaders I work with, it’s not unusual for me to hear that...
Communication
Developing your leadership presentation
One of your principal duties as a leader will be to deliver speeches. Learn how to develop your presentation so that it conveys your...
Communication
Finding common ground with your audience
#467307343 / gettyimages.com One of the most challenging assignments as a speaker is making a presentation to a group of people with varying...
Communication
How to start a human capital initiative
Managing human capital as a resource is like assembling a kind of jigsaw puzzle, using talent for pieces and a strategic plan for the...
Communication
Dealing with personality stallers — ours and others
This post is adapted from “Enhancing Your Executive Edge: How to Develop the Skills to Lead and Succeed” (McGraw Hill, June 2014) by Kim...
Communication
Influencing snap decisions
We all make snap decisions. Many issues we decide on the fly should be made that way. Fax the document or e-mail it? Delegate...
Communication
How to be a conscious listener — what it means for us and others
I am a huge fan of SmartBrief; great articles about leadership. I was very pleased that my article “Listening is our Most Important Skill”...
Communication
Exude confidence when speaking to your CEO, part 1
It is important to make a personal connection when you meet senior people in your organization. This is especially true when presenting to an...
Communication
It’s time to revamp your internal communication
Do your employees secretly hate the communication techniques you’re currently using? According to a study by Root, Inc., more than half of employees surveyed...
Communication
The employee engagement puzzle: Understanding conflicting messages from the corner office
Do companies want real employee engagement? Or do they want to maintain command and control? Corner offices need to figure it out.
Communication
What do to with unwanted feedback
#455310525 / gettyimages.com As a leader, you have certainly been the recipient of some unwelcome feedback. The comments may have focused in on your...
Communication
Summertime quotas: When sales quotas are delivered late, the business suffers
A nervous group walks into the conference group. They are still trying to shake off the holiday haze, but are totally alert and loaded...
Communication
10 phrases that will make you a better leader
Want to be a better leader? Try improving your vocabulary. No, I’m not talking adding the latest management and leadership buzzwords or jargon to...
Communication
Exude confidence when speaking to your CEO, part 2
See part 1 here. Many people owe their careers to their ability to make small talk with senior people in their companies. When you...
Communication
Microsoft: Good news and bad news. Which first?
As the saying goes, “Timing is everything.” Someone at Microsoft should tell the big boss. It seems to me that Satya Nadella, the new...
Communication
4 leadership tips that will make people adore you
#108359383 / gettyimages.com In our leadership development training, we like to start out by asking people to list as many characteristics about their former...
Communication
14 ways CEOs can set the tone for their team from afar
The Young Entrepreneur Council is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that...
Communication
Leadership through conversations
Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of facilitating a discussion for a webinar for alumni of Georgetown University titled, “Conversations are the Work...
Communication
Breakthrough moments: Connecting with your audience
I recently returned from a whirlwind vacation that included visiting three of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. As much as I tried to “go off...
Communication
Why your message isn’t getting through
Whether in conference rooms or as conference keynotes, we all have something to say. But if you’re overly focused on yourself, are a churning...
Communication
4 tips to help leaders communicate during a crisis
Even though it happened over 20 years ago, the memory is vivid: While working in corporate America, I was waiting for a fax for...
Communication
Mindful listening in leadership
The concept of mindfulness has been in the media a lot lately. What does it really mean? It’s the quality of our attention in...
Communication
10 facts every CEO should know about verbal communication
As an Internet/tech entrepreneur since 2005, I’ve founded multiple tech startups, written on various publications, and featured in dozens of interviews and podcasts. My...
Communication
Be open and honest
“To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful.” ~ Edward R....
Communication
Don’t let e-mail become e-fail
“I was discussing the use of email and how impersonal it can be; how people will now email someone across the room rather than...
Communication
What you don’t know can hurt you: 12 tips for presenting on-camera
You prepare. Practice. Revise. Prepare some more. Practice again. You have a solid presentation ready to go. And yet somehow, it all falls flat...
Communication
Do you want to be a boss or a leader?
I was having a cup of coffee with a former work colleague who lamented over what happened at a meeting with his employer when...
Communication
The normalization of deviance: When saying “We’ve never had problems before” becomes a problem
The space shuttle Challenger in 1983. (Wikipedia/NASA) The hours ticked down to launch time, and Roger Boisjoly had the weight of the world on...
Communication
How to keep remote employees enthused, energized and engaged
A 49-year-old father of two hits his alarm clock at 6:30 a.m., starts a pot of coffee and prepares for his daily commute. For...
Communication
Aubrey Daniels on how to make a better budget
Many budget processes look like this: They happen once a year and go out a year ahead. Managers and departments have every incentive to...
Communication
What people wished their leaders knew
During my years as a consultant, I have often had people say to me, “I wish my leader knew …” to which I would...
Communication
Let us all praise the quiet leader
There is one advantage that quiet people have over those of us who like to hear the sounds of our own voices. They are...
Communication
What should managers regularly ask team members?
The Young Entrepreneur Council is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that...
Communication
Do you speak “vision”? Managers as interpreters of important company messages
Many years ago, when I was a corporate training consultant, my client hired a translator named Antonio to work with me to convert a...
Communication
How to make one helluva good person, together
I sat with two leaders in one of the last meetings we’d have. Six months of hard work by these two dedicated leaders who...
Communication
The crash of Flight 401 and the lessons for your company
Graphic from the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation (click to view full size) A warm late December evening in Miami awaited the 163 passengers...