Dear Madeleine, I am a subject matter expert in an engineering company and, well, a technical genius. I am aware it isn’t politically correct to put it that way, but it is the truth—I have an unusually high IQ and people who come to me for help literally call me “The Genius.” Our whole team…
If someone asks my opinion about their organization making a shift to a coaching culture, I won’t say “think again, my friend”—but I will say “let’s think this through before you go spending a lot of money on consultants and a lot of time and energy rallying the troops.” Who am I to say anything?…
Dear Madeleine, My boss is really tough—I would say borderline abusive. It isn’t just to me. He is awful to everyone. Because of this, I am in a constant state of anxiety and my work has definitely suffered. I was very good at my job but I know the quality has decreased because I have…
Want a more purposeful, aligned, and engaged organization? “Make sure managers and direct reports are taking a collaborative approach to performance,” says Susan Fowler, senior consulting partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies and coauthor of the company’s Self Leadership training program. “It starts with agreed-upon goals,” Fowler continues. “In my early days as a consultant,…
Dear Madeleine, I was recently hired into a manufacturing company in the engineering department. I am leading two different teams. One of the teams is running smoothly, and the other one is a disaster. Disaster team is in constant turmoil— to the degree that some members of team are not even speaking to each other.…
In this episode, Whitney Johnson discusses the secrets to creating an engaged and productive team as outlined in her book, Build an A-Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve. Johnson shares seven ways managers can support their team members’ journey up the curve.
How can an organization have a problem with low trust yet none of its leaders consider themselves untrustworthy? Sounds crazy, right? It must be possible in some sort of cosmic, twilight zone kind of way. Organizations frequently ask us to help them address low trust, yet when we work with the individual managers, none of…
Dear Madeleine, How do you guide a recent graduate—someone new to the work world—to not be so confident of his own work? How do you convince him to check his work, question his solutions, and search for the best answer instead of the first one? I don’t want to tear down anyone’s confidence, but this…
Dear Madeleine, I am an entrepreneur trying to grow my business while trying to also have a life. I know I have some bad habits that I should probably correct and I want to develop good habits moving forward. What are your thoughts on this? Want to Get it Right _____________________________________________________________________________ Dear Want to Get…
For most, if not all organizations, their employees are their number one asset. This makes the wellbeing, the engagement of employees very important. Why? Because engaged employees are passionate about their work. They strive to provide superior customer service, solve problems, and find innovative approaches. A great way to generate a significant positive affect on…
Dear Madeleine, I’m a mid-level manager with a large team. My boss pretty much leaves me on my own to get my job done. He knows he can trust me. My problem is that I am constantly anxious about my performance, even though no one tells me it isn’t good enough. Everyone keeps talking about…
Best-selling business author Scott Blanchard says managers who are effective at goal setting with their people keep two things in mind: The big picture—why we are doing it and what matters about it? The short term—what do we need to do now to move forward toward the larger goal? Blanchard gives an example of this…
Dear Madeleine, After years of working under a very bright, well organized manager who communicated clearly, I now have a new manager who is—well, a twit. He was a new hire who managed another department and when our old manager left they moved him into this job. It is a lateral move for him and…
In this episode, Tasha Eurich describes concepts from her book Insight: The Surprising Truth About How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, and Why the Answers Matter More Than We Think. Eurich explains how developing self-awareness—knowing who we are and how others see us—can help you be fulfilled, confident, and successful in life and…
Perhaps, like me, you suffer from the inability to say the word no. As soon as I hear “You are so good at…” or “We really need you…,” I am captured in the web of overcommitment and the stress that often accompanies it. As I analyzed the various commitments, projects, and requests that I have…
