Dear Madeleine, I keep hearing that the most important thing to be successful in business is the ability to build relationships with people. But here is the problem: I don’t like people. I think people are fundamentally untrustworthy and corrupt. I am in veterinary school so I can take care of animals, which I much…
Have you ever been let down by someone you lead or manage? If this happens more than once, you may start thinking of it as a flaw within the individual—which may lead to you eventually having a hard time seeing any of that person’s positive traits. This interesting video points out how every weakness has…
Dear Madeleine, I am a senior manager in a large and well known high tech organization. I keep my head down and stay clear on my goals. I do whatever it takes to make sure my people are successful. I have a reputation for being a good manager and I attract the best talent to…
Dear Madeleine, I am hysterically funny. Or at least my friends think so. I love to make people laugh and I come from funny people—in fact, my wife married me partly because of how funny I am. Ever since I was promoted to senior management, though, it is as though everyone has lost their sense…
Dear Madeleine, I’ve painted myself into a bit of a corner. I’ve never insisted on having the latest equipment, software, or even outside help at work. I’ve pretty much worked with the equipment I was given and made do with the resources I’ve had. The problem is, everything is old—my laptop was designed for Windows…
Working from home can improve employee productivity and satisfaction and provide substantial cost savings for businesses. But is it right for everyone? Not necessarily. Even organizations with the most successful work from home programs confirm that some individuals work better in an office environment than they do from a home office. What about you? Here…
I was at a conference last weekend and the facilitator assigned the table groups a topic to discuss. After the discussion a person from each table stood up and gave a brief report on group’s conversation. A very accomplished friend and colleague of mine presented for our table group and when she sat down the…
