Dear Madeleine, I am regular reader and a fan. I’m about to graduate from my grad school program. You talk a lot about the importance of networking. I feel like I’ve been somewhat insulated from the reality and necessity of building a network and was wondering if you could give me some ideas of what…
Dear Madeleine, I lead large teams in the field and partner with a core team at the headquarters of my organization. My boss is at HQ and largely ignores me because all of my projects come in on time and under budget. I have literally been told I am a “dream employee.” The fly in…
The fun and anticipation of one part of this festive season can cause it to become, for some, one of the most stressful events of the year. No, I’m not talking about Christmas dinner at the in-laws. I’m talking about the annual office holiday party! For a leader, the annual office holiday party can be…
Ken Blanchard recently posted a Thanksgiving holiday video on his YouTube and Facebook channels sharing his thoughts on being thankful along with some of the ways his family builds gratitude into their holiday traditions. As Ken shares,“Life is a very special occasion—don’t miss it. Part of that is being thankful for the blessings you have. It doesn’t mean that there…
Dear Madeleine, I manage a small team at a software company. It’s go-go-go, constant crazy all the time, but that’s okay—it’s what I signed up for. I like the work and the atmosphere. My problem may sound odd to you: my boss wants to be my friend. She is always asking me to lunch and…
Dear Madeleine, I run a small creative services business with a partner. We’ve had many long years of almost freakish success. We’ve accomplished amazing client work with great employees who have been dependable and excellent at their jobs. Over the years, we’ve also had our ups and downs—but lately it has been mostly downs. My…
Dear Madeleine, I am a senior manager in a global company and have been here fourteen years. About two years ago, I spoke with my boss about being promoted to director level. She told me neither she nor her boss thought I was ready for promotion because I had some areas that needed improvement. They…
During a coaching conversation, leaders often bring up the topic of workplace relationship challenges. The ability to partner, connect, and build positive and productive relationships at work is critical to job and career success. Clients who are struggling with relationship building are at either one end or the other of the continuum. At one end…
I just got back from teaching a class on our Situational Team Leadership content. Before class started, people were very quiet, even wary, about talking with one another. Some even passed the time by doing individual work at their computer. To start the class I shared that since this was a course on teams, I’d…
“I’m sorry, we need to let you go.” Oomph! Those words feel like a punch to the gut of the employee on the receiving end, and for the leader delivering the bad news, those words create anxiety and many sleepless nights leading up to that difficult conversation. No leader likes to see an employee fail…