Most leaders and managers dread giving constructive feedback to direct reports. They are concerned that others will see the feedback as negative or critical of them as a person. A core concept of The Ken Blanchard Companies’ Situational Leadership® II model can help leaders and managers get over this hurdle by making sure that feedback…
Dear Madeleine, I have been managing a team in the insurance industry for the last fifteen years. There has been a lot of change—mostly reductions in staff size and increases in work load—but basically it is pretty much the same stuff, just a different day, and has been for a long time. My last kid…
Dear Madeleine, I recently interned at a company where my project charter was to “create a competency based interview process and standard operating process for talent acquisition.” My project guide, who is head of talent acquisition, asked me instead to create an interview evaluation sheet based on competencies that were already in place and a…
Dear Madeleine, I have been part of a large team of great people for a few years. About a year ago we got a new boss. He is a few years older than me and very smart and creative. We had an immediate connection because we went to the same school for undergraduate and are…
Think about the last time you attended a training session. If you are like me, you got excited about the content, fired up about changing things back at work based on what you learned, and ready to be a different and better leader. Then reality hits. Hundreds of emails, 22 meetings, and 17 “I just…
Dear Madeleine, I am 43. Two and a half years ago I needed to get back into working after nine years as a stay-at-home mom. It was slim pickings out there, but I was finally able to secure a job with a local chain restaurant as a marketing person. Today I feel I’ve outgrown the…
People from all walks of life gravitate to the profession of coaching. Many are service oriented and find joy in helping others achieve their dreams. Some enjoy the entrepreneurial aspect of owning their own business and having the freedom to work with as many or as few clients as they desire. Still others work in…
