When was the last time one of your employees or reports was recognized? By you? By another colleague? In front of other people? Make it a habit to share “kudos” at whatever your appropriate time and place may be. Depending on the size of your organization, that could be board meetings, it could be administrative… Continue reading Kudos: Recognizing Your Employees, Direct Reports, & Colleagues
Sometimes it seems silly that we pass out an 8.5 x 11-inch sheet of paper with nothing more than the date and a few numbered items on it. Well, it is silly, but keep doing it. More importantly: stick to what you write on it. Ah yes, the legendary meeting agenda. For most organizations, it… Continue reading Sticking to a Meeting Agenda
This has to be one of the most common and frustrating experiences in digital office culture (totally independent of whether or not it’s your supervisor writing you back): You provided the item in question and asked one very simple question. What did you get back? “Looks great!” We all get too much email, are all… Continue reading “Looks great!” – the email response that misses important questions
It’s weekly meeting time. You have a group together. You’re reviewing what’s working, and everyone’s cool. You’re reviewing what’s not working, and you let this doozy out: “It’s nobody’s fault.” Of course it’s someone’s fault. It’s ultimately your fault, since you’re ostensibly in charge, right? It’s completely transparent that you’re trying to walk that line… Continue reading “It’s Nobody’s Fault”
How many times have you seen (or even worse, sent) something like this? Subject line: simply the word “update”. Woof. This email could be — and at times, actually has been — any of these different things: “I’m leaving to spend more time with my family”* “The business is shutting down” “We received budget allocation… Continue reading Bad Email Subject Lines
It’s Tuesday afternoon. You had a couple meetings, knocked a couple items off your to-do list, and added a couple new ones. It was a pretty regular day. You’re walking out the door, and your boss says, “Thanks for all your help today.” … What “help”…? If you’re in a leadership position speaking to a… Continue reading “Thanks For All Your Help Today”
