Who are the five people you spend the most time with? Most people when I ask this question in my presentations say family, best friend, coworkers, and boss. Then I tell them they are all wrong. The person you spend the most time with is yourself. So, if you are spending all this time with … Read more
We live in a world where there is so much information thrown at us that one would think that everyone would open their minds to different possibilities, however, this is not the case. Instead it appears that the more data we gather, the more some people retrench and stay true to what they believe. It … Read more
In a team setting or frankly in any relationship, one of the biggest problems is communication. For a world where there are so many ways to communicate, we are actually pretty bad at it. When we are in a dialogue with a colleague, family member, or friend, are we really listening to what is being … Read more
Can’t, won’t, don’t, and never are words that we may not realize but when used improperly in a team setting can really bring down the morale of the group. It is easy to see things negatively because it has actually been proven that as humans we gravitate to bad news or actions versus the positive. … Read more
When you pass someone on the street or in a store, do you think about who that person is? By their clothes, body language, and even what they are purchasing or bags they are carrying, do you make a decision regarding that person’s socioeconomic status or other ways to distinguish them? We actually judge people … Read more
In today’s world, we are bombarded with news of people being deceitful and untrustworthy. They may get away with something (or many things) for a long time but eventually they get caught. These people may have grown up hearing the phrase – “Honesty is the best policy” – but obviously they chose not to take … Read more
Think back to when you were a child and you had ideas that you wanted to share with your friends about what to do that day or a game you wanted to play. There may have been times when the “leader” did not like your ideas and got the rest of the group to go … Read more
When one thinks of team building activities the word “fun” comes to mind. Some examples are the marshmallow challenge, Two Truths and a Lie, and Trust Fall. More elaborate activities are half or full day retreats off-site that include water games, building exercises, etc. Regardless of the exercise used, the idea of team building is … Read more
Emotional intelligence (EI and also known as EQ) is defined as the ability to identify, comprehend, and manage our emotions. This is challenging for leaders who are trying to ascertain each team member’s emotional intelligence because EQ will affect one’s behaviors which in turn impacts other people on the team. It is usually easier to … Read more
Although this word could be interpreted as a bad thing when it comes to a team, it is actually beneficial to have a deviant amongst the members. A deviant is the person that “departs from the norm”. In other words, this individual plays a devil’s advocate by questioning and/or challenging other members of the team … Read more