Why Elite Teams Reject Team Building But Are Its Best Candidates

Conventional wisdom holds that weak teams are the ideal candidates for team building exercises and programs. But paradoxically, it is actually exceptional teams that benefit the most from this. How can that be?

Think of two groups of golfers. One is composed of beginners and the other of experts. They each get a training session. The former will learn some of the basics but the latter have the real opportunity to achieve a real breakthrough. They don’t have to dwell on the basics. The best players are focused on small… Read the full article >

Anonymous Employee Tip Lines are the Sign of a Broken Culture

Having a place for employees to call when they have problems at home or are struggling with addiction is one thing. But when a company puts into place an employee anonymous tip line – to report abusive managers – things have gone too far.

I was quite surprised when I saw it first hand – an unhappy employee calls the tip line and reports a manager who is abusive. Just one anonymous call and the manager’s reputation is destroyed…. Read the full article >

The Magic Of Painful Meetings

You just led a meeting and you feel pretty good. Tasks were checked off, progress appears to be made and everyone seemed pretty happy at the end. Guess what – it was a waste of time. Odds are you missed an opportunity to raise the bar.

The whole point of bringing people together is collaborate. Collaborate means to work together, to labor together, to create something together. How can you create something of value if everyone is happy and calm?… Read the full article >

When To Shut Up and When To Yell “Bingo”

As the NY Times cited this weekend, a new study at M.I.T. last month confirmed that many of you reading this need to just shut up.

I agree. In my experience working with top teams, many executives are talkers, to the detriment of team performance. These talkers are often articulate and captivating, which makes it seem like they are adding value when they speak. But over time, when they open their mouth, others just check out of the… Read the full article >

3 Ways to Stop Leader Optimism from Ruining Your Team

A key aspect of a leaders job is transmitting a sense of positivity to keep the culture enthusiastic and engaged. No one can argue with that, or can we? Sometimes the happy face is not warranted, and team managers have to temper it by injecting a dose of reality into the mix.

The research now shows clearly that CEO’s are way more optimistic than the average person. In fact 80% are ‘very optimistic’ according to research of over 1,000 sitting CEO’s by… Read the full article >

The NYPD And The Mayor: When Conflict Turns To War

As a lifelong advisor to organizations of all kinds and in varied geographies (including governmental units of the city of New York), my firm and I are often called upon to settle conflicts between people, their management and their co-workers.

Although this is often challenging, once you understand what is at the core of conflict and have a methodology for dealing with it, there is always a solution.

One of the universal keys to success is to address the issues as… Read the full article >

Why Leaders Need To Strive For “Delicious!”

Will 2015 be “Delicious!” for you and your team?

I had a business lunch with a client today. We were eating appetizers when the waitress came over. “Oh here she comes to ask ‘is everything OK?’ I thought.

Instead what she said completely surprised me. She asked, “Is everything delicious?” Her question threw me off balance. I stammered, “Delicious? Why yes it is delicious! Tony is yours delicious?” Tony said, “Yes it is!” “Antoine how about you?” Antoine confirmed we were… Read the full article >

Forget Big Data. Trust Little People

Data is important. And now the experts say Big Data is the answer to all our problems. But when trying to change a culture, a few little people are much more important.

Collecting data is critical to success

It is important to collect data to better understand a culture. It gives the team members a voice. No organizational culture change can be done without the members having had the opportunity to voice their opinions about what’s needed through a survey and/or… Read the full article >

Once You Say “Everything’s Fine”, It’s Not

In todays world of positivity and happiness, I say Go Negative!

Thank you Greg Hayes, the new CEO of United Technologies, for an important lesson on executive negativity, leadership and success. At a recent investor conference he said “I love to point out the negative as we think about next year, just to keep everyone’s expectations in line.” (WSJ Nov 26, Page B2)

What? Focusing on the negative? Today it is en vogue to set positive, optimistic… Read the full article >

Why Managers Need BS Detectors…And How To Use Them To Change A Culture

Managers pride themselves on being in the know. What the upcoming changes are going to be. Who is really behind the initiative. Who is moving up and who is moving out. Ironically, they are not in the know in the most important area of work life—what their employees really think.

Let’s get one thing straight. Your employees want to please you. They want you to like them and consider them for raises and promotions. Their livelihood depends on you.

As… Read the full article >