High performing teams share one critical attribute that separates them from other teams: Emotional intelligence (EQ). Teams that function exceptionally well have developed really good people skills, and they use them—a lot. Google’s extensive research on what makes a...

Jolanda had reflected on the most meaningful and important managerial relationships in her career.  She was a new manager and she wanted to really to start off on a best path of working with others, especially others whose expertise surpassed hers.  It was clear to...

“So, since we went over the correction plan for your work two weeks ago and we outlined what needed to be achieved, how do you think you’ve done?” asked Shelia. “I’ve tried hard to meet the goals,” said Aaron. “What are the benchmarks you think you achieved given the...

Joaquim replayed the message over and over.  His boss said, “you repeatedly show up late for department meetings, you constantly look at your cell phone when other people are talking, and when you have something to say, you don’t mind interrupting anyone in order to...

The email arrived in ALL CAPS! WHERE IS THE REPORT??????? YOUR ARE LATE!!!!!!!! Erica looked at her screen and had the clear sense that she was being yelled at by a team member.  She had sent a report the day earlier and her team member was complaining that he had not...

After the presentation to the senior team, Carole (the manager for a product team) said to Jerry (a product team member), “During the meeting, you kept sending texts on your phone, looking down at your phone, and looking out the window. I rarely saw you looking at...

High school students can be refreshingly challenging. They see the world with a beginner’s mind in many ways, and their questions reveal the level of thought and the agency of youth. Recently during a presentation on leading others, a 17-year-old raised her hand and...

The single most precious—because it is non-renewable—resource each individual has is time. How you invest your time matters. All investments of resources have outcomes. If you invest your time sharing gossip, you know less and less about those around you. If you...

By now, anyone paying attention knows the prohibitive cost of losing a hardworking employee or associate. You can calculate it a number of ways. An employee who has been working for a number of years and doing an excellent job is becoming more proficient at the work...

Who would pay $5500 for a weekend class? Recently, 24 executives did. What did they take? A weekend version of Stanford’s wildly popular course for the past 50 years--Organizational Behavior 374: Interpersonal Dynamics."  Others call it “Touchy Feely.” It is basically...

Get Ready for Anything And You Can Make It Anywhere What matters? Clarence Lang, Penn State’s Dean for the College of the Liberal Arts, interviewed in this month’s PennStater (Oct/Nov, 2019), was asked “…do liberal arts still matter?” His response: “A lot of...