Growing Pains
“He was my best supervisor, and, now, it’s like he went brain-dead,” Marie complained. “James always followed things by the book. A stickler with rules. Some of our services are life and death, so...
View ArticleLearning Something New
What stops us from learning? It’s not the complexity of the content, or how much there is to learn. The obstacles to learning most often exist in the head of the learner. Obstacles are more about...
View ArticleShort List
I watched Vincent drop everything on his desk and excuse himself. From the corner window, he spotted the postal carrier bringing a bag of mail from her truck. Vincent was a senior partner in the firm...
View ArticleFriday at 5:00p
Kyle wheeled around into the sun, cupping his hand over his eyes to see who was calling his name. It was Barry, his manager. Friday afternoon at 5:00, and it was Barry. Again. Kyle already knew what...
View ArticleGauge the Risk
Aaron was in a pickle. He was a firm believer that, as a manager, delegation was his most powerful people development tool, but he was uncomfortable with the possible outcome. If this delegation...
View ArticleMama Told Me
“My mother taught me that if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself,” proclaimed Judith, repeating the sage advice she learned in her youth. “Interesting,” I replied. “Why do you think your...
View ArticleEverybody’s Busy
Crystal looked across the table with a grimace on her face. She had a project to delegate and just returned from a circle of the office looking for a candidate. “As I walked around, everyone looked so...
View ArticleSaid He Was Too Busy
“I was surprised,” said Janet. “Barry is my best guy. I just assigned him a task and he said he was too busy, told me to go find someone else. He always does such a great job. I thought he would be the...
View ArticleLearning From Mistakes
Janet was not convinced. “But, if I know they will make a mistake, what if I can’t afford the screw-up? Perhaps, I forgot to tell you that we work in a nuclear facility and this delegation has to do...
View ArticleAt Every Level of Work
The biggest problem in performance management, for most companies, is focusing on the work. Many managers focus on personality characteristics or communication breakdowns thinking if someone has the...
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