30 Years and 2,500 Programs in Learning & Development- Has Anything Changed?
My first real training development and delivery job was for the New York City Police Department in the 1980’s and it was a doozy: use professional actors to help train police officers learn how to manage what they called “EDP”s – Emotionally Disturbed Persons. My responsibility was to cast and direct the actors and help them create realistic characters – like drug addicts going through...
When Employer Trust is Lost
Last year, I was leading a program on respect and trust with a dozen mid-level managers at a new client’s headquarters, when I found myself in a strange situation: everyone stopped talking. I was covering the four conditions that must be met for a relationship to have a high level of trust — competence, openness & honesty, concern for others’ best interests, and reliability — and I...
A Healthy Company Culture Starts with a Blueprint for Success
In my 25 years of experience working with top industry and government organizations, I know one thing is true: a company with happy employees and a healthy company culture didn’t get there by accident. Its leaders have carefully nurtured and curated their work environments to develop a sustainable foundation of responsive, respectful leadership that significantly improves their chances of...Modeling Respectful Behavior: Whose Job Is It?
When I’m working with a new client and making a case for modeling respectful behavior in the workplace, there is an inevitable hurdle to clear first: acknowledging there is a problem, so leaders stop passing the buck on accountability. If I’ve heard this complaint once, I’ve heard it a thousand times. Every time I show managers and leaders the data that clearly demonstrates our workplaces are...
Build Your Business with Internal Leadership Development
For any manager, it’s a real shame to lose good people on your team. Employee turnover is also very expensive. Most companies invest thousands of dollars in hiring and training, not to mention loss of productivity during each transition. Yet, more than a third of employers are expecting to lose employees to competitors this year due to dissatisfaction over salary and advancement opportunities,...
Disrespectful Behavior at Work: When the Facts Offend
Recently, I gave a talk at a major HR conference where I referred to data demonstrating that, while the frequency of and sensitivity to disrespectful behavior at work has been steadily increasing over the last 20 years, there appears to have been an uptick following the election of Donald Trump. I concluded this segment of my talk by saying, “I think we can agree that from an HR perspective,...
The Late, Late, Late Disrespectful Show
I have a personal habit that drives some people nuts: I’m always early for meetings. It doesn’t matter if I’m going to a business meeting, a training presentation, or even a dinner date; typically, I show up at least 15-20 minutes before I’m expected. As you can imagine, this can be problematic, because often as not, the people I’m meeting with just aren’t ready for me. Believe me, when I was...
8 Ways to Improve Your Work Relationships
Many of us spend more time with coworkers than we do with our family and friends, so it’s in our best interests to make the most of our work relationships. Your ability to develop positive, supportive liaisons also influences your ability to advance your career. These allies can be your greatest cheerleaders when you are being considered for a promotion or a new job. Glassdoor Blogger...
When Employees are Ripe to Fill the Gaps in their Leadership Skills
One of the foundational practices I detail in my book, The Respectful Leader, is looking for diamonds in the rough. Leaders who acknowledge their team’s excellence in skills and perspectives foster an environment where employees feel respected. Respect creates greater loyalty among employees and commitment to go the extra mile. This recognition also inspires a growth culture where team...