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...
Striking Down Reality
When it comes to expressing my thoughts on the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action in college and university admissions, it is clear to me that there are so many voices calling out today with first-hand experience that are far more educated and eloquent than mine. I can only speak from my heart, and it is hurting now. Its hurting because I know that for centuries,...
That’s Your Opinion
Your opinion is your opinion, your perception is your perception–do not confuse them with ‘facts,’ or ‘truth.’ – John Moore Unless you’ve been permanently holed up in a SCIF (a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) for the past four to five years, you’ve probably noticed that these days strong opinions are being flung about the world at hyper speed and coming from all...
Here’s Why Your Employees Aren’t Talking
This article was originally published by Inc.com. Thank you Maya Hu-Chan for allowing us to republish your work. If you’re met with silence when you ask for input, these tips can start a dialogue. A question I often get from my clients is, “How do I get my employees to speak up?” They ask their teams to share their opinions and speak their minds, but they are most often met...
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...
5 Ways To Make Sure Employees Know You Respect Them—And Why That’s Crucial For Success
This article originally appeared in FAST COMPANY on May 22, 2023. You can access it directlyHERE. For decades, employees have been told to pay their dues, to “deal with” workplace disrespect and drama, and that earning their bosses’ approval was priority number one. But now, it’s a different ballgame. Today’s millennial and Gen Z employees—who make up nearly half of all full-time U.S....
With All Due Respect
This article was originally published in AIMA (All India Managment Association) Creating high-performing teams is a tough thing to do. Keeping them high performing is even tougher. To crack the mysteries of high performance, consider this wisdom: ‘Successful people consistently do what other people only do occasionally. Successful teams are packed with successful people. If we could...
Millennial Leadership Styles
I’m proud to say that I have three millennial children, none of whom come anywhere near to living down to the negative labels affixed to them by our society and the media. They are – like so many of their peers whom I’ve encountered in the last ten years – most certainly not entitled or selfish, nor are they slackers, nor do they expect participation trophies for everything they do....