Do you ever flatter? Perhaps a boss or coworker? You’re worse than an adulterer or murder. Don’t take my word for it. Ask Dante. Swimming in poop When Dante Alighieri wrote his Divine Comedy, he imagined an orderly hell. The damned are categorized into nine downward circles: garden-variety non-Christians at the top all the way down to Satan at the …
If you keep quiet, they’ll quit quietly
Increased tardiness and sick days. Inability to collaborate or embrace a change. Doing the bare minimum or saying, “That’s not my job.” Meetings that constantly become complaint sessions. Increased turnover and decreased productivity. Surveys continue to show that only a small percentage of the workforce is actually engaged in their work. There is a simple-to-explain, hard-to-master skill that addresses the …
Coaching employees: Is telling off the table?
It’s a question we are often asked: “I’m trying to coach my employees, but sometimes I need to tell instead of coach. When is that OK?” There is a simple answer, and it involves this chart we have made available for download. It also involves Charles Bronson and Jason Statham, for some reason. … Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes? …
Common fallacies: Seeing through what’s not true (part 3–”Statistical” errors)
Some informative new episodes related to our series on “Crucial Conversations:” This latest series focuses on “common fallacies,” arguments we make that, if you stop to think about them, just can’t be true. Identifying and naming these statements can keep you from losing focus on what truly matters. We encourage our listeners (both of you) to use these fallacies to evaluate …
Common fallacies: Seeing through what’s not true (part 2–Propaganda)
Some informative new episodes related to our series on “Crucial Conversations:” This latest series focuses on “common fallacies,” arguments we make that, if you stop to think about them, just can’t be true. Identifying and naming these statements can keep you from losing focus on what truly matters. We encourage our listeners (both of you) to use these fallacies to evaluate …
Common fallacies: Seeing through what’s not true (part 1–Avoiding the question)
Some informative new episodes related to our series on “Crucial Conversations:” This latest series focuses on “common fallacies,” arguments we make that, if you stop to think about them, just can’t be true. Identifying and naming these statements can keep you from losing focus on what truly matters. We encourage our listeners (both of you) to use these fallacies to evaluate …
Eight ways to ask a question well
As coaches, Mike and Mark spend a lot of time teaching clients how to coach their teams. You can learn powerful questions … you can master frameworks for the conversation … but how do you ask the question? This episode borrows liberally from Mark’s training with the International Coach Federation and from Michael Bungay Stanier, who we think is the bee’s …
Podcast 114 – Crucial Conversations: Take action–and follow up!
That high-stakes, emotional conversation you just had? The one where you finally had a resolution to a big issue? It’s all for nothing if you don’t complete this final step. This episode is part of our series on “Crucial Conversations.” The first episode is at this link. We would love your questions and comments for future episodes: Email Mike and …
Podcast 113 – Crucial Conversations: The S.T.A.T.E. method
Finally! After all the prep work, it’s time to have that high-stakes, emotional conversation. There are three “whats” and two “hows.” Introducing S.T.A.T.E. This episode is part of our series on “Crucial Conversations.” The first episode is at this link. We would love your questions and comments for future episodes: Email Mike and Mark. Listen here … subscribe on Spotify, …
Surveying your people vs. talking to them
I’m going to utter a heresy in this article. At least, it’s a heresy to many of my colleagues working on culture. A manager recently talked to me about helping his team collaborate more. I asked him what he would get out of that. As often happens in coaching, I was surprised by his answer. I thought he would say …