In the spirit of Halloween, I’m reminded of many haunting stories I’ve heard from my clients about some of their mis-hires, and what they wish they would have done differently. One story in particular stands out in my mind. A…
I recently experienced another hand-to-the-forehead moment. Here’s what I overheard: “We’ve hired him; now let’s assess him and see what we’ve got!” All I could do was shake my head and sigh. I understand that hiring can be one of…
Lately I’ve been thinking about the art of negotiation. As I watch leaders posture and politicize, it seems like common sense would dictate that they should be seeking positive and workable solutions for all involved instead of insulting, insinuating, polarizing…
Asking if succession management is necessary is like asking if the sun is hot. Of course it is! Even if your future appears to be all sunshine and unicorns, succession management is an essential component of a successful business strategy….
For those of us who aren’t clairvoyant, let’s peer into our Magic 8 Ball for best ways to improve employee engagement levels among millennials. Bad idea! The Magic 8 Ball keeps telling me to try again. So, what IS the…
Recently, while working with a coaching client who was new to managing others, I made the suggestion of keeping a work journal as a way to capture workplace interactions and also ideas: what works—what doesn’t work, recording incidents, interactions with…
Sometimes it’s not the people you are hiring who are the problem. When employee turnover is high, it’s often the existing workforce (management) that is the problem. And make no mistake; functioning candidates who join your workforce and experience bad…
It’s typically not the big things that make someone leave an organization, but it’s a number of seemingly small “last straw” issues that get under people’s skin and will make good employees quit. One of the first questions I ask…
I admit that the task of setting personal (behavioral) goals or benchmarks can be a bit daunting. I mean, why can’t people just love and appreciate us the way we are? But for your personal and professional health, identifying behaviors…
“Your career success in the workplace of today—independent of technical expertise—depends on the quality of your people skills.” —Max Messmer (author of Managing Your Career for Dummies) Interpersonal traits on assessments measure how a person functions with others: personal &…