“Say something positive. Say something negative. Say something positive.” Ever heard of this feedback technique? It’s sometimes called a feedback sandwich. I don’t think you should eat it. Or even put it in the lunchbox. In fairness, there’s good intent behind it. We don’t want to crush our teammates, after all. We’d also like to […]
“Great job last week! Sara told me about your extra effort to get it over the finish line. I appreciate you.” “This month’s teamwork award goes to John. Here’s 3 specific things he hit out of the park…” Are statements like this commonplace for you? How much time and energy should we spend praising those […]
“The truth changes.” The first time I heard that sentence, my inside voice pushed back. It was a reflex from my belief in absolute truth. (Perceptions of it may be flawed, but it exists.) My friend wasn’t talking about absolute truth. Instead, he was describing the rapid-even-sudden way that reality “on the ground” changes, leaving […]
Feedback is great. But when it comes out of nowhere, it can feel like a punch in the face.
If you haven’t had the experience, Mike Tyson summarized it well before his 2nd bout with Evander Holyfield, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” (Incidentally, Tyson lost the match, Holyfield part of an ear.) It goes like this:
I used to work for a company that hired a lot of translators. But they weren’t linguists.
The role was one of “forward support representative.” A former soldier would serve as liaison between the engineers designing new technology and the soldiers using it.
Why was this job even created? Because engineers and soldiers do not speak the same language. Sure, in the U.S. they’re all speaking English, but they are not speaking the same language.
“Just tell me how I can improve – I don’t need hugs or campfire songs to do my job!”
Ever hear a seasoned team member say something like that? Or said it yourself?
I’ve seen the value of both critique and encouragement. But what’s the right balance?
“You’re overly critical and don’t reflexively care for others’ needs.” I was reading the results of my personality assessment at work, and these were key takeaways. Upon reflection, they were quite accurate. I tried to think of practical steps toward change. My office layout was low hanging fruit. At that time, my standing workstation was […]
Are you a good delegator?
As leaders, our tasks are endless – and range from crucial to trivial. A few are things only we can do. What if we delegated the rest?
Here’s 6 helpful actions:
Are you glad your employees work for you?
It’s easy to get caught up in the performance or development of team members. But what communicates the message, “I’m glad you’re here. You add value to this team”?
I’m reading a great book on ethics and enjoyed its chapter on common logical fallacies. We’re all quite prone to some of them, and “You do it Too!” seems to sum up contemporary political “dialogue.” One fallacy in particular caught my eye – the Composition Fallacy: “Assuming that a group possesses the characteristics of its individual members.”
Or, “My All Star Team will be awesome because it has awesome players.”
Outsider Consulting emerged from lessons of leadership success and failure on the battlefield and in business.
Now, Outsider helps leaders map their own routes toward greater success.
Outsider’s home office is located in Scottsdale, Arizona, but we travel all over the world for events and speaking engagements.
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