Category Archives: Top Performance
Corporate Quicksand – How to Engage Passive Employees
As a leader, you are measured on results and those results depend on people taking action. A common frustration is how to get the rest of the organization to buy into ideas more quickly and move forward. It turns …
Raise or Praise?
I was reflecting back on some pre-training interviews with different organizations in the past two weeks. One theme was common – lack of positive feedback. Of all the leadership tools at the manager’s disposal, positive feedback is one of …
People or Objects?
I had some exciting news last week. The book I co-authored with my father Irwin reached number 8 on the Globe and Mail Business Books Bestseller List. The book is Employees Not Doing What You Expect and has now been …
Productivity Crisis?
The news media has been reporting that Canadian productivity gains are embarrassingly low. Instead of viewing this as abstract information that is irrelevant to you, why not take up the challenge to boost productivity. You may not have a choice …
No time to lead
Last week I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with a manager in advance of some leadership training that kicks off this week. We were discussing how his management job had changed over the years. More automation, …
Culture of Curiosity
This past week I had the opportunity to read Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book What The Dog Saw. Gladwell wrote the best sellers Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers. What I like most about Gladwell’s books is that they are fueled …
Check Mark Thinking
Achievers can fall into the trap of check-mark thinking. They view corporate change as a to-do list. Mission statement – check, Vision – check, Told them what I expect – check, Metrics in place – check. The busy executive then …
Self Deception
What do people really think of you? Do you even care? Do you care too much? Many of the managers and executives I coach and train start off by being surprised and maybe even slightly insulted to think that …
Delayed Gratification
A lot of money is made in the “self-help” industry from promising people “quick and easy” ways to achieve success. In fact I challenge you to pick up a business book or “how to” book that doesn’t have the words …
Managing Prima Donnas at Work
Do you have some employees or co-workers who think of themselves as extra special, indispensible and untouchable? Their superior attitude often ticks off the people who work with them. So today we look at the right and wrong way to …
