You know those BS statements you see wherever you go? The stupid mission statements, lame values statements, and epically unimpressive purpose statements on posters all over your company walls? The really long ones with the convoluted sentences that were clearly written by a committee, each member of which had his own turf to defend? The ones that even your CEO can’t recite without reading off a teleprompter?… Read More»
Are you a natural networker? Does making new connections come easily to you? Or have you taught yourself the behaviors you need to succeed and connect? How do great networkers learn the tough (but important) skills that make them good at connecting with people?… Read More»
According to business owner, designer and author Brian Sooy, a business must know what it stands for to make a difference. In this episode of Work That Matters, Shawn explores with Brian what the elements are to be a business that is clear on what it stands for – what it’s cause it. We dip into Brian’s book Raise Your Voice to guide the conversation…. Read More»
Do you remember the last time you heard a great speech? Chances are high that it included an emotional story. The best TED speeches for example, the ones that get the longest standing ovations, are consistently those that share their message using emotional stories. The same applies to the corporate world where there is a drumbeat now about selling ideas using good stories that grab the heart and not just the mind. It seems like emotional storytelling gets results…. Read More»
“We all become the stories we tell ourselves,” says Tom Asacker. Also, how people are influenced and how behaviors are changed is rooted in their belief system. So, belief plays a key role in business outcomes and causing change…. Read More»
Be it General Motors, the Veterans Administration, or the U.S. Congress, the answer to the problems these organizations face is always the same: change the organization’s culture.
Culture change appears to be a daunting task. A task so big, so formidable, we don’t even know where to start. So we give up. We go along all the while blaming the culture for the way things are. This is convenient, but hardly useful…. Read More»
“Yes, and” is a powerful tool for collaboration, negotiation and effective communication. The concept of “Yes, and” comes from the improvisational stage, and over the last 15 years, I’ve seen it transform leaders and teams across industries. Unfortunately, a lot people think that “Yes, but” is the same thing, when actually it is an ugly, nasty, evil twin to “Yes, and.”… Read More»
In today’s marketplace, business leaders can’t succeed without the ability to communicate effectively with others, manage their emotions and collaborate on finding solutions to pressing challenges. Perhaps most importantly, they have to be able to connect with employees on a human level, a trait that requires both understanding and empathy…. Read More»
Want to be trusted? Don’t seek it out. Trust is something you earn, not something you ask for or demand. It doesn’t work that way. Think of trust as a result, not an action itself.
It’s important (and far more fruitful) for a leader to strive to be trustworthy instead of trusted. But trustworthy isn’t an action either. You can’t declare yourself trustworthy, much as crooks and con men, used car dealers and self-described “trusted advisors” throughout time have tried. Being trustworthy is also a result, not an action itself…. Read More»
In 2007, I started speaking about Those Pesky Millennials. It seemed that every business I walked into shared the same great pain:
“No work ethic. Entitled. Pain in the ass. Kids—what’s wrong with them?”
It was the pain du jour. So I added my voice to the choir of help. And what I added distilled down into this: The millennial generation may be a pampered lot, but they have a lot to teach us.
Consider these messages from Gen Why…… Read More»
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