Thoughts on people, teams, organizations, communities, effectiveness and success
I think Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath is a really good book. Most of the Heath brother’s content is great, both in their book, as well as in their monthly column for Fast Company. But even Babe Ruth stuck out, and their interviewing advice in Fast Company – Hold the Interview: Why it may be wiser to hire people without meeting them – is a real stinker.… Read the rest
Good business coaches use of host of tools and skills working with executives and teams: how they use those tools, and the robustness and effectiveness of the tools themselves is what separates coaches that are great and highly effective from those that are ho-hum and well, pretty ordinary.
One of those skills is the ability to see patterns of behavior where most might miss the connection between the dots, and to be able to use that insight to inform a host of suggested alternative approaches with a client.… Read the rest
It’s performance review season for many people and the curse of most performance reviews – getting or giving accurate feedback – will be the bane of many a supervisor and employee. It does not need to be that hard. Habits, and the usual ways of giving / getting feedback, though, will do in many an attempt to give and get good, helpful feedback.… Read the rest
Fortune Magazine’s November 23, 2009 issue features Willbur Ross in the “Best Advice I Ever Got” section. It’s well worth the quick read. My favorite line: “The biggest risk is the question you forgot to ask because the danger is always something you don’t know.”
Ross speaks to two blind spots possessed by many organizations and their leaders – even mine as a solo practitioner consulting firm.… Read the rest
The best way to do any employee’s performance assessments is to do it up front: what are the results to measure, what are the behaviors expected to be evidenced, and what are the milestones / deliverables anticipated along the way? Assess as you go, adjust as required, and sum up at the end of the year.
It’s not how most people do it.… Read the rest
Analogues from which job candidates can learn exist almost everywhere. While sometimes the lessons don’t fully translate, you can glean tremendous insight from some situations that you can use when you’re in the hunt for a new job.
Last night’s open house for parents sponsored by my son’s grade school was one such situation. In the crazy kindergarten application process that exists in San Francisco – where 30% of kids go to private schools and supply grossly outstrips demand – the ways that applicant families can do well or do badly have lots of lessons for job candidates.… Read the rest