Why Communication Fails and How to Fix it: The Perception Gap, Part 2

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Why Communication Fails and How to Fix it: The Perception Gap, Part 2

Sometimes merely focusing on communicating with your team isn’t enough. Why? Because the intention you set forth is often misunderstood by your audience. The gap between what you mean to communicate and what is actually communicated is known as the Perception Gap. In Part One of this series about communication failure, I covered what Perception […]

Why Communication Fails and How to Fix it: The Perception Gap, Part 1

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Why Communication Fails and How to Fix it: The Perception Gap, Part 1

Despite your best efforts, there’s a very good chance that your communication is being perceived and processed in a way you did not intend. The disconnect between what is meant to be communicated and what is actually understood is known as a Perception Gap. In this two part series, I will talk about Perception Gaps, […]

How to Effectively Manage Difficult Employees: The Do-Gooder

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How to Effectively Manage Difficult Employees: The Do-Gooder

There sure are a lot of different personalities to deal with in the workplace! As a manager, you have to work with diverse personas on an even closer level. And let’s face it, some of those characters are difficult to deal with. Some may even seem, ahem, unmanageable. To help busy managers deal with the […]

Leadership Guide for Managing Conflict, Part 3: Test Your Conflict-Handling Skills

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Leadership Guide for Managing Conflict, Part 3: Test Your Conflict-Handling Skills

Let’s put your conflict handling-skills to the test! In this three-part series on conflict management, I introduced the Thomas-Kilman Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), a fantastic tool to guide leaders when facing conflict. With the introduction of TKI came an explanation of the five conflict-handling modes—competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, accommodating—and recognizing which mode you use most […]

Leadership Guide for Managing Conflict, Part 2: What Conflict-Handling Styles to Use & When

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Leadership Guide for Managing Conflict, Part 2: What Conflict-Handling Styles to Use & When

Last week, I introduced the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), my favorite tool for developing conflict management knowledge. Leaders can use this tool to identify the way they typically handle conflict, and to make informed decisions about choosing an appropriate style when facing conflict. After understanding the five conflict-handling styles, and identifying which style you […]

Leadership Guide for Managing Conflict, Part 1: Five Conflict-Management Styles

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Leadership Guide for Managing Conflict, Part 1: Five Conflict-Management Styles

Conflict happens, whether we want it to or not. Most of us have a strong, visceral reaction to conflict, including (but not limited to) fear, avoidance, excitement and/or dread. However, when you boil it down, conflict is just when one person’s wishes and desires are different from another person’s.  It’s the emotions that conflict evokes […]

How to Effectively Manage Difficult Employees: The Excuse-Maker

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How to Effectively Manage Difficult Employees: The Excuse-Maker

There are certain employees that some managers may consider unmanageable. Sure, difficult employees give managers a chance to refine their skills, but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with them. Jezra Kaye and I wrote a book to help managers with a category of employees that we call “The Unmanageables.” The book, called Managing the […]

MBTI as a Management Tool Part 4: Four Practical Tips

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MBTI as a Management Tool Part 4: Four Practical Tips

In my fourth and final piece about the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), certified MBTI expert Freddi Donner of Business Stamina and I offer practical tips to implement MBTI for leaders, managers and human resource professionals. Before we dive in to the tips, let’s discuss the costs of ineffective managers. Did you know that the […]

Anne Loehr’s Top 5 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2013

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Anne Loehr’s Top 5 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2013

2013 has been a very interesting year in the workplace, with so many workforce trends in motion and more rapidly heading our way. Temporary workers are on the rise, Baby Boomers are retiring (or not retiring), women are leaving the corporate world to start their own businesses, and more. To wrap up 2013, here are […]

MBTI as a Management Tool Part 3: Facing Resistance

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MBTI as a Management Tool Part 3: Facing Resistance

I don’t want to take this assessment. It’ll just put me in a box and pigeonhole my creativity! While the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a powerful tool for leaders to increase Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and build high-performing teams, as you can see, it can sometimes be met with resistance!  In part three in […]