HR Insights
Is your FAQ a sales pitch or a customer service?
Answer the client’s questions, not yours.
One of the best things I did to lead myself this year was to stop doing it alone. I joined a small group sales coaching team led by Bill Caskey a couple months ago. Over the summer we’re talking through a list of specific things we can do to improve ourselves and our...
I Don’t Want this Anymore
It's OK to stop chasing the wrong thing.
My son has been chasing a dream since middle school. He wanted to be well-known and respected as someone with influence, power, and money. Problem is, the dream was being a gangster on the streets. Something inside of him was drawn to the perceived thrill and...
The Self-Destruct Button
Stop blowing up your hard work.
Have you noticed how we can work so hard to build something up, and then throw it away on a whim? I've noticed this clearly with people under the control of drugs and/or alcohol. Over and over again a person will try to break away from the self-destructive cycle of...
The Revolving Door of Talent
Don't tolerate trouble
"That's just who he is. It's really annoying, but we ignore him when he says that kind of thing." a team member replied. "How often does he do that?" I asked. "Oh, every time we meet as a team in some way, and often when he's giving feedback to employees." another...
I’d Rather Eat Glass
Some calls are painful.
In the middle of a conversation, the desk phone rang. The HR director I was talking with looked at the number and frowned. "Go ahead and take it, I'll wait." I said. "I'd rather eat glass." She responded, still frowning. She said it was a constituent with a reputation...
Loving the Idea of Leadership
It’s often a loving-living gap.
How many pretenders do you know or have met who love the idea of leadership? They know all the right buzz words, talk about frameworks, models, and expectations. They constantly talk ABOUT leadership… but don’t live it much. That’s the loving — living gap. They manage...
What are my options?
Help people choose a path forward.
An HR director was referred to my consulting team by a happy client. We did the normal things of listening and understanding her problem and agreed on how to solve it together. We started with a two-phase approach to train their principals who do most of the hiring to...
Are you teaching content or people?
Help people connect with content.
When I start a Live Session in our interview workshops, I usually ask what ideas have stuck with my adult learners from the online missions. One person nailed it in a simple observation. This week one principal said, “Our focus is shifting from applicants who teach a...
Defending the Toxic Marketing VP
Is the talent of one worth misery of many?
I’m very curious to know the rest of the story in Pat Lencioni's team building website video about trust. One person, the VP of Marketing, could not be vulnerable in any way as a leader. The effect was to squash the creative talent of the entire team. In the end, this...
Freedom and Responsibility
One without the other is not enough.
I hear managers talk about giving responsibility without really including freedom. True leaders understand they must give a voice AND a choice in how people live and learn to lead. Without both, it’s not really freedom nor responsibility… just compliance. It’s easy to...