Carnage in the Toy Store This morning I went to a local shopping centre (mall) to buy a birthday present for my two year-old pseudo-niece (my business partner’s daughter. Happy Birthday little Jessie!)  It proved to be quite the eye-opening experience for the childless (and somewhat clueless) alpha-male. While the shopping part of the trip turned out…

Have you ever told your child that it’s time to go somewhere or do something else and their response was either to ignore you or yell at you? There are ways to avoid this and make the transition from activity to activity easy and smooth.

In a recent post, I recommended Panda’s Cloud Antivirus as a decent free antivirus program. Others have recommended different programs, and that’s fine – in the end, I don’t think there’s much meaningful difference between the various antivirus programs, at least in terms of security. Much more important…

Everyone has “hot buttons.” They’re your tender spots, the places where you’re most sensitive, the points where you get irritated, or hurt, or angry, and have to respond. The trick to preventing them from messing up your day is awareness: The more aware you are of what rattles the bars of your cage, the…

As human beings, we have a natural wish to improve ourselves, and are always looking for ways to be more efficient, focused and fulfilled. However, we also have the opposite tendency to cherish certain limitations that prevent us from achieving these exact things! Let’s go into four of these limitations in detail. 1. Imagining the worst…

A few potentially useful thoughts about work and working life. When you’ve reached enlightenment, your boss will still be a jerk. The good news is that it won’t bother you any more. The secret of maintaining a calm mind is letting go of emotions and refusing to waste energy on fretting about whatever you can’t change…

Company party is around the corner. Henry Balanon suggests that you shouldn’t behave like you are in other normal parties. There are 10 guidelines in the article: Don’t be the drunk. Don’t bring the drunk. Don’t dress like an idiot. Don’t stuff your face. Don’t talk business all night. Don’t tip badly. Don’t tell inappropriate jokes. Don’t hit on your co-workers or bosses. Don’t…

I have two topics this week: the present-day obsession with clinging grimly to the status quo, when we have rarely needed change and entrepreneurial flair so much; and the obnoxious jerks whose presence in leadership positions disfigures too many organizations. These topics are linked by a recurring theme: the way that Hamburger Management—that dismal system…

I’ve been noticing some very nostalgic longing in the “Most Wanted” lists of several managers. When it comes to discussions about what could be, they talk about wanting an increased sense of responsibility, better reliability and dependability, honesty and integrity, humility and a hunger to do whatever it takes to learn, grow, and improve. What…

I’ve been thinking and writing quite a lot this week about Hamburger Management: the type of management approach that is based on always doing whatever is quickest, simplest and (above all) cheapest. Hamburger Managers provide the kind of leadership that is best described as: “Never mind the quality, look how fast it goes and how…

Let me begin with this disclaimer. These are generalizations. If your mate displays one or even two of these signs it may not yet be time to seek a litigator. However, if your mate displays all or most, you may wish to seek out a good counselor. His Mannerism: You are suddenly receiving more attention than usual. You…

Effective leaders treat others with a positive regard. Specifically, effective leaders understand the power of appreciation. This goes beyond the Carnegie precepts of “Be hardy in your approbation and lavish in your praise.” Effective praise is a skill set that must be learned like any other. As leaders we often find ourselves spending and inordinate amount…

A series on becoming a more successful leader. There’s no doubt about it. Being in a leadership position is a very difficult job. We are required to do so much and to be all things to so many people. The advice we get is often great in theory, but falls short of the mark in practice…

Aguments are an all too common part of life. They should be avoided if possible. But, if you can’t avoid them you may as well win. Here’s how. Never Accuse your opponent of being wrong. If you realize you made a mistake admit it immediately. Be pleasant. Get your opponent saying “yes” It is a proven technique. Let them talk. “Enough…

Empathetic Listening is a technique which can help you manage and avoid disruptive and assaultive behaviors. The foundation of the technique can be summarized in 5 simple steps. Provide the speaker with your undivided attention.This is one time “multi-tasking” or “rapid refocus” will get you in trouble. Be non-judgemental. Don’t minimize or trivialize the speakers issue. Read the…