by DLCC Coach Jill Mueller
I have had nearly a dozen first days of work, and I can honestly say that I have never had a first day of work that I would classify as great, much less thoughtful.
On one of my first days, I surprised my boss by even showing up. HR told me to come, but my boss was expecting me the following week. I did a lot of reading that day. [Read more…]
Most people are promoted to the level of incompetence.
That may sound harsh, but I see it over and over again. As a matter of fact, it has a name. It’s called the Peter Principle.
Someone has strong technical expertise, and so they are promoted to manager. But they aren’t given the training to succeed in that role. So when performance review time comes around, they just check the boxes to try to get through it as quickly and painlessly as possible. They don’t know how to make the performance review meaningful for their direct reports in order to positively influence their behavior. So they go through the motions in giving the review, but don’t really know what they are doing, or how to maximize it for greatest impact. [Read more…]
Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone in our lives gave us a how-to manual for themselves? The guide could tell us everything about what they like to do, how they work best, what some of their weaknesses are, and what behaviors set them off.
Just think about how much miscommunication could be avoided, not to mention the joy that would come from spending your life being treated just the way you want. [Read more…]
by DLCC Coach Mike Touhey
One of the most critical responsibilities of a leader is to develop their direct reports and the talent within their organizations. One of the key components of that development is providing direct, specific and timely feedback.
Although we often think that feedback is something we give, I have found that one of the most effective feedback techniques is using thoughtful questions to allow them to do a self-assessment of their performance. This is an effective tool both for assessing areas of strength in the individual, as well as areas where further development is needed. [Read more…]
Have you ever heard the phrase ‘people don’t leave jobs they leave managers’? It’s often true that what drives employees away is not necessarily the work, but the working environment. And Daniel Pink tells us in Drive that autonomy and purpose are even more crucial to motivation than money. So what does that mean? Leaders today need to empower and engage their employees and create an environment that will allow them to thrive.
Being Thoughtfully Fit® can certainly help you build stronger relationships in your personal life, but it has a great role to play in your professional life as well. By bringing in some of the core concepts, you can help foster improved communication, help employees learn to deal with conflict, and create work relationships that are based on trust and respect. Below you will find four steps to get you started on the path to being a Thoughtfully Fit leader. [Read more…]
