What’s the difference between a team and just a group? Mike explains how he boils it down to one characteristic. He and Mark also share what it takes to take a group and turn it into a team. Some of the material references Patrick Lencioni’s phenomenal “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.” We would love your questions and …
Podcast 62: Just-in-Time Feedback: why, what and when
Subscribe and listen on Spotify or Apple … or watch below. Just-in-Time Feedback has benefits for the employer and the employee. But how do you give feedback so frequently? Mike and Mark share what works. We mention the AID method, which you can learn more about in episode 16. We would love your questions and comments for future episodes: Email Mike …
The shift to ordering your car: questions for any industry
I’ve been musing if this is the new normal: Is custom ordering the future of car sales (8-minute Automotive News video). The dealership mentioned, Pat Milliken Ford, is a founding member of Ford’s Consumer Experience Movement, an initiative I’m proud to serve. They are no slouches at CX–customer experience–and bring some questions to mind for any industry: How do you …
Podcast 61: Three things you need for your coaching to succeed: Commitment
Subscribe and listen on Spotify or Apple … or watch below. There are many coaching methods out there … but what do you need for any of those methods to work? Mike and Mark discuss how commitment takes coaching from an interesting conversation to a surefire way to make progress–and how to use your calendar to make that happen. Questions or …
Podcast 59: Three things you need for your coaching to succeed: Trustworthiness
Subscribe and listen on Spotify or Apple … or watch below. There are many coaching methods out there … but what do you need for any of those methods to work? The first of three things: trustworthiness. Tune in to learn the elements of trust–and, more importantly, how to demonstrate them. Questions or ideas for the podcast? Email Mike and Mark.
Going back to work: stress, or GOOD stress?
The Wall Street Journal says people are stressed about returning to work. We were also stressed about the pandemic. And about working from home. There’s just a lot of stress out there, I guess. And Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal says that can be a good thing. Wired to protect A few years back I was talking to someone at a …
Three car salesmen, three unbelievable stories
This is just neat. An Indian engineer who fled Sikh persecution became a car salesman in Canada. He became so good at it that he ended up running a dealership, then owning multiple dealerships. Now a millionaire, he’s the only NBA fan ever to receive a championship ring and to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. RELATED: I learned …
I love cigarette smoke
I love cigarette smoke. It’s only certain brands, and I couldn’t tell you which ones. Sometimes it’s even just the stale smell hanging in the air of a place frequented by smokers. I know smoking damages you, and I certainly encourage you to give up the habit. But when I smell the smoke, a precious thing happens: I hear a …
Are you a zombie company?
Are you having trouble hiring? Is it because you’re a zombie company? This post from Bloomberg is incendiary (scroll down to “And finally, here’s what Joe’s interested in this morning”). The basic argument is that there is a belief that some companies are kept alive only because of government help that makes their financing, resources, etc. cheaper. If they had to …
Your coworker, the flat-earther
There is an important point about employee engagement below. But first, a quote. Do any of the following coworkers sound like people you have known? If you can get past the old-fashioned (and hilarious) writing style, this list of bank employees will give you a smile: The place was full of quaint characters. There was West, who had been requested …