I work with a large company that recently decided to stop sending clients the annual survey they had been sending out for years. While the “home office” saw it as a way to reduce administrative effort, the decision caused an uproar among field employees, who generate hundreds of meetings from the survey results each year.
Did you know that the word “but” is an acronym for “before the ultimate truth”? Ok, it’s not really…but that’s what it signals: What’s to follow is truer. When you use the word “but,” it tends to create unnecessary friction in an exchange. In my last post, I suggested seven words that lead to greater
Last winter I received an email about coaching my daughter’s 10-year-olds fastpitch softball team. I was one of three parents who got the request to step up and be the “head” coach. Since one of the other parents was new to our town and the other was new to coaching, I jumped in to take
Several years ago, a friend invited me to join his exercise group. “It will change your life,” he said. The workouts were early in the morning, very painful and I honestly wasn’t sure I had the guts to keep doing them. Around the time I started participating, the group read Jesse Itzler’s book Living With
Animals in the wild tune their senses to any threats or environmental changes. Likewise, human beings process many signals from others, and the brain’s amygdala activates what it deems to be appropriate fear or avoidance responses. For instance, if I notice what appears to be someone multi-tasking in a meeting while I’m presenting, my amygdala
In his book “A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life,” Parker Palmer observes that human beings — especially in group settings — often behave like animals in the wild that remain in hiding and only allow themselves to be seen when it’s safe and worthwhile to take the risk. The only difference in
Jordan Spieth performed very well as a professional golfer until 2018. Expectations placed on him were very high—so high that his performance waned…until last spring. After winning his first tournament in three years, he made a profound passing comment in a press interview: If I’m feeling free, I’ll love what I do. And if I
This is gross, but every time I reach under my desk chair, my finger presses into something soft and gooey. I’m pretty sure it’s food. This has been going on for weeks. I have done nothing about it. It bothers me, but not enough, I suppose. Perhaps this is one reason why it’s hard to
I am advising a leader right now who has high expectations of others. Someone on her team can’t seem to meet those expectations on a project, and there isn’t much flexibility to upskill, move, or replace them. It is creating tension. The leader has three choices in the face of this tension: absorb it, avoid
How do you sell (or outreach, fundraise, negotiate, network, interview, or gain buy-in) when the people you’re trying to reach are remote and afraid? Being socially distanced can prove to be challenging but also full of opportunity for new growth and outreach. Giving in to fear and isolating yourself beyond necessary means will only lead
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE