Let’s face it: we live in a world of lies. We are telling lies and are being blatantly lied to every day, 24/7. That’s exactly why my initial statement may have surprised you – at first: because we are all used to lies. Not you? How about these: “Guys, I know you work hard.” “No, […]
Tag: coaching
3 Fundamental Rules of Personal Efficiency
There is a phenomenon known as “induced demand.” For example, if you have a congested road network, widening highways will not ease congestion sustainably; often the congestion gets worse, because of the “induced traffic.” You may have experienced this phenomenon yourself: you have already reduced your sleep time, your TV time, your “quality family time” […]
Michael Schumacher’s Secret of Success in the Fast Lane
If you want to be successful, learn from people who have reached great success before you: this is more efficient than going by trial and error. And there’s always a lot to learn from a successful person.
Improve Your Email Nonverbal Communication Skills
Imagine entering your office in the morning, coffee in hand… You open your Outlook and among numerous unread emails you see a message from your boss that you have not seen, which reads like this: Subj: org ch Pls come see me ASA{. What was the first thought that crossed your mind?..
How to Keep New Year’s Resolutions Using Project Management
If you are like 50% of Americans, you must have made your New Year’s resolutions recently. And if you are one of those “new-year-resolute” folks, then you could use some help right now: over 40% of new year’s resolutions do not survive past one month.
When Ethnic Jokes Can Be Exchanged and Enjoyed
Once upon a time, well before Obama and Trump as we know them, and when pretty much everybody still smoked tobacco, I was having a lunch break with guys from the Lab and Production. And it must be noted that our frontline workforce was more diverse than the United Nations has ever been. In the […]
Project Management Master Class: the Fifth Project of Heracles
Storytelling is an effective coaching technique, but it is rarely used in project management. Fortunately, the history of mankind is replete with wonderful examples of projects delivered by individuals who lived long before project management as we know it was born, so we can learn from their mistakes.
Positive Reinforcement for Engineers
A young manager in a major industrial company, trying to explain their reporting procedures, had trouble pronouncing the word “hierarchy.” When I did it for him after his third attempt, he was grateful – but not at all uncomfortable: “I am an engineer, you know, long words is not really my cup of tea.” Indeed, […]
The ROE: Return On Engagement
A traveler passes a construction site and sees three men working. He asks the first man what he is doing and gets a reply: “I am laying bricks.” The second says: “I am building a wall.” Finally, the third man answers: “I am building a cathedral.”
7 Tips to Ensure Your Meetings Never End
Meetings are a vital part of a manager’s daily routine. The number of meetings you have booked on your calendar defines the level of your importance in the corporate food chain and is a good indicator of your future potential in the organization. Therefore, every aspiring manager must do his bit to expand the number […]