Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace
By a show of hands, who here feels safe telling their boss they messed up? Anyone? Bueller? I thought so. Welcome to the world of psychological safety, or as some call it, the elusive unicorn of the workplace. I can’t help you spot an actual unicorn, but I can help you create a workplace where […]
Should You Pay Bad Employees to Quit?
$2,000! That’s how much Zappos will pay you, not as a signing bonus, but to quit your job! That’s right—$2,000 NOT to stay with them. Would you do it? Based on asking groups this question, people usually fall into one of three camps: The first group says, “Heck yeah, I’ll leave here faster than the […]
How To Create a Vision and Mission Statement
Let’s play a game. Below are five vision statements. Your challenge is to guess which vision statement belongs to which of these five brands: Microsoft, Nike, Google, Amazon, and Tesla. Ready? Let’s go… “To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in […]
Starting a Conversation with a Stranger – The C.A.T.S.I. Framework
Three things that intimidate me: If you are like me, I can’t help you with the first two, but for the third one—meeting new people for the first time—I created a clever little strategy to help me not only start a conversation but also build a connection with someone that I’m meeting for the first […]
Onboarding New Member
No one likes being the new kid. You don’t know the rules. You don’t know anyone. The group cliques are already made. Your broken glasses are taped up, and your hand-me-down farm overalls barely fit anymore. Oh, is that just me? Anyways…” Being new to a community is challenging. However, onboarding new members is critical […]
The Ivy Lee Method of Time Management
Have you ever felt your unofficial motto is “I’ll do it later”? If you’re nodding your head, you’re not alone. Time management often feels like squeezing a sleeping bag back into its tiny bag — seemingly impossible. But fear not, because I’m here to guide you through mastering time management and introduce you to your […]
How To Run Great Team Meetings
Have you ever sat through a team meeting and thought it was a total waste of time? Yeah, me too. But guess what? Meetings don’t have to be the workplace equivalent of a root canal. Meetings have the potential to be powerful and productive… if you do them right. Harvard Business Review found that 71% […]
How To Deal with Negative People On Your Team
Have you ever worked with someone who’s like a human raincloud…or more like a thundercloud? Are they constantly casting a shadow over you and your team’s spirit? I bet you have. It’s a challenge we all face at some point. A study by doctoral students William Felps and Terence Mitchell, published in the Harvard Business […]
How to Create a Simple Budget for Your Organization
$20 for food. $10 for technology. Which leaves…$150 for me! If only budget creation were as simple as playing with Monopoly money. However, I’m the guy in Monopoly who buys hotels on Park Place but has zero cash in my bank. While Monopoly money won’t actually buy you anything in real life, a well-constructed budget […]
How To Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals
“What’s your personal goal?” I asked him. “To go to the gym,” he responded. “Great! How many times?” I asked. “Three times per week,” he responded. “Great! For how long?” “45 minutes.” “Great! Is that 45 minutes for all three sessions or 45 minutes per session?” “Each session.” “Great! Lastly, is this something you’ll have […]