This is for those of you who say, “I’ve tried everything, but my employees are still not doing their job.” I promise you, you haven’t tried everything! Here are the things that I know will help fix the problem. What you’ll learn from this episode: The reasons people may not be doing their job are…
Are you frustrated with an employee who never seems to “get it”? They don’t get what you need them to do in their position and you’ve tried everything you can think of to help them. I’m here to tell you it’s not your job to make them get it. What you’ll learn from this episode:…
Let’s say your business is growing and your staff needs more attention and development than you can provide. Now would probably be a good time to hire a new manager – but how? Here are my insights: What you’ll learn from this episode: Before anything else, verbalize why you need a manager. Consider what the…
There are so many skills that we want our new managers to have immediately, but here’s what I suggest you focus on in the first 90 days. What you’ll learn from this episode: First you have to set your new managers up to be successful with the team. Talk to them about what you expect…
Are you still looking for that answer book that tells you if you’re managing people correctly? Aren’t we all? Here are three things to have in place to help make sure you’re doing the best you possibly can. What you’ll learn from this episode: First, you have to have self-awareness. You need to have a…
Everyone hates giving feedback and conducting one-on-ones, right? That doesn’t mean you’re incompetent as a manager. There are reasons, all of which are repairable! Have a listen and see what I mean. What you’ll learn from this episode: Reason #1 – You don’t know how. This isn’t an innate skill. You just have to be…
An organization exists to fulfill a purpose, and roles are created for people who have the ability to execute the responsibilities of that role. Those people are receiving payment in exchange for their services. If they’re not doing the work, you’re essentially paying them to harm your organization. What you’ll learn from this episode: If…
Very few of us are born knowing how to do this. But as managers, if you keep people who don’t work hard and don’t get the job done, you disengage the very people you want to keep. Here are some things to consider before deciding if it’s time to let go: What you’ll learn from…
Are you being yourself or pretending to be someone you’re not? Pretending attracts people who aren’t really your people and creates relationships that aren’t authentic. It’s okay to not have all the answers, but it’s your job to be resourceful and seek out the help that you need. Take a risk. Be yourself. Good things…
Do you have a toxic tangerine on your team? Let me show you how to move forward quickly and deal with the issue. Don’t wallow in your angst. Deal with the situation before they spoil the whole bowl of fruit. What you’ll learn from this episode: How to deal with that toxic person before they…
Do you have a difficult employee you’ve been trying to fix and they’re just not getting it? Here are some suggestions for how to deal with this frustrating situation. What you’ll learn from this episode: You can’t make anyone do anything. Your business is how the employee’s behavior is impacting the organization and the team,…
Studies show that employees, and some managers, are 70% to 80% disengaged. No discretionary effort or initiative is shown by these folks, and it’s killing our organizations. So, here’s how to help people engage. What you’ll learn from this episode: Does your organization have a clear purpose? Does everyone who works there know what that…
Just by the definition of the word, you can’t manage your “boss.” But you can “influence.” The key is to influence up … and integrate down. Here’s how: What you’ll learn from this episode: First, accept what your role is. It’s not your job to tell your boss what to do, it’s the other way…
The drama in organizations is killing performance. When the rules, the roles, the expectations and the goals are unclear, people start to argue. Having clarity on these things minimizes the drama. What you’ll learn from this episode: As leaders, you’re responsible for the rules. Make sure the rules are clear. Then we need roles defined.…
Actually, the only person you can hold accountable is you, but today I’m talking about managers who don’t hold their employees accountable when they don’t hit their goals or behave in ways that are ineffective. What you’ll learn from this episode: The top reasons managers don’t do a good job at holding employees accountable. The…
Coaching is revealing to a person the best version of themselves. Once they see that, they own it and are accountable for themselves and their actions. What you’ll learn from this episode: Having a coaching culture starts in the recruiting process. It has to be a leadership philosophy in the organization. Once we coach someone…
Coaching is the practice of revealing to a person the best version of themselves. It’s when we’re able to see and hear beliefs inside of someone that are interfering with their ability to perform. What you’ll learn from this episode: Two things have to be out of the way in order to be a really…
The only thing that connects you to someone else’s behavior is your thinking about it. Here’s how freeing that can be for you! What you’ll learn from this episode: How “behavior” is really the only way we can know anything about each other. Where behavior comes from. How to not take responsibility for someone else’s…
I’m 47 this year. I’ve had, what I believe to be, way too many conversations with my contemporaries of late, about how they WISH they’d done this… or that.. or hadn’t worried so much about (this or that). In my experience, many adults react to life, much like a pin ball reacts to the pins…
Every weekend people participate in marathons, mud runs, cycle races, and other physical challenges. They train for months, sometimes years, to be ready for the challenge. Most motivational messages about success and goals use visual images of people doing challenging sports and activities. When we reference overcoming fear and difficulty and pain, we focus on…
I know, you’re thinking this flies in the face of everything I teach, right? But it doesn’t. Listen and you’ll understand why. What you’ll learn from this episode: You can’t really make employees do anything. The best you can do is to hold yourself accountable and ask yourself some very important questions. Then you have…
Most difficult people don’t choose to be difficult. They don’t wake up and think “I can’t wait to make other people uncomfortable today!” In fact, until pointed out to them, most of them have no clue. They actually wake up and think its YOU or someone else that is difficult… (just sayin’) They are just being who…
If you have a difficult person on your team, I’m confident I know why. I’m also confident I can help you fix the problem and move your team forward. The Problem: You have a difficult employee on your team. The Reason the Problem is a Problem: They impact team culture. Bring people down. Impact team…
Are you making your difficult employee worse? Here are the 5 key reasons that I think that may be happening. What you’ll learn from this episode: The 5 key reasons: Accountability “Dreading” the employee Matching behavior Dismissiveness Taking it personally Featured on the Show and Other Notes: 1) If you’d like my free Ebook “Change…
“Coaching” holds the belief that we’re trying to access the employee’s insight, not provide our own. Asking questions is essential. We need these key things in order to be effective at how we ask questions. What you’ll learn from this episode: Several tools to help your coaching efforts with managers Some key things that are…
This episode is part two in managing managers. We’ll continue to look at the elements involved if you manage people who manage people – such as performance management, accountability and coaching. What you’ll learn from this episode: The importance performance management plays in having your manager’s back Accountability and how it relates to the work…
So many of us think we’re doing it wrong. We’re managing wrong. We’re coaching wrong. We’re not good enough at this or that. We hold ourselves up to some ideal that may or may not even exist. Here’s what I think. I do think that all of us are doing the best we can,…
In her second installment of the “Every Day Leader” series, Kris interviews Mark Nurdin. Mark is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fort Worth Region for Bank of Texas. He oversees the growth strategies in the Fort Worth Region across all lines of business and all product partners, including Commercial Banking, Consumer Banking,…
As a leader, are you finding yourself making negative judgments about an employee’s behavior? Labeling people based on our judgments changes who we are – not them. Here’s how to better deal with that difficult person at work.
In her first installment of the “Every Day Leader” series, Kris interviews Chad Bandy. Chad has nearly twenty years of experience managing customer experience and large scale operations, focused in higher education. His expertise lies in building and developing business operations to enable growth and efficiency for a team. His leadership style relies on the…
What if your commitment to believing something is interfering with your ability to see other perspectives? Here are some suggestions for getting out of your own way and becoming more managerially mature. What you’ll learn from this episode: What Brooke Castillo’s “The Manual” is and how it applies to leaders. Tom Sterner wrote The Practicing…
Here are a few reasons why training may not work in your organization along with a few suggestions on what to do to improve your possibility for success. What you’ll learn from this episode: How to first identify the problem. Why it’s important that the executive level participates. What four things to do to make…
Feeding problems that we can’t control, but that we have to deal with, is very common. But there’s nothing good that comes from feeding a problem. Your job is to decide, “Who do I want to be in this circumstance?” Here’s how.
Every victim needs a villain. Do you have a victim employee working for you? Here are some suggestions for how you tell and what you can do about it. What you’ll learn from this episode: Some tell-tale signs that you have a victim employee working for you. The importance of having clean accountability measures and…
Communication is highly influenced by many elements in an organization. Let’s talk about what structures need to be in place in order to help facilitate effective communication and how leaders can influence that. What you’ll learn from this episode: What structures need to be in place in order to help facilitate effective communication. The importance…
Recognition is rewarding someone for exceptional performance. Appreciation is thankfulness that they showed up and are working hard. Appreciation is a day to day communication strategy you can use as a manager to help people feel important. What you’ll learn from this episode: Why it’s necessary for people to feel important. What appreciation looks like.…
KPIs, or key performance indicators, are absolutely essential for every position in an organization. It’s always better when you’re not managing from opinion but when you’re managing from facts. Key performance indicators provide those facts for you and make it so much easier. What you’ll learn from this episode: What key performance indicators (KPIs) are.…
As a leader you have a lot of influence over the lives of those you lead, and a big responsibility to be ultra-aware of how you’re impacting them. Kindness, as a culture, is a strategy and it has to start with the leadership team. What you’ll learn from this episode: Questions to ask yourself, your…
I work with many people who are running their own businesses. Those businesses are growing and they’re now expanding beyond that initial very manageable place. What happens when a founder reaches the threshold where she stops just having a grand purpose and now has to actually run a growing business? Here are a few issues…