“Never turn your back on a boomerang.” I was going through the ordeal of my Annual Performance Review and this phrase on my boss’s coffee mug struck me as tremendously funny. I still find it quite amusing but on that particular day I laughed hard. And my boss laughed hard at me laughing. This was my first ever ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW. It really felt like something that should be written in CAPITAL LETTERS. In those days, the ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW ...
Bullying appears in unusual forms. In one conversation I had recently, a manager said she feels bullied by LinkedIn. How? Well, not by LinkedIn exactly. But by the posts she sees on LinkedIn. “Every day I’m getting stuff that points out to me just how ineffective I am. The blogs telling me about ’10 things highly effective people do before they even leave their bed in the morning’ and ‘7 things really, really amazing leaders do so that their team members adore ...
“I can’t believe I’ve been bullied out of my local swimming pool!” My friend was laughing as she said it, but underneath the humour she had a serious point. Anne is a keen swimmer and she trains regularly – but recently, not at her nearest pool. Why? Because a group of swimmers began to run informal swim training sessions in the ‘fast’ lanes at her local pool. “We’re a friendly bunch,” they told Anne, “and you’re welcome to join our sessions ...
Mention the word ‘bullying’ and people will usually nod and confirm that bullying in the workplace is an important issue. It needs to be addressed. And I come across plenty of people who feel they’re being bullied. But I NEVER meet anyone who believes they are a bully. Or that addressing bullying starts with them personally. So, I’m going to buck the trend. I’m going to put my hands up here. I’m embarrassed to admit that my behaviours, at one stage in ...
“When it’s your turn to get shouted at, you just hang your head and wait until the yelling stops. And, when it isn’t, I’m ashamed to say, you hang your head and thank God it’s someone else’s turn.” “[Senior leader] meetings are a nightmare every month. [They are] ritual humiliation in front of your peers.” “I was sobbing hysterically the night before my performance review. I just couldn’t face my boss. The constant blame; the constant undermining. That’s when I ...
My last blog post was a bit of a black cloud, as I explored just how poor the ROI in leadership development typically is. But I did promise a ray of sunshine to follow. And that’s exactly what this post is all about. I’m going to share with you one of the key ways we help our clients get seriously significant ROI on their investment in developing their leaders’ communication skills. I want you to benefit from our experience over the last 25 years. So, if you ...