Team Relationship Building
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Workplace Relationships
3 Ways to Cultivate “Withness”*
I’m with you. Not above, not below. Not next to, not nearby. Not across, but with. I’m with you. “Withness” is core to meaningful camaraderie – that secret ingredient to the secret sauce of an Read more >
Avoid Death by Triangulation: Sneaky Sounding Boards
I emphasize over and over how important it is to speak to someone directly. I had one man ask me, “But what if I’m talking to someone else as a sounding board?” Sounding boards are Read more >
It’s Personal
It’s personal. When someone gives you “constructive” feedback, it’s personal. When someone suddenly takes you off a pet project, it’s personal. When someone talks behind your back, it’s personal. Read more >
Getting to Know You (And Your Team)
Recently the New York Times ran an article, “To Fall in Love with Anyone do This” by Mandy Catron where she implemented a study by psychologist Arthur Aron. His study suggests that if you sit Read more >
Generational Differences
5 More Questions to Support Workplace Team Building
Napkin Sketch of Bench Culture Champions, As you know, for ten years I’ve been creating emotional intimacy and camaraderie in a variety of workplaces. I’m now also in the creation of a Read more >
Resolving Conflict at Work: Start with Just the Facts
Is that so? Usually conflict at work arises out of a misunderstanding in what actually happened. Without facts, without dialogue to uncover what actually happened, assumption swoops in to fill in the gaps. Read more >
Top 3 Ways on How to Work with Millennials
“We love our millennials!” I heard this from two companies this week. This had me smile from ear to ear. It would seem the tide is turning. Companies are starting to get how to Read more >
Polarizing Politics and Shared Humanity
Disheartened. That’s how I was feeling a few weeks ago when I heard two friends dig in their heels and GO AT IT. There was no love, no generosity, just pure righteousness, frustration and commitment. Read more >
Team Camaraderie
Be Courageous: Give Clueless Leadership a Clue
The CEO walked out of her office, looked around and muttered, “Everyone has gotten so fat.” And then she hired a personal trainer for the team. Why? The team at this point doesn’t care Read more >
A Couple of Quick Ways to Address Entitlement
1) Disrupt traditions that have lost their oomph. • Ditch the “ho hum,” recently described to me as “the annual company jacket” that is no longer a gift but an expectation. The road to entitlement Read more >
Fair is not a dirty word.
In this blog, fair is defined as free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice. It's a word we often say when we're young, and not as often when we're old. “But that’s not fair” – the Read more >
Get Messy
"Our People are Our Biggest Asset" Really? Do you believe it? How do you know? Are you just saying that? Because it sounds good. Really good. And on some level we know it's true. Really Read more >
Team Bonding
Co-Complaining to Co-Creating Contagious Joy
Have you ever noticed how common it is to bond with others by complaining? Have you ever noticed how questions like, “How ya doin’?” or “How have you been?” often come with a concerned look? Read more >
One Simple Way to Make Employee Recognition Easier
Do you have a team member who sulks or gets frustrated that no one is acknowledging their efforts or that no one appreciates the work they do? The current paradigm suggests the manager should recognize Read more >
Lack of Accountability: Unkind Niceness
How many times have you not held your peer accountable in an effort to be “nice” because you didn’t want to hurt his/her feelings?” How many times did you then go ahead and do the Read more >
How do you get them to come in on time?
I recently got asked this the other day. If you're a business that needs to have your employees in at a certain time to be the face of your company to customers it will drive Read more >
Crisis Strategies
Managing the Stress and Uncertainty of the Coronavirus
7 Ways to Support Your Team's Mindset I don’t pretend to know exactly what to do right now – especially as each team’s situation varies widely. And I know a few things about people, Read more >
Go from Transactional to Transformational in One Step
I was making a deposit at my bank last week when the teller, who I don’t know, asked me if she could ask me a question, one to which she’s Read more >
The Ultimate Unexpected Leadership Movie
Last week I had the honor of attending Generations Healthcare’s heartfelt and moving “Caring for a Lifetime” Presidential Awards Ceremony in which they celebrate an exceptional staff member from each one of their locations. Prior Read more >
Beware: Resting Frog Face
Back when I ran the moving company I installed a small mirror at head height inside my office. Every time I wanted to leave my office, I would have to confront my reflection. It wasn’t Read more >
Employee Satisfaction
Like Your Less Than Likeable Co-Worker
Just last week I was facilitating a team relationship repair when one of the members stated, “We don’t have to like each other, we just have to be able to work with each other.” This Read more >
How do you get from "me" employees to "we" employees?
Most leaders would like to see their culture go from one in which employees ask "What's best for me?" to "What's best for the company?" Of course, first and foremost, employees need to feel that "What's Read more >
Employee satisfaction, engagement and morale: First Question to Ask
So many times we ask the following questions: "How can we improve?" "How can we be better?" "What can we do to be better?" "What's wrong?" And while these are valid and often valuable questions, Read more >
Love Your Employees – Ditch the Donuts and Break Out the Fruit
No donuts!!?? You say. Yes, I said no donuts. We all know that donuts are bad for us - high fat, high sugar - you get the idea. What does it tell your employees when Read more >
Leadership Relationships
Show Your Team Some REAL Love this Valentine’s Day
Skip the pink frosted cupcakes and awkward “Be Mine” valentines. Contrary to popular belief, these don’t make employees happy nor do they contribute to making a great company culture.Instead, here's how to show your team Read more >
Top 3 Toughest Culture Challenges – And 3 Simple Solutions
Need help with culture challenges? You're not alone. Every organization has its own flavor of issues, however, these three stand out as the most common for many teams: Gossip: People talk about one another behind Read more >
The 5 Best Employee Holiday Gifts
Funeral. Yep. That’s what if felt like at his company’s Christmas party last night. The company tried. They had the best intentions. They even dropped some serious cash. But the lackluster-gray-oddly-lit-no music-rubber chicken dinner Read more >
There’s No Crying in Culture
If you know any of my work, you know I talk about how to create emotional intimacy in the workplace, as it’s the secret ingredient to the secret sauce of having an extraordinary workplace culture. Read more >
Co-Worker Relationships
Would Your People Vote for You?
“Would you vote for me to serve with you another year?” This is the question Arkadi Kuhlmann, CEO of Zenbanx, asks his employees every year. This question follows a servant leadership mindset and shows an Read more >
Step Into It: What Fearless Leadership Looks Like
Just the other day I had a client who was speaking to me in confidence over the phone about concerns he has with several of his staff. In the course of this conversation, his assistant Read more >
Karmic Loyalty
I recently saw a presentation given by Steve Degnan, the VP of HR of Purina. Purina was recently awarded the Malcolm Baldrige award. And Steve said the question he found most interesting in the interviews Read more >
Congratulations to Alexa’s Angels!! Small Businesses, Pay Close Attention!
Alexa's Angels is our newest addition to the list of Choose People Certified Companies. Please give them a huge round of applause as on average only 1 in 5 companies are able to meet our Read more >
