Get Better Results from Other People

One of the persistent questions I get from people in my classes and training sessions is “What can I do to motivate people to give me work that is complete, accurate, and on time? I am tired of the excuses.”  Fair question, though I think it is misdirected.  It attributes the problem to their motivation

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Effective Workplace Communication Requires Using the Right Conversation

How often have you heard (or made) one of the following complaints (or some variation thereof):

We have a real communication problem here.
They don’t tell us anything, and when they do tell us, it’s not much.
They never give us enough information.

The absence or inadequacy of communication is one of the most frequently voiced complaints in the

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How Do I Get My Boss to Change?

I am occasionally asked by the managers in my classes, “How do I get my boss to do this stuff?”  My answer is often the same, “Get interested in what they are interested in.  Find out what they have their attention on, what they are concerned for, and what they are accountable for and then

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Inspiration Is Not Enough

During a recent meeting with a group of managers from COSI in Columbus, OH, one of them asked about the role of inspired understanding in getting people to do things.  She was proposing that the primary difference between effective managers and less effective leaders was that effective leaders presented their ideas in a more compelling

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Is Demanding “Now” Undermining Leadership?

I recently got an email from – let’s call him Paul – a manager updating me on his attempts to interrupt the “high priority” manipulation that is so prevalent in organizations.  Turns out he is becoming increasingly successful everywhere except with his boss.   Apparently Paul’s boss doesn’t realize how he is undermining himself.

Here is what

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Convert Expectations into Agreements

Don’t risk being held to account for things you don’t know about. Take the time to find out what people really expect you to do, and what they expect you to deliver.  If they don’t tell you, ask.

I recently had a conversation with a manager who was disturbed by her inability to meet the

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“High Priority” Isn’t A Deadline

Laurie and I recently conducted a training program on The Four Conversations for a group of project managers.  Since most of the managers were from the same organization, they all encountered the same problem when given an assignment.  Rather than being told a due date or deadline by when the assignment was to be completed,

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The Fundamental Error in Managing Others

While flying home from a weekend visit with my son in Houston, Texas, I got a flash of insight into why it is so difficult to train managers to be more effective.  I was reading “The Psychology of Judgment and Decision Making” when I realized managers make a fundamental error in their understanding of what

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