“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” This timeless quote from Mother Teresa perfectly captures the positive impact that simple acknowledgments can have. Yet, as a supervisor balancing deadlines and deliverables, it’s sometimes a struggle to find time to recognize top team members—especially when your energy may be drained due to difficult…
Why bother to banish bad behavior? It’s tempting to ignore it, hoping it will go away on its own—but the reality is that it rarely does. More often, unchecked negativity festers and spreads, impacting your entire team’s morale and performance. As a supervisor or leader, one of the most challenging yet essential tasks is addressing bad behavior within your team.…
It’s easy to work together better when things are going well, but inevitably there will be conflicts, confusion and miscommunication that need to be addressed. The words we choose can make or break the way we work—especially when things are not going as planned. What does that look like in real life? Communicate with Candor—And Kindness We work together better…
You’ve probably heard the expression “There is no “I” in Team.” That refers to the fact that the word TEAM does not have an I in it, but more to the point, it stresses that we can work together better when we focus on we, the team, rather than just focusing on what I want. As a twist on that…
“We already tried that.” “That won’t work.” “That will never happen here.” Nothing will ever work according to these common comments made by the Naysayer. Or how about Sarcasm, the Naysayer’s witty cousin, who says: “Yeah right.” “Dream on.” “Good luck with that.” These roles and similar ones can hinder a group’s process by diverting the attention away from achieving…
“Please and Thank you, they’re called the magic words. If you want nice things to happen, they’re the words that should be heard.” These are lyrics from a song sung by Barney the Dinosaur and his sidekick kids in a children’s show my daughter and I watched faithfully when she was growing up. And, I think there’s a lesson in…