52 I Almost Drowned in the Rogue River
This is a guest blog by Moe Carrick I almost drowned in the Rogue River. Not because the water was too big for us, not because we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But because I didn’t say what I knew. The rapid was called the Picket Fence. Someone had died in […]
#50 What is all the fuss about psychological safety?
These are incredibly challenging times for leaders. 40% of CEOs fail in their first 18 months!* However, the top CEOs’ companies generate 2.8x more returns for their shareholders than their peers. One of the mindsets separating these top CEOs from all the others is they treat people and culture as a top priority. The top CEOs […]
#49 – A Compliment Sandwich is a Bad Business Practice
A “compliment sandwich” is a widely accepted practice of delivering bad news that a person’s performance needs improvement. A compliment sandwich starts with praise, then adds criticism, then finishes with praise. It’s supposed to make the listener more receptive and leave them feeling better. In theory, the more praise at the beginning and end, the […]
48 Revolution to Make Meetings Effective
“Why did we even meet at all?” I wondered as the interminable meeting finally concluded. Other times I have asked, “Why am I in this meeting?” And too often I have asked: “Why were X, Y, and Z in the meeting?” Tired of time-wasting meetings? You’re not alone. It’s time for a revolution! Revolutionary idea […]
#45 – Apologize with a MIDAS touch
Conventional wisdom holds that if there’s a potential legal claim against you, don’t apologize, because that could be deemed an admission of guilt or liability and increase claim risk. The opposite is actually true: Proper apologies tend to prevent claims or lead to amicable resolution. The key is how you apologize. We urge them to apply the […]
#44 Top Teams Eat Top Talent For Breakfast – What Neuroscience Can Teach Us About Leadership
44 ‘Top teams eat top talent for breakfast’: What neuroscience can teach us about leadership by Véronique Bogliolo• 5 min read Why do we see our star performers burn out so often? The solution is to promote a culture of top teams instead of top talent. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you […]
#43 Keep Stop Start Decision-making
Happy New Year! If you’re like most of us, you’re back to work, making decisions, large, small, and everything in between. One of my favorite decision-making tools is the keep-stop-start method, which can be used by both teams and individuals. With this method, you ask three questions: What’s working that we want to keep? What’s NOT working that is […]
#42 – the Trunk of Your Car
Remember how clean and organized your car’s trunk was when you bought it? What does it look like now? First, one or two things take up residence, then a couple more, then…. The same thing happens with processes and procedures in organizations. When they’re first designed, they work well. But then life intrudes; the procedures […]
#41 What did employees make in 2023? 💸
Instead of my normal blog, I’m forwarding this. Let me know if you found this interesting, or if you would prefer no more of these… Gary Langenwalter Portland Consulting Group For Exceptional Results Mobile (971) 221-8155 From: Boly:Welch <chelsea@bolywelch.com>Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2023 11:30 AMTo: Gary <gary@portlandconsultinggroup.com>Subject: What did employees make in 2023? 💸 […]
#40 What’s Their GSI?
My friend is a graphics designer for a large company, working on multiple projects simultaneously. Unfortunately, each project manager thinks their project is the highest priority. So after several months of extreme pressure and being pulled from one project to another, my friend basically quit caring. She goes to work, does her job, and comes […]