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Wishing you Peace at Work EVERY day,
January 26, 2012
 Sometimes your behaviors support you and sometimes they do not. The key is to
identify the supporting behaviors or opportunities so that you can use
them more and to identify the behaviors that are damaging or the threats
so that you can learn to prevent them. When you pay close attention to
your behaviors you can learn what causes certain behaviors and what is
caused by those behaviors.
January 11, 2012
day you bring strengths and weaknesses to work. You walk into the room
(virtual or otherwise) with what makes you unique. Or as the saying goes,
wherever you go, there you are. That is a good thing. It is all of the
elements that make you, well you; that differentiate you from others.
You cannot escape yourself, but you can GROW yourself.
December 22, 2011
I know you, you are a giver. How do I know this? It is a common theme shared by my community members. You might not even KNOW the ways in which you give. Certainly with the year coming to an end you are receiving requests and reminders for charitable donations. And if you are able to make financial donations, that is terrific! But giving is not just about money.
December 8, 2011
It's that time again, peace on earth and good will to all. Or at least it would be if you were not worried about those darned office parties. What are they anyway? Are they work or are they parties? Here are some tips to help you navigate the maze of professional pitfalls that lurk behind that innocent invitation to celebrate with your co-workers.
Keep these tips in mind and emerge with your reputation clearer and stronger than ever before.
November 24, 2011
This edition of 'Turning Point' is coming to you during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. If you are in Canada you have already celebrated your Thanksgiving holiday. There are many traditions that surround this holiday and I am not just talking about overeating and hitting the mall for EARLY (midnight, really?) shopping the next day. Thanksgiving designates the beginning of the holiday season for many residents of the United States. And the workplace during this time of year can be very interesting indeed.
November 10, 2011
You might recognize this as a reminder of the importance of risk management. You know that things do not always go smoothly. Why be surprised when issues arise, when instead you can be prepared when issues arise?
October 27, 2011
 Back in February, I shared the quote with you.
"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."
Mark Twain
At that time I was not aware of
The Responsibility Project hosted by Liberty Mutual. Liberty Mutual is an insurance company and I am not sharing 'The Responsibility Project' to promote or endorse them. (Granted it is a way for them to promote themselves and their corporate values.)
October 13, 2011
 Have you ever looked at someone and thought, "I have no clue what this person is talking about." Maybe you even have specifically thought, "Where is this person coming from?" You were not questioning their place of origin. What you were questioning was their perspective.
September 22, 2011
 Does the person you work for EVER get on your nerves? I bet they do. And perhaps sometimes the requests they make of you just do not make sense. Other times, their requests may make sense, but their timing is all wrong. Sometimes they get upset over seemingly small details. Of course none of your team ever says this about you, right?
Remember, 'bosses are people too'.
September 8, 2011
I need to tell you something. I hope you don't
mind. You see, what I have to tell you might not be something you
want to know. But here goes, "You are not always right." This is my
polite way of telling you that sometimes you are wrong.
August 25, 2011
Today's message comes from Raj Menon, founder of 13Apples.com, IT Program Manager and self-described extrovert. I am the one behind the wheel. My role is to get us to the destination. All they have to do is to decide on a place to dine. I can understand if the confusion is due to the countless cuisines to choose from or maybe due to our various taste palates. No, that's not why a simple decision to choose a restaurant turns into a long and overdrawn process for my friends, while I aimlessly drive around. We are too considerate. We want to be non-imposing. So instead of being forthright about our preference we respond with...
August 11, 2011
"Tom I really think that when there is a technical decision to be made, it makes perfects sense for you to delegate the decision to Simon. After all he is our technical lead." Marilyn chimed in, "I agree with Jacob. I think the trick is that you need to make it clear that you trust Simon to make the call."
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July 28, 2011
Tom was not surprised when Jacob and Marilyn asked for a private meeting with him. He had a hunch that some of the team was displeased with him. He thought of Jacob and Marilyn as 'unofficial' team leaders. They seemed to be the two people who his team members looked to for professional guidance. Tom had mixed feeling about his upcoming meeting with the two of them. On the one hand it would be a relief to find out what was wrong and on the other hand, well he was going to find out what was wrong.
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July 14, 2011
Life is full of decisions. Some are simple and some are more difficult. Of course a simple decision for you might be difficult for someone else. Perhaps you love to make decisions, maybe you are the one others turn to when a decision needs to be made. No matter your feelings on the subject, decisions are a fact of life.
As you can tell I have decision making on the brain. This has led me to spend some time with you in 'Turning Point' discussing decision making. Right now I am envisioning a few issues dedicated to this topic. How many? I have not decided yet, but I will. And that brings us to today's article, 'Please, Make a Decision.'
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June 23, 2011
Please allow me to introduce you to a very special lady. Her name is Pam Stanton and she is 'The Project Whisperer'. I have admired Pam's work via Twitter and other places and I am very happy to have made her acquaintance. You and Pam and I are of a like mind, projects are about people! In today's 'Turning Point' Pam reminds us of the importance of our role as orator. When we speak to an audience we are setting an example as a leader. Our ability to present effectively can make or break us, it can separate us from the pack in terms of the types of projects we are asked to lead.
June 9, 2011
So there you are in line at the grocery store or the hardware store or the bank. It could be anyplace really. You could be on hold waiting for a customer service representative or waiting for a meeting to begin. You have time on your hands, what do you do with that time?
May 26, 2011
A recent conversation with a colleague prompted me to recall one of my embarrassing 'meeting moments'. What do I mean by 'meeting moment'? I mean something that occurs in a conference room or some other professional venue; something that was not on the agenda. It could be frightening (like when someone loses their temper) or it could be funny. I do not know about you, but I have more than one of these stories to share, feel free to write me about your stories too.
May 12, 2011
It seems that in the past couple of weeks the questions that have surfaced the most - from both clients and students are all about communications. These questions have ranged from: "Do I have to answer text messages in the middle of the night?" to "Why should I care if my co-worker hates voicemail?" to "What can I do, my boss holds meetings with no plan or agenda?"Seems like there could be some communications chaos going on and while you cannot control others, you can ensure that you are not the chaotic communicator.
April 28, 2011
Have
you ever had one of those days where you just feel a bit off? You are not necessarily sick or
distraught, but the phrase "off my game" might spring to mind. You might find yourself thinking,
"I sure am off my game today". We know it happens to professional athletes, that is why we use a
sporting analogy to describe this condition, but it can happen to us too. We can all bounce back
from an off day, it is all in the rebound.
April 14, 2011
Feeling
the Shift is that peaceful feeling you get when you reach a difficult decision, you
become comfortable with a situation which has been troubling you or you let go of something
from the past and finally leave it in the past.
March 24, 2011
As with Emotional Intelligence or EQ you can increase your ability to be likeable to
others. Your likeability can open the door to successful professional relationships
which do also need to include respect.
March 10, 2011
 When you understand how you handle conflict, you can begin to understand
when your approach is effective and when it is not.
There are five conflict handling modes and one of these is your preferred mode.
Listen now to learn about these five modes and identify your mode.
February 24, 2011
Most of us are taught that interrupting people is rude, but sometimes interrupting
ourselves is the most intelligent and thoughtful thing to do.
January 27, 2011
 Changing your mind is part of being a leader. Your team needs to see you make decisions
and your team needs to see you change those decisions when it is appropriate to do so.
A leader who stands up in front of the team and says, “You know, this is the decision
I made, but I now see that decision needs to be reconsidered.” That is a leader to be
admired.
January 13, 2011
 I have to confess that there have been some years when I was happier than usual to close
the door on the old year and get started with the new one. Somehow in my mind I created
a belief that once I made it through to the end of the year whatever it was that I was
allowing to tire me out would be over. Anytime I fall into this type of thinking I am
really falling prey to a false deadline.
To Your Peace,
Margaret |
