Articles

Active, Constructive Responding

How do you usually respond when someone tells you about something good that happened to them? Do you say “That’s great!” while hurrying on to your next meeting? If so, you are missing out on an opportunity to build relationships.

The Positivity Tipping Point

Do you know your positivity ratio? Research shows that people who experience at least three times as many positive emotions as negative emotions are more likely to flourish.

What it Takes to Follow-Through

Do you sometimes wonder why it's easy to follow through on some plans but not others? Read on to find out why.

Give Your Self-Control a Boost

Self-control—the ability to delay gratification, concentrate on a task, resist a temptation, or control emotions—is key to success at work and in life. The good news is that we can improve our willpower.

Strengthen Your Willpower

Willpower. Who wouldn’t like to have more of it? We need willpower when we concentrate on a task, solve a problem or resist a temptation. Read on for tips on how to build your willpower.

How You Can Plan a Project with Your Team

In this video, you will learn a quick and easy method for planning a project and building your team at the same time.

The Importance of First Line Leaders

First line leaders are the brave people on the front lines of organizational leadership. They are called upon day in and day out to lead a team.

Where Do You Get your Ideas?

Where do you get your best ideas? Most people say in the shower, while jogging or taking a walk– not at their desk. Why can’t we simply turn on the idea factory when we need it?

Keeping Stakeholder Relationships On Course

In this article I will introduce an approach for identifying, analyzing and managing stakeholders in order to maximize support and minimize interference.

Keeping Stakeholder Relationships On Course, Part 2

Here I will discuss how to plan communication actions to influence stakeholders.

Building a Professional Community

Vibrant communities combine face-to-face meetings with an online hub for sharing resources and coordinating events.

Team Building across Cultures

In addition to national cultures, corporate and functional/professional cultures will influence your team.

Mental Simulations and Other Ways to Make Better Decisions

Mental simulations are effective for helping people get past the beginner stage and build a rich knowledge-base to draw on for future decisions.

What Are You Working On? How is the Project Going?

Being prepared for informal opportunities to tell people what you are working will help you build credibility and relationships.

How to Present, Part 3, Preparing for a Large Audience

Apart from the stage fright that many of us feel, presenting to a large audience is usually easier than presenting or facilitating for a small group.

How to Present, Part 2: Preparing For a Small Audience

In many ways, presenting to a small audience is more challenging than presenting to a large group (stage fright aside).

How to Present, Part 1: Show the Numbers

Most business presentations contain charts and tables. Numbers are central for measuring success, identifying opportunities and making informed decisions.

Learning to Have a Difficult Conversation

We all face conversations at work that we dread such as giving someone negative feedback. However, every interaction can also be a "learning conversation."

How to Interview Stakeholders, Part 2

Techniques from the fields of usability and user experience such as open questions, sketches and thinking out loud can make stakeholder interviews more effective.

How to Interview Stakeholders, Part 1

For project managers, interviewing is an important technique for clarifying stakeholder requirements, understanding expectations and winning support.

A Reminder for Turbulent Times: Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers

When we worry, we activate the same stress responses that we evolved to respond to acute physical danger. Over the long run, this can make us sick.

New Years Resolutions for Project Managers

Most of us make resolutions for the new year. And almost as many of us break them.

In Focus: Twitter and Storytelling

Do learning professionals use Twitter to keep the discussion going after a learning intervention?

Sketching is Everything. Sketches are Nothing

The act of sketching leads to clear thinking. Literally, we can "grasp" ideas better once we've sketched them out.

Sticky Notes for Project Planning

When you need to identify tasks, generate alternatives and assess risks for a new project, grab a stack of sticky notes to help plan the project!

The Storytelling Approach to Note Taking

I enjoy seeing how people combine words and drawings to capture information or explore an idea-using what I call a storytelling approach to note taking.


Featured

Active, Constructive Responding

How do you usually respond when someone tells you about something good that happened to them? Do you say “That’s great!” while hurrying on to your next meeting? If so, you are missing out on an opportunity to build relationships.
Read More »

Recent Updates