What people want and need from us can be different from what we think. We can make assumptions, but until we ask, we can’t truly know. Recent research from the University of Colorado School of Medicine shows that while healthcare professionals might think they know a patient’s biggest worry, very often they don’t. I read about this in the book Wonder Drug: 7 Scientifically Proven Ways That Serving Others Is the Best Medicine for Yourself,…

As leaders, we know that praise, compliments, and “thank-yous” are important for many reasons. They fill people’s emotional bank accounts. They improve engagement and morale. Also, they build confidence and momentum so the employee will keep the good work coming. What gets recognized gets repeated. But sometimes, if we’re not careful, we can suck the life out of the compliment by rushing through those good feelings and focusing on the next task too quickly. Here’s…

We hear a lot about the need to show appreciation and empathy to employees. But with National Boss’s Day coming up on October 16, here is my message: Leaders need appreciation and empathy also. Even some forgiveness helps at times. (We focused on forgiveness as a cultural value last week. It’s important to remember that leaders need forgiveness too!) There was a time when I thought being a manager would be easy. When teaching, I…

“We all make mistakes” is a phrase we all have likely heard. It is often used to reduce someone’s guilt over making a mistake and/or the fear of the consequences of that mistake. Because it is human to make mistakes, forgiveness is crucial inside organizations. We know that some mistakes are much more serious than others. I recently heard a presentation from an engineer who worked in nuclear energy. The talk was on Human Factor…

Most of us have heard of the game called “telephone.” Here is how it works: People line up in a single-file line. The first person in the line has a message whispered in their ear. This person then whispers the message they heard to the next person. This continues until the message has reached the last person in line, who then shares out loud what they heard. It is not unusual for this final message…

I am fortunate to hear from a variety of people each week sharing questions as well as their thoughts on different topics. Having my own companies, I am in the field each week experiencing the same situations they do. I received a call from a CEO of a company. He said he reached out to me because he felt I would have an answer to the situation he was in. After he explained, I said,…

I recently did a podcast with Mindy G. Spigel, RN, MSN, CPXP. She has a new book. It’s called There’s a Snake on My Head! Strategies for Alleviating Fear and Anxiety in Healthcare for Patients, Families AND Healthcare Teams. In the podcast, she talks about research she did on reducing fear and anxiety. When people were asked how they want to be treated when they’re scared or anxious, their answers boiled down to this: “Keep me informed,…

Part Two of a Two-Part Column           Are you harder on yourself than perhaps you should be? Many leaders are. We want to do our best work, and it’s easy to feel like we let others down when we are not perfect. I know this is true because I sometimes feel this way. Actually, I have gotten better than I used to be, but I still have my moments.          If you read…

Part One of a Two-Part Column A question I get asked often, particularly by less-experienced managers, is, “What’s the number-one piece of advice you have for people new to leadership?” My answer is, “Always be kind to yourself.” I’m not sure I would have said that years ago. Maybe it’s age. Maybe it’s experience. Maybe it’s life lessons. Whatever the reason, it’s the first message I give these days.            Recently I received a phone call from…

For years, the topic of work/life balance or work/life blend has interested me. Achieving it seems rather elusive. It reminds me of the saying, “My serenity is directly tied to my expectations.” I am not saying we shouldn’t strive for balance. It is very important, and of course we all want to achieve as much balance as possible. It’s just that, at least during certain seasons of our lives, we need to accept that we’re…