Leadership Are you Avoiding Conflict

Leadership: Are you Avoiding Conflict?

“If you are in a leadership position, any you avoid conflict, speaking the truth (facts), or giving feedback, you might want to consider a different position!”  ~Joe Contrera   For more than two decades I have had the privilege of helping leaders develop their leadership and coaching skills. And yet…I am still amazed at the…

Influence - Leverage the Power of Failure

Influence: Leverage the Power of Failure

“It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” ~J.K. Rowling   One way to more powerfully influence others is to leverage your failures. People don’t realize the power of failure and…

The Importance of Emotional Intelligence

So what’s all this mumbo jumbo you keep hearing about Emotional Intelligence? Emotional Intelligence can be defined as a person’s ability to effectively negotiate social relationships and environments. Emotional Intelligence is a relatively new science and is becoming an important factor in determining a persons success in business and in life. A recent survey of…

The Art of Listening vs. The Ignorance of Interrupting

The Art of Listening vs. The Ignorance of Interrupting 72 Interruptions … Yes, count them! Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Kaine interrupted his opponent or the debate moderator 72 times in  a 90 minute period. That’s once every 75 seconds! He wasn’t interested in debating, he had an agenda and he was driving it home. He…

Creating a Culture of Communication … Sow What?

Creating a Culture of Communication … Sow What? Poor Communication continues to be the single biggest factor that negatively impacts organizations. The sad thing is that it has been this way … for 100’s of years. Poor listening skills, failure to communicate important issues, misunderstandings, and improperly trained leaders, are just a few of the…