Archive for Uncategorized

You need to know how to ask good questions in order to have good listening skills. Most leaders and professionals need to put some effort into cultivating the skill of asking good questions that build effective work relationships. Here are 4 tips on how to ask good questions: 1. Facilitate the other person’s creativity with [...]

In a prior article, I described reasons to use a request rather than a demand or command when possible. In short, people are more likely to carry out a request rather than drag their feet and they are more likely to respond with some enthusiasm. So if you decide to use a request format to [...]

The Dean of Harvard Business School, Jay O. Light, has written about the importance for leaders of having soft skills like self-awareness. CEO Magazine, Sept/Oct. 2008, p. 53, quotes Light: “Self-awareness, for example, is a very important leadership skill. To what extent can you teach self-awareness in a classroom?” Also on p. 53, The Dean [...]

I have described in a prior Tip how fast reacting often spells trouble. Now in this Tip I tell you what you can do about this reaction problem. When stress has made you reactive, here is a recovery process: 1. Train yourself to notice your physical symptoms of being upset, such as: tense muscles, shallow [...]

I invite you to dialogue with me about my blog posts. This is a good way to deepen your learning. What questions arise for you when you read one of my blog posts? Please let me know. What different viewpoint do you have? What would you like me to write about regarding emotional intelligence or [...]

I am a Harvard MBA and also a Yale M.Div. Although I left church work in favor of leadership development consulting, I still am very altruistic and want to make a difference by helping nonprofits improve their leadership. Nonprofit leaders often struggle with leadership problems because they are not adequately trained. Very few have received [...]