Archives
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Issue #1 -
You, Inc.

In the tough reality of today's changing business climate, it's up to you to create your own job security! Start by "branding" yourself with the right professional identity and reputation. view

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The Personal Trainer #1

Build your personal brand by making measurable contributions to your organization’s “critical path.” This issue will help you map your efforts with a thought-provoking “fill-in” form. view

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Issue #2 -
Can YOU Be A Better Leader?

Not everyone can be a leader. Researchers identify two types of people who will never be found in the “leader” column of your organization. Are you one of them? view

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The Personal Trainer #2

Use the inventory provided to explore your self-awareness and measure your ability to learn, grow, and lead. view

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Issue #3 -
Grow or Die!

Maybe you remember that old adage—“If you’re not moving forward, you’re just standing still.” For leaders it’s different—if you’re not growing, your leadership is dying. The Leadership 4-D model in this issue will keep you headed in the right direction. view

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The Personal Trainer #3

Check out the Leadership 4-D diagram in this issue. It’s a crystal clear image that will help you and your team visualize exactly where each of you need to focus on your growth as leaders. Use it to help navigate your next steps of learning and growth. view

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Issue #4 -
The BEST Leadership Training...and it's FREE!

Experience is not just the BEST teacher… it’s also the CHEAPEST. Find out how to steer your career into valuable leadership training experiences, AND GET PAID DOING IT. view

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The Personal Trainer #4

We make it easy to navigate your next steps to leadership learning and growth! Use insights from the Leadership 4D model to map out your Personal Learning Plan using the form provided. view

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Issue #5 -
The Powerfull PULL of Praise

In a world filled with critics, it’s easy for leaders to stand out—all they have to do is leverage the powerful attraction of praise, affirmation, and appreciation. Can it really be that easy? It can—if you take our advice. view

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The Personal Trainer #5

Start demonstrating “standout” leadership TODAY. It’s easy—just use the handy Praise Planning Form in this issue to guide you in becoming an expert at affirming, appreciating, and praising your team. view

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Issue #6 -
Turn Corrections Into Compliments

Sure, we all want to be positive leaders and praise our team members, but mistakes happen and so we’ve got to correct them. Learn a basic technique in this issue that will turn correction into an affirming exercise of appreciation and praise. view

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The Personal Trainer #6

Master the fine art of managing mistakes and still preserving a culture of praise and affirmation. We’ll show you how with special planning forms in this issue. Use our simple approach with step-by-step instructions to guide your thinking and your preparation for sessions of correction with your team members. view

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Issue #7 -
Collaborate and WIN

Think “cooperation” is the holy grail of team excellence? Think again. Tom Morris sets us straight with his wisdom of truly “collaborative” teams. Learn the secret of high-performing team synergy and creativity. view

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The Personal Trainer #7

Where is your team in the process of becoming truly collaborative? Take the special inventory in this issue to find out. Then use the simple steps and practical guidelines, to move your team into high-performing collaboration. view

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Issue #8 -
The Real Deal

Yes—exemplary leaders really do exist! This one is undeniably the most effective one that has ever lived. How does your leadership stack up to his? Take a look in this month’s issue and let this leader’s example inspire and challenge you! view

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The Personal Trainer #8

If you would like to explore this leadership model in greater detail, this companion issue of The Personal Trainer provides an annotated list of recommended resources that you will find informative, helpful, and thought-provoking. view

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Issue #9 -
Let Go and Get ’Mo

Delegation is the secret to getting more done. And the key to great delegation is clear assignments. The 5 Levels of Delegation will help you bring clarity and precision to your next delegated assignment. view

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The Personal Trainer #9

Learn how to overcome the 5 Barriers to Delegation and master the 8 Steps to Effective Delegating. We’ll reveal the secrets in this practical tip-filled guide. And here’s the best tip of all: share the insights with your team—it will multiply your leadership impact even more! view

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Issue #10 -
Can We Talk?

You may think you are a good communicator, but are you doing the right things that help other people communicate with YOU? Discover the 6 main behaviors that make it easy for your people to open up and tell you what you need to know. view

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The Personal Trainer #10

Learn how to use these 6 key behaviors to warm up the communication climate for your people, and leverage their ideas, insights, and opinions for better decision-making and problem-solving. Then learn how to respond to your boss’s critical and confrontational style with a positive approach that wins you acceptance and support. view

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Issue #11 -
Why Should Anyone Listen to YOU?

If you want your team members to tune in when you talk, you’ve got to lay the right groundwork. Discover how you can win their credibility and respect with a few simple, but powerful practices. view

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The Personal Trainer #11

Build powerful bridges of communication and connection with your people by leveraging 3 key leadership functions that turn your team into engaged and interested listeners. Use the tools in this issue to build trust, demonstrate respect, and develop people. view

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Issue #12 -
Make Friends With People and Processes

In a large organization, your success depends on key people who don’t report to you. You can’t order them to do their jobs and help you, so you’ve got to lead them by influence. Do you know how? view

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The Personal Trainer #12

Learn how to build internal business alliances that work! Use the planning form and detailed instructions in this issue to identify key people in your internal network and build rapport; collaborate effectively; and win their respect and support! view

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Issue #13 -
The Success Formula

Yes, there is a formula for success in your professional life! Read this issue to discover it and to find out why and how each ingredient in the formula is essential. And don’t forget to check out the accompanying issue of The Personal Trainer for other applications of this important formula. view

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The Personal Trainer #13

Use this simple formula to chart your professional development and guide your pathway to personal achievement and leadership impact. Don’t stop there. Use it to do the same for your team members and direct reports. The concepts and tools in this issue will give you practical help and useful direction for your personal success and your effectiveness as a manager and leader. view

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Issue #14 -
The Listening Leader

Read this issue and find out why listening is so important to your leadership and how it can help you have greater impact and effectiveness with your team and with others in your organization. view

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The Personal Trainer #14

How well do YOU listen? Use the assessment tool in this special issue and find out! It is designed to help you eliminate your blind spots and zero in on problem areas and bad listening habits. Then use the practical tips included to learn how to become a more effective listener. view

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eTips Issue #1 -
Leaders Who Listen

Our first eTips series features great insight straight from the horse’s mouth—The Best Advice from Top Executives and CEO’s. And here’s the first solid gold tip—The higher you are in the organization, the longer you need to wait before you speak. view

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eTips Issue #1

Download this issue and learn one of the secrets of Louisiana Pacific CEO Rick Frost, and how you can use it to become a more effective team leader in YOUR organization. view

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eTips Issue #2 -
Leading Diverse Teams

This issue’s sage advice comes from Steven Schragis who warns us that "Ten clowns don’t make a circus." Download this issue to learn the importance of building a diverse team. view

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eTips Issue #2

Avoid the temptation of assembling a team of clones that resemble your unique mix of talents and strengths. Instead, staff by complementation and reap the benefits! view

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eTips Issue #3 -
Solutions, not Problems

“Never bring a problem to your Boss without also bringing a solution.” This piece of advice comes from R. Dixon Thayer, CEO of ab3 Resources. Download this issue and learn how this applies to you, your Boss, and your TEAM. view

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eTips Issue #3

Napoleon Bonaparte once told his staff of generals, “Don’t bring me problems—I have enough problems of my own. Bring me SOLUTIONS!” Learn the importance of being a problem-solver and a LEADER of problem-solvers! view

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eTips Issue #4 -
Leaders Who Get Help

ASK FOR HELP. Simple but powerful advice from Susan J. Ashford, the associate dean for leadership programming and the executive MBA program at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business in Ann Arbor. view

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eTips Issue #4

Author and consultant Jerry R. Wilson puts it this way…The key words when you want something done are “I need your help.” Download this issue for some great help in getting help, and the incredible benefits you reap when you reach out for assistance. view

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eTips Issue #5 -
Resolving Failure and Conflict

Follow Ed Johnson’s straightforward advice to solve problems and resolve conflict effectively. Use his simple formula and you will resolve your toughest, most controversial challenges while avoiding the dangers of jumping to conclusions and alienating customers, team members, and direct reports. view

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eTips Issue #5

Great advice from Ed Johnson: Hear all sides; Get the true facts; Let the chips fall where they may. Ed built a small financial institution into a strong and sound organization with several billion dollars in assets. He did it with honesty and wise leadership, and you can benefit from his down-to-earth approach to problem-solving and conflict resolution. view

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eTips Issue #6 -
The Call To Glory

THERE ARE ONLY TWO BASIC MANAGEMENT MINDSETS: TAKE YOUR MEDICINE… OR… THE CALL TO GLORY. This issue’s great advice comes from one of my own clients and friends, David Payne. Take your cues from his positive and inspiring leadership. view

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eTips Issue #6

How do you talk to your people? How do you position their work? Read about David Payne’s leadership mindset and how he translates that into tangible expressions of positive recognition, appreciation, and support. view

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eTips Issue #7 -
Never Sanction Incompetence

This issue’s great advice comes from Mike Vance, author of the book, “Think Out of the Box.” Vance worked with Walt Disney (the man) and draws from the wisdom he absorbed from his relationship with that creative genius. view

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eTips Issue #7

Arguably, your number one job as a leader is to help your people succeed. What happens when they are failing? You have certain options, but one thing is clear: you must take action! You cannot allow your team or your organization to suffer at the hands of incompetent team members. view

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eTips Issue #8 -
Stop Team Conflict

IF YOU WANT TO COMPLAIN TO ME ABOUT SOMEONE, BRING THEM WITH YOU TO THE MEETING. This great advice comes from R. Dixon Thayer, the founder and CEO of ab3 Resources, a strategic consulting and investment firm based in Unionville, Pennsylvania. This is one of his “rules for boss engagement” that he posts on his office door. view

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eTips Issue #8

When one of your team members complains about a fellow team member, you’ve got to send a strong message about the value of your time and theirs. Don’t tolerate team member in-fighting that requires you to be the constant referee! Get your people in the same room with you and teach them how to resolve their own conflicts! view

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eTips Issue #9 -
Avoid Leadership Bias

INCORPORATE YOUR ADVERSARIES. This issue’s great advice comes from Abraham Lincoln, considered one of America’s greatest leaders. Learn how he used his greatest adversaries to help him craft better decisions. view

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eTips Issue #9

Apply this leadership principle from Abraham Lincoln and use your adversaries to help you make better decisions and craft more effective solutions. But there are some very important caveats to consider. Find out what you need to do to guard against your own leadership bias. view

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eTips Issue #10 -
Follow Your Passion

LOVE WHAT YOU DO. This is pretty common, straightforward wisdom. But make sure you pay attention to the details of this principle. Use Po Bronson’s insights to make sure you are applying the concept with a realistic understanding of how it really works. view

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eTips Issue #10

We’ve all heard that we should follow our passions. But we’ve rarely heard the caveats that go with that idealistic principle. Get the full picture from Po Bronson’s insights into reality! Then learn how you can use this concept to turbo-charge your team’s productivity. view

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eTips Issue #11 -
Address Limitations with Creativity

THINK INSIDE THE BOX. This great insight comes from best-selling authors Chip and Dan Heath. Read this issue and learn how innovation REALLY works, and how you can use its principles to bring better ideas into your work and your team’s work. view

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eTips Issue #11

There’s a cliché out there that we would all like to lay to rest: think outside the box. Sometimes, the difference between success and failure is the ability to think INSIDE the box. Chip and Dan Heath explain what this is and why it has value for leaders and teams. view

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eTips Issue #12 -
Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses

KNOW THYSELF. This word of advice comes from Dan Maltby, former head of The Masters in Organizational Leadership program at Biola University, and the Leadership Project there. Find out why this is an absolute essential for you as a leader. view

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eTips Issue #12

Self-knowledge and self-awareness are not just nice qualities for you to have in a leadership role – they directly affect your ability to lead, hire, manage, and perform successfully as a leader. Download this issue and find out why. view

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eTips Issue #13 -
Know Your Job

EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW THE ANSWERS TO FIVE QUESTIONS. This insight is adapted from Jerry R. Wilson. The first question is fundamental but essential: WHAT IS MY JOB? Read this issue to find out why it is so important for you to answer this question with clarity for each of your team members. view

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eTips Issue #13

Don’t assume that everyone on your team is clear about their job or about how you expect them to perform in their role. This is all about having a clear target for performance. And it is your job as a leader to provide that for each of your team members. view

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eTips Issue #14 -
Know Your Performance Expectations

The first question – What is my job? – begs the second question: HOW WELL AM I DOING IT? Read this issue to find out why you should not assume that your team members automatically know the answer! view

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eTips Issue #14

How will your people know if they are REALLY doing their jobs? You are going to have to take steps to communicate clearly to each of your team members to ensure that they know for certain how well they are performing. view

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eTips Issue #15 -
Get the Big Picture

The third question is less obvious: WHAT AM I PART OF? The answer to this question will help your team understand their role in the success of the organization. It will give them a bigger perspective on their jobs and show them why their work matters. view

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eTips Issue #15

Follow the advice of this issue and make sure your team members understand where they fit in the big picture of the organization – so they understand clearly how their work brings value to the organization and why it is important for them to do their work well. view

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eTips Issue #16 -
See the Vision

The fourth question is about vision: WHERE ARE WE GOING? The best way to answer this question is to make sure you have a clear Team Vision Statement. It’s essential to your team’s success and is central to everything you do as a team. view

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eTips Issue #16

Read this issue to find out why a Team Vision Statement is critical to your team’s success! Find out how and when you are going to be accessing your Team Vision Statement and why it must be more than just a slogan you put on a poster or tape to the wall. view

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eTips Issue #17 -
Understand the WII-FM

The final question is primal: HOW WILL I BENEFIT WHEN WE SUCCEED? Don’t be naïve about human nature! Every one of your team members has a stake in the team’s success. Your ability to motivate them is directly related to how well you understand their self-interests. view

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eTips Issue #17

Help your team members understand how their success is linked to the success of the team – and the organization – and you will be able to push all the right buttons to get the very best effort, commitment, and results from each of your team members. Read this issue for pointers and resources that will help. view

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eTips Issue #18 -
Make Your Team Happy

WHAT MAKES PEOPLE HAPPIEST AT WORK? 600 managers got it wrong in a recent survey. They guessed: RECOGNITION. What is it REALLY that motivates and inspires workers? Read this issue and you’ll find out what the experts know. view

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eTips Issue #18

Theresa Amabile and Steven Kramer reveal the results of a multi-year study that tracked the day-to-day activities, emotions, and motivation levels of hundreds of knowledge workers in a wide variety of settings. Their findings will help you understand the TRUE nature of workplace motivation. view

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eTips Issue #19 -
Make Your People Feel Important

Everyone wears an invisible sign around their neck that says, MAKE ME FEEL IMPORTANT. Read this issue and learn from Mary Kay Ash, one of America’s most successful business entrepreneurs. view

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eTips Issue #19

Find out how simple and easy it is to help your team members experience their true importance – to the team, to the organization, and to the clients and customers they serve. Use the ideas in this issue to send this all-important message and you will raise morale, productivity, and innovation. view

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eTips Issue #20 -
Make Personal Connections with Your People

Take the advice of Travelocity CEO Michelle Peluso and get to know your people personally. It doesn't mean being BFFs with every one of your staff – it just means getting to know them as people. Follow the ideas presented in this issue and experience the payoff...it's bigger than you think! view

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eTips Issue #21 -
Lead by Values

Follow the advice of CEO Dennis Gilkey at the Bonita Bay Group and build a world-class organization. His company is passionate about customer service, and has built a high-performing culture around core values. You can do the same with your people and your team! view

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eTips Issue #22 -
Learn From Mistakes

Take advice in this issue from Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP and Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy and learn how to bounce back from mistakes by leveraging valuable feedback from trusted colleagues and carefully-cultivated advisors. view

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eTips Issue #23 -
Don't Be Afraid to Terminate

This issue features straightforward advice for every leader: IT’S NOT THE PEOPLE YOU FIRE WHO CREATE PROBLEMS FOR YOU… IT’S THE PEOPLE YOU DON’T FIRE. Leaders today simply cannot afford dead weight on their teams. Learn to overcome your fear and do the right thing for you AND your team! view

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eTips Issue #24 -
Build the Right Friendships

This issue is all about developing the right kind of personal and professional support that you need to succeed. The advice is simple and straightforward – BUILD SOME FRIENDSHIPS WITH OTHERS IN YOUR INDUSTRY AT YOUR SAME LEVEL—PEOPLE YOU CAN GO TO FOR ADVICE, ENCOURAGEMENT, SUPPORT, AND FEEDBACK. view

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eTips Issue #25 -
Do What You Say You Will Do

DWYSYWD. Read this issue and discover what these initials mean – Mary Kay Ash’s advice to her followers to “always do what you say you will do.” It’s the secret to building a reputation for consistency that leads to the right kind of integrity, which builds powerful trust and loyalty among team members and colleagues. view

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eTips Issue #26 -
Get Comfortable Delegating

This issue's great advice comes from LP CEO Rick Frost, who told a group of his managers and executives, “You will never be an effective leader until you get comfortable being responsible for what other people do.” He was referring to delegation and the challenge of learning how to let go but still be in charge. view

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eTips Issue #27 -
Learn from the Legends

This issue features advice from a smart executive who taught me that wise leaders don't just learn from their own experiences--they also learn from the experiences of OTHERS. One easy way they do this is by acquiring books and other resources that enable them to learn immediately from the experts. view

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eTips Issue #28 -
Don't Stop Creating and Innovating

If you stop drawing from the well of creativity, it will dry up! This issue's great advice comes from a wise (and very creative) executive who encouraged me to never get too comfortable resting on my creative laurels, or I will lose my creative edge altogether! view

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eTips Issue #29 -
Delegate...and Communicate!

Follow this issue's wise advice, and next time you give an assignment to a subordinate, you will know exactly how to empower your delegate appropriately and practically, to ensure the successful completion of their assignment with the full cooperation of colleagues and team members! view

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eTips Issue #30 -
Network...and Make Better Hires

It's everyone's job in the organization to help find good people. This lesson came from a smart executive who taught me the secret of finding and hiring better people for my team. Read this issue and find out how YOU can hire better and end up firing less! view

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eTips Issue #31 -
Give Your People An Umbrella of Grace

Welcome to the next e-Tips series featuring “Great Ideas You Can Use RIGHT NOW…to Become a More Effective Leader.” This issue’s “great idea” is THE UMBRELLA OF GRACE and comes to us from Bill Hybels, the senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. view

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eTips Issue #32 -
Ask the Right Questions!

Your most valuable management technique is a simple, one-on-one conversation with each of your team members once-a-month for 5 or 10 minutes. Read this issue for some helpful questions you can use to guide those conversations and learn what you need to know! view

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eTips Issue #33 -
Be a Hero!

Take a lesson from the great Heroes of history, literature, and myth and follow their journey of growth and development. Read this issue for thoughtful insight from Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten who offer practical guidance culled from 30 years of business literature. view

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eTips Issue #34 -
Learn From Managing Millenials

Nancy Lublin of Do Something is NOT one of those leaders bashing Millenials. Read this issue and find out how she is exploiting their uniqueness by managing them appropriately. You can do the same and apply her principles to manage your whole team more effectively! view

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eTips Issue #35 -
Say the Right Thing

When you say the right thing, you make a personal connection with people—you build an emotional bond that leads to respect, support, and loyalty. In this issue, I give you a baker’s dozen of simple, but powerful phrases that will help you make an emotional connection with everyone in your organization! view

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eTips Issue #36 -
Build Trust

Tuckman taught us an important principle of high-performing teams: when team members build higher levels of trust, they work together more effectively and efficiently. Read about the 4 C’s in this issue and learn how to build trust with your subordinates and colleagues. view

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eTips Issue #37 -
Bring on the Joy

Studies show that happy workers are more productive and deliver better customer service. Check out this issue for some simple and practical things that you can do right now to create a positive and engaging workplace that will make for much happier team members. view

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eTips Issue #38 -
Play a Metagame

In this issue, game designer Richard Garfield explains metagame theory and how and why it engages game players. Find out how you can use the same concepts to create fun and engaging ways to train and recognize your team. view

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eTips Issue #39 -
Learn From Failure

David Silverstein has some thoughtful insights about his own failures as an entrepreneur. Read this issue and learn how you can use those same insights to help you and your team gain a better understanding of your work and how to succeed at the next level! view

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eTips Issue #40 -
Set Smaller Goals

We hear about “stretch goals” a lot these days, but they don’t work when your team members are feeling overwhelmed. They need “whisker goals” instead. Read this issue to understand why and learn how you can help your over-challenged people succeed. view

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eTips Issue #41 -
Why Small Steps Work

Read this thought-provoking issue to learn the neuroscience behind small goals and how they can help your team overcome their fears and concentrate on effective solutions and actions. Move beyond failure and frustration to achievement and success! view

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eTips Issue #42 -
Job, Career, or Calling?

How you feel and think about your job will have a major impact on your happiness, positive mental state, productivity, and satisfaction. Let the insights of author Shawn Achor and Yale psychologist Amy Wrzesniewski stretch your thinking and challenge you to a new view of work. view

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eTips Issue #43 -
Do What You Love

Real fun and engagement at work happens when you are doing what you really love doing—matching your passions with your work. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way, and you have to leave. Read this issue and discover the three most important reasons to resign and move on. view

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eTips Issue #44 -
Don't Do What You Don't Love

Marcus Buckingham’s advice is thought-provoking and may also be helpful in guiding your professional goals. But what do you do when your job requires you to spend your time on work that is disconnected from your talents and bliss? You’ll find 4 tactics in this issue that may help! view

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eTips Issue #45 -
Don't Ignore Your Weaknesses

Focusing on your strengths is fundamental to your professional success. Does that mean that you can ignore your weaknesses? NOT IF YOU WANT TO ADVANCE IN YOUR CAREER! Your weaknesses can become stumbling blocks to your success if you’re not careful. Read this issue for sage advice. view

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eTips Issue #46 -
Practice NEMOASHI

This issue explains a simple, but powerful principle for successful organizational politics. If you’re not practicing it, you are setting yourself up for unnecessary conflict, inadequate decision-making, and failure. Learn from the Japanese, my Padawan, and you will become a master at building support and collaboration! view

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eTips Issue #47 -
Guard Your Image

If you suffer from a tarnished image, it is your responsibility to do something about it. Follow the advice in this issue and take initiative in shaping the perception that others have of you in the workplace. It is vital that you take this seriously and take action appropriately! view

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eTips Issue #48 -
Have a Plan

Discover how James Rogers was hired as CEO of what is now Duke Energy, in spite of his lack of industry and leadership experience. Find out how you can do what he did and achieve the next level of success in YOUR leadership! view

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eTips Issue #49 -
Share Credit

Find out what the Glory Garden principle is and how you can use it to further your leadership influence among your team members; build collaborative relationships with colleagues throughout your organization; and yes...make points with your Boss! view