Karen’s Articles
Long Distance Phone Calls and Leading Effectively
Leaders are most effective when they talk privately and directly, and when they cite specifics. Let me explain. Many years ago (and I do mean many years ago), I worked for a large national bank in their employee development department. My manager, Mary, was one of...
Low Battery, Low Performance, and the Maccabees
Tonight is the fifth night of Hanukkah. It’s a celebration of the Maccabees’ victory over a tyrant king in Damascus. The story, retold for 2,200 years or so, is that the Maccabees fought for their freedom for three years. When they won, they wished to rededicate...
What If Tomorrow It Is Gone?
Years ago at a presentations skills program I attended, my mentor, Glenna Salsbury, instructed us to do the “What If Tomorrow It Is Gone” exercise. The exercise is rather simple: “What if you woke up tomorrow and everything you failed to be grateful for today was...
To What Extent?
Last year, I took an excellent course in group facilitation. Terrence Metz was the instructor for the program, and he taught our class the incredible phrase: “To What Extent.” Now, you may be reading this and thinking, “What’s the big deal?” I am sharing the...
Doing It With Love
I just love it when I “catch" employees doing it with love. A park ranger was standing in 95 degree heat and humidity. All day long she moved her ladder to the spot where a friend or relative could see the name of their loved one inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans...
Boo! Are Performance Appraisals Haunting You?
One of the first questions I ask when I start working with a new client is, "Are you using performance appraisals well, and how does performance management work in your organization?" I guess that's more than one question, isn't it? Once in a while I hear that...
Graduate-Level Facilitation or Basic Civility?
Last fall my colleague Jennifer Ledet, leadership consultant, and I enrolled in a Facilitation Course which led to our certification as facilitators. In that high-level program we learned advanced facilitation techniques such as: how to gain consensus across time...
Your Brain in 2018 is Your 1950’s Widget
I know you wouldn’t steal your company’s computer. You know the one I mean. The one your employer bought for you that you store everything on and haul back and forth to the office. Fortunately, MY readers don’t steal. They are honest folks. And of course, in 2018,...
Is She Breathing?
How do you know if a person needs encouragement? If they are breathing! If you know me, you know I believe in the power of appreciation and encouragement. None of us get enough of it. So, if you read many, or any, of my blogs, you know I write about this a...
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