Karen’s Articles
Selfie Sticks and Twiddlesticks
You don’t have to be funny to find humor. Just like you don’t have to be athletic to get exercise. Trust me on this, I know. For most of us, work is a serious place. We go to work and we have a job to do. But does it have to be so serious, and might we do better...
Caution: This Isn’t Work-Related
Usually my blogs focus on the workplace, yet this time I’m going to stray. At the beginning of the summer, I received an email from a young man named Morgan, and he wrote: “For my sister's 20th birthday my mom made her something called The Book of Wise...
Vixen on Competence, on Collaboration, on Caring, and on Blixem
‘Twas a week before Christmas When all through the team Every creature was stirring Five via live stream. Work products were finished By the employees with care In hopes that St. Nicholas Soon would be there. The colleagues were dressed In their finest new...
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...
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