This week I talked with a man who was frustrated by a boss who wouldn’t say, “thank you”. This isn’t a “high-needs” guy, but he’s self-aware enough to recognize that, like most of us, he’s energized by gratitude. Having just poured extraordinary effort into a successful endeavor, a little appreciation seemed reasonable.
Continue reading Gratitude: High Yield, Low Risk Investments
Think about a conversation with someone who gives you his full attention, is genuinely interested in what you say, and doesn’t talk about himself all the time. These conversations leave you energized and willing to do your best to help that person.
Compare that to a conversation with someone who is all about his own agenda and knows you need his wisdom and stories. Your energy and commitment to help him succeed is diminished. Continue reading Influential Listening
Paul felt his staff’s productivity was being hampered by constant disruptions 
from other staff members. So he made it a standing agenda item at his weekly staff meetings to remind everyone to consider the impact on the other person before interrupting. Was the issue urgent enough to justify the disruption? He offered tips each week, like collecting non-urgent disruptions and handling them all at once instead of interrupting for each one; or using email instead of text messages if an immediate response wasn’t necessary.
After a couple of months, Paul was frustrated that he wasn’t seeing much change.
Continue reading The Power of Informal Communication
Listening to a good jazz trio or quartet can be an amazing experience. 
There is a sense of spontaneous flow that somehow fits together to generate a unique and powerful experience. Jazz musicians can teach us several important leadership lessons: Continue reading Playing by Ear
