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Plate overflowing? Learn how to say 'no'
To truly be effective, we all need boundaries. So if you're feeling overloaded, overbooked and overwhelmed, perhaps it's time you learn how to say "no." I'm not talking about being belligerent or difficult, but rather managing your activities to regain a sense of sanity. Dealing with difficult people
All of us could use some help in improving the way we interact with others – especially with those we find "difficult". So did you know that by determining just two things about someone you can adapt your style to get better communications? Nothing lasts forever
If you're my age, you probably grew up using a Kodak camera taking pictures on Kodak film. But many teenagers today would probably ask "what's Kodak?" because - like many other companies - they failed to adapt to a changed market. Rubies, diamonds and procrastination
People often tell me their dreams, but then follow it up by saying that what they currently have is good enough. I understand the need to be content with what one has, but the danger in hanging on to the good is that we rarely reach for our bigger dreams. Dan's list of recommended reads
Every year around Thanksgiving I publish my list of recommended reads. This year I'm focusing on helping small and mid-sized businesses fortify their position, and I think the following three titles are absolute must-reads for that purpose. Get these books as a gift for any business person or read them for yourself. Workplace lessons from the Wizard of Oz
Many workplace lessons can be learned by considering the characters in the Wizard of Oz. Not least, you need to plan for Twisters, protect yourself against Wicked Witches and help out the Wizards. Then be like Dorothy and gather up your team, involving them and encouraging them along the way. The value of having a coach or mentor
Everyone has room to grow. That's why everyone can benefit from having a coach or mentor, whether it is to help you achieve explicit workplace objectives and goals or to help you grow in various aspects of your life, with an agenda set by you. A better way to fire someone?
In a well-managed organization, firing someone should never (with the exception of deal-breakers such as theft and violence) be a surprise event. A termination meeting should be a logical conclusion to a series of efforts to correct unwanted or unproductive behavior. And it should never be done over the phone (are you listening, Yahoo?). Making up for a lack of experience
Most of us believe that people over 40 make better bosses simply because they have more experience of life and of work. I tend to agree – with some reservations. So what can a young manager do to compensate for having less experience? Surviving the new normal
The next 20 years will look nothing like the last 20 years. So says best selling author, Gary Harpst. And as he tells Dan Bobinski, that means that owners of small and mid-size businesses need to be more focused than ever on their strategies and be willing to change the way they operate. Five skills for being an effective manager
If you're going to be an effective manager, you better be able to make tough decisions. You also need to be good at communicating appreciation, taking initiative, delegating, and following through with your promises. Make your customer service authentic and fast
Training in customer service doesn't require much money. It's mostly about instilling a service mindset throughout the organization. Such a mindset reaps great rewards, yet time and again we see companies do badly and even fail because of poor customer service. How to motivate the unmotivated
Motivation is fire lit from within. You can't light that fire, but you can create the conditions for that fire to burn brightly. But when you're faced with a workforce whose fire has gone out, what do you do? Here's my advice to someone in just that situation. The key to a quality training program
The key to having a quality training program of any kind isn't the talent of the trainer or the comprehensiveness of the training. It's the desire within everyone concerned – especially those participating - that the training be a success. Is it okay to be angry at work?
Anger may be a natural human emotion, but displaying anger in the workplace is walking on thin ice - especially if the anger is directed toward a person instead of a situation. Integrity should not be on your 'to do' list
Maintaining integrity can get tough when so-called leaders all around us are lacking it. But we all need to set and strive for high standards within ourselves – and we ought to remember, too, that we just can't make integrity one of our goals – we achieve those goals on the strength of our integrity. Is learning part of your strategic plan?
Over the years I've observed that business leaders pay scant attention to aligning their training efforts with their strategic vision. After all, the ROI from organizational learning does not have a line in the budget, so it is easily overlooked. Big mistake. Dan's annual recommended reading
Whether you're looking for some good reading or needing an idea for what to buy a co-worker this holiday season, this is the time that Dan offers up his annual list of recommended books. This year's list is a mix of new and old, but starts with a brand new book, hot off the presses.
Two ways to restart the economy
I recently heard someone say that a true American does not want a free ride, he wants to sail his own boat. I find that statement to be overwhelmingly true, but as far as running a business is concerned, how much sailing can one do when so many obstacles fill the waters? For anyone who's ever scoffed at training
If you're going to invest in training managers (and every company should), senior executives need to go through at least a condensed version to make them aware of what's being taught. If they're not, any training will fall way short of its potential. Rethinking how you motivate others
If you try to motivate people through insults and intimidation, you may want to think about the effects of your actions. To put it bluntly, if you don't care that your negative words might affect people negatively, then I suggest you shouldn't be a manager. So you're a manager. Now what?
All actions and attitudes displayed by managers have ripple effects. We can choose to value and build up our team members, or we can look for ways to elevate our own stature. Do you know which category you fall into? Bad manners can be good for you
Displaying bad manners is never good for your reputation or your business. But when a vendor or client is rude or discourteous, it can help you decide how - or if - you want to proceed with that relationship. Performance appraisals don't work
Show me one person who received useful feedback from a performance review and I'll show you nine who didn't. In fact, you're probably one of those nine. So here are a few reasons why I think performance reviews are problematic - and what you can do differently. Management lessons from the Gulf disaster
The disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico was sparked by five classic management failures that combined to create a catastrophe. But what can we learn from these failures to help ensure that managers make better choices in future about how to handle complex challenges? Superman is a fictional character
Most executives are expected to have the attributes of Superman - such as being able to leap tall problems in a single bound. But every strength has a corresponding weakness, and one of these is not recognizing the costs and causes of stress, either in themselves or in those around them. Three tips for being flexible and adaptable
Survival in the ever-changing workplace is tough and unless you've been living in a cave, you will have seen a lot of change the past few years. But there has always been change: jobs and careers have come and gone over time. My advice is to "stay flexible and adaptable" - and here are some tips to help you do just that. The slippery slope of tolerance
Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. That's why I encourage workplaces to be extremely vigilant about where they draw their lines of tolerance. Too little is not good, but neither is too much. Ten secrets of Emotional Intelligence
If you've not studied Emotional Intelligence you should. Why? Because the overwhelming difference between top performers and average performers is higher levels of Emotional Intelligence. And also because Emotional Intelligence is totally learnable. Customer service, or disservice?
When was the last time you approached your business as if you were a brand new customer? What would your customers say about how you greet them, how you treat them, and how you talk about/treat your co-workers? Can you make people listen?
I've often been asked how you make people listen. The simple answer is that you really can't. People must choose to listen; you can't make them do it. But there are things you can do that make listening an easier choice. Your hiring practices say much about you
Merit ought to be the only reason for hiring or not hiring someone. If, as a company, you want to look good, you've got to be good. That starts with how you decide who to hire - and not substituting misguided notions of perceived fairness for true fairness. A balanced diet of meetings
With the turn of the annual calendar, many New Year's resolutions include eating a more balanced diet to get in better shape. But why not extend the same analogy into the workplace? Many businesses suffer from either meeting bloat or meeting starvation. What they need is a more balanced diet of meetings. Here's how. Dan's recommended reads for 2009
It's time once again for my "end-of-year list of recommended reads." These are books that have stood out to me as practical and useful. As always, it is a diverse list and I guarantee that valuable "golden nuggets" can be found in each of them. The dangerous ego of authority
People parading their positional authority with an air of superiority rarely command the admiration they think they're getting. After all, how much respect do we give people who rely on the phrase "because I said so" to motivate? They should drop the ego and build some real leadership skills, instead. Why some people succeed more than others
When was the last time you wrote out a goals list? If you can't remember or if you've never written down your goals, today is a good day to do it. The principle here is that you will go where you're focused, and the process of writing goals gets you focused. Is your leadership developing or diminishing?
Many leaders are gifted, enthusiastic and driven, but they often overlook the fundamentals. Things like monitoring the ideas, the horizon, and their organization's capabilities, plus listening to feedback and adapting appropriately to create the conditions for success. The manager's missing link
Many first-time managers struggle because they have never been taught how to master their core responsibilities - the heart of which is becoming an expert about the people they manage. Soft skills can be hard to learn
So-called "soft skills" have taken a much higher profile in recent decades. Yet some personality types – notably Type As - still have a tough time even grasping the value of soft skills, let alone mastering the skills themselves. What can a college degree do for you?
To those who might question the value of a college degree, please let me encourage you to "go for it." If you still don't think it's worth it, perhaps a few figures might persuade you otherwise. 
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