Chronic procrastination is ruining my career plans. How can I change?
Category: Influencer
How to Get Peers to Turn On Cameras in Virtual Meetings
February 17, 2021
Since exclusively working at home during the pandemic, I have noticed that my team is not communicating as well as we used to. A few team members will not put their cameras on during meetings and often do not contribute to the meeting. What can I say to them without calling them out and making them feel attacked? I am not the leader of the group.
One Easy Way to Social Distance at Work
October 21, 2020
Dear Joseph, I am in a bit of a conundrum at work. We were recently asked to return to offices despite the escalating pandemic. Much of what we’re coming in for could easily be done from home. This week a companywide email was sent out requesting that we keep our […]
The Memo-Fication of Responsibility
June 16, 2020
It took a global pandemic to help me see something that’s been going on for years: the slow and steady memo-fication of responsibility. This pattern really became evident as I was introduced to a local company’s “back to work” plan. Their leadership team understands that times have changed and that […]
Leading Through COVID-19: How To Get Your People On Board
June 2, 2020
Dear Joseph, I am a site manager at a large datacenter. We have clear COVID-related safety policies for employees now coming back to work. Some of my managers are struggling with a handful of employees who disagree with these policies. Some employees are frustrated because they want to sit next […]
Influence Versus Manipulation
July 16, 2019
Dear David, The culture in my organization is toxic. We have intelligent, proud, committed leaders who are beginning to learn the talk of collaboration and empowerment. However, they still cling to the quick-and-dirty solution of compliance. My question is, how is intentional influence different from manipulation? I fear that the […]
How to Improve Employee Morale
May 14, 2019
Dear David, How do you suggest a large institution go about changing a can’t-do attitude to a can-do attitude when morale is low? We’ve had budget and staffing cuts and have a history of “silos” throughout the organization. Can you help? Signed, Salvaging What I Can Dear Salvaging, You’re taking […]
What To Do When Perceptions Aren’t Reality
May 8, 2018
Dear Steve, For the past five years or so, I’ve often heard the phrase “perception is reality” and it makes me cringe. On one hand, I can see that in the heat of the moment it is very helpful to understand what the other person is feeling or perceiving to […]