Jef Menguin | Proven Ways To Develop Leaders, Build Teams, And Inspire Entrepreneurs. (100s Of Articles On Motivation, Procrastination, Focus, Time Management, And Supervision - And Ideas On How To Become Motivational Speakers, Leadership Trainers, A...

A company once asked me to conduct team building.

They wanted employees to communicate better, take ownership, follow through, and break down silos.

I could have said yes immediately.

I could have proposed games, activities, and an inspiring closing message. That would have been easy. It might even have pleased the client.

Instead, I as...

During a discovery conversation, an HR leader told me about a problem they were seeing among employees.

The employees were becoming more client-facing. They were expected to communicate across departments and handle basic customer concerns.

But many remained heavily dependent on their team leaders and managers.

Even when an issue was only at Leve...

You have probably seen this line in a job advertisement:

“Applicants must have a pleasing personality.”

People often laugh at it. Some assume it means the company is looking for someone attractive. Others think it means smiling often, speaking confidently, and being friendly to everyone.

But the phrase creates more confusion than...

Your staff member enters your office carrying a thick folder.

“The study is complete,” she says.

You begin reading. The background is detailed, the problem is clearly stated, three alternatives are presented, and the final page contains a recommendation.

Then you ask one question.

“How do we know this option will solve the problem?”

...

You are preparing for the annual strategic planning workshop.

The leadership team will leave the office for a day or two. The facilitator will guide them through vision, mission, values, environmental scanning, SWOT analysis, goals, KPIs, strategic initiatives, and action planning.

By the end, everyone expects to see a finished plan.

The document...