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The DISC Model of Human Behavior – A Quick Overview

Guy Gives a Quick Overview ofThe DISC Model of Human Behavior As a teenager and young adult, I thought people were totally irrational and unpredictable. In my thirties, I learned about patterns of behavior that people tend to follow in many areas... [Read more]

Leadership Skills Archive:

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From Bud to Boss: My Audio Interview With Wayne Turmel

Wayne Turmel Yesterday, I had a lively conversation with Wayne Turmel of Great Web Meetings for his Cranky Middle Manager podcast show. We spoke about a number of issues related to the transition to leadership people make when they take their first supervisory role. (This is the topic of the Bud to Boss  workshop that Kevin Eikenberry and I developed). During our conversation, we covered a number of important issues: How to deal with the role and relationship changes you face as a new supervisor. How... [Read more]

Leadership Lesson From General McChrystal: Get Onboard or Get Out

Last week, an important leadership lesson played out on the world stage between General Stanley McChrystal and President Barack Obama. The wikipedia article about General McChrystal says: Following insubordinate remarks about Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials attributed to McChrystal and his aides in a Rolling Stone article, McChrystal was recalled to Washington, D.C. where President Barack Obama accepted his resignation I have not seen the article containing the reportedly... [Read more]

Being Too Nice Can Hurt You

A few weeks ago, I read an interesting article titled On the Job, Nice Guys May Finish Last. The title immediately caught my attention, and I had to take a look. In reading the article, I saw an immediate connection to my work and for other people interested in using the DISC model in their professional and personal lives. The point made in this article is particularly significant for people with supportive tendencies (people who are people-oriented and reserved). People with strong supportive traits... [Read more]

Why You Might Eventually Do Something You Don’t Want to Do…

… And What You Can Do About It Have you ever told yourself that you wouldn’t do something? Maybe you said you wouldn’t eat too much at a party. Maybe you told yourself that you wouldn’t speak too soon at a meeting. Or maybe you just told yourself that you wouldn’t break the speed limit on the way home from work. Whatever it was, you told yourself that you wouldn’t do something that you either normally do, wanted to do, or habitually do, and you eventually “gave-in”... [Read more]

One Way To Guarantee That Your Suggestion Is Ignored

I have noticed one behavior many of us use that almost guarantees that our suggestions, solutions, and opinions will be ignored when we offer them: We tell people what to do before we have heard their whole story. When we offer people suggestions, solutions, and opinions before we have heard them out, they often do not care what we have to say. So, they rarely listen to and fully comprehend what we are suggesting. The suggestion might be useful. It might be right on target. It might be exactly what... [Read more]

If You’ve Got Something To Say, Stand Up and Say It

Earlier this week, I attended the ASTD conference in Chicago. As I worked in the Kevin Eikenberry Group booth, I noticed an interesting dynamic happening at the booths around me. Where someone was willing to stand on a platform and speak, other people were willing to stop and listen. In fact, it looked to me like people were not just willing to listen; they wanted to listen. Likewise, at the booths where people sat and waited for the conference attendees to approach them, nothing happened. So, here’s... [Read more]

Effective Communication Skills: You Don’t Know Until You Ask

A few weeks ago, I was standing in an airport waiting for my return flight to Indianapolis when I overheard a woman (“Mary”)* complaining about a flight attendant’s (“Sue’s”) behavior on a previous flight. At the time, I was trying not to overhear Mary, but her emotional investment and volume were too high to ignore. As Mary spoke about Sue’s behavior, she said something like this: “Sue did it on purpose just to irritate me.” I remember thinking:... [Read more]

Employee Motivation: Interesting Ideas to Consider

I’ll leave the video to do the talking in this post. The ideas that Dan Pink presents are definitely worth considering. I suggest leaders (including parents) should learn from this talk and find ways to apply the concepts to their situations.  Read More →

Effective Communication: Begin With The End In Mind

In his classic success text, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey says we should begin with the end in mind. I have seen this concept discussed in a number of ways and in a variety of contexts. And today, I was reminded of the importance of this concept in virtually every area of our lives. Specifically, I received feedback from a coaching client about how this concept had helped her in her professional life. This particular person is a hard-working, intelligent, kind, and... [Read more]

Daylight Savings Time Observations: We Tend to Go Negative

As I listened to the the news on both radio and television this Friday, nearly every mention of the switch to Daylight Saving Time brought on some mention of the “loss of one hour” we would experience on Saturday. It seemed that the entire focus during the time change weekend was on the loss. I don’t recall a single person speaking positively about the hour of daylight we would “gain” at the end of the normal business day. Then, I thought back to the switch from Daylight... [Read more]

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