Personal development

Tough Conversations

Leadership is about having honest conversations. The skill of being able to handle difficult conversations (conflict, differing opinions, accountability) is one of the most critical skills for a leader. Fierce Conversations and Crucial Conversations are great books, and here is another offering – a video by Ash Beckham. Talent management is about great conversations, this will help you have more of them.

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Leadership – The biggest choice you will have to make

What is leadership? Not what others tell you, but what do you believe LEADERSHIP IS? What are you doing to get there? Talent management is about great conversations, and a key conversation is the one you have with yourself that is started by this question. I believe that one on ones are critical habits for leaders, and it is based on what I believe leadership is. I would love to hear your input on this.

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. . . and When We Want Feedback – Step 1

We cannot get better without feedback. It is a critical piece, and in my experience people are not effective at giving or getting it. If you believe that relationships are critical in leadership and building effective teams, then you know that great relationships start with honest conversations that lead to thoughtful actions, and ultimately higher performance. It is the core of talent management and leadership development.

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What Seth Said – and more . .

The one I go back to daily is Seth Godin. I like Seth because his voice is edgy and challenging, and he writes about things that are important. Here is a piece of his recent post called The feedback you’ve been waiting for . . . Getting feedback is the foundation for development, and yet it is hard to get and hard to give. Here are some tips for Leaders on how to build moments where it is easier to hear it.

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3 Questions to Transform Your One on One

Talent management is about having thoughtful conversations that lead to meaningful actions and ultimately higher performance. The one on one is a key conversation. Here are three questions to ask and some other questions that will help you make that time more thoughtful and meaningful.

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Learning and 2014

Does learning = reading a book? I would say no, and here are two ways reading gets in the way of development and 2 ways to get development without reading a book – one for you and one for your team. Development and positive change happens when we have thoughtful conversations that lead to meaningful actions, and result in higher performance. That is an effective talent management strategy.

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Creating Space for Honest Conversations: Some Tips

Creating Space for Honest Conversations: Some Tips

Talent management is about great conversations. More specifically, honest conversations, resulting in thoughtful actions, and resulting in higher performance. Here are 5 questions that will help you create space for people to be honest. There still have to be actions that have to get done, but step one is getting it out on the table. Included are some links to templates that can help you have those conversations as leaders.

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The Gift of Our Time

We scramble for the perfect gift, and often it is right in front of us, and behind us, and around us. Our time is a great gift, and for leaders it is too often forgotten because of all the other things we are trying to do. How do you make your time matter? First, recognize how valued it is, then give it. Talent management is about great conversations – go have one.

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Excuses or Reasons? Two practices to help you listen

How many times have you walked into a situation as a leader, parent, or friend and heard a mountain of excuses and nothing got fixed? We know the impact of an excuses, but how do we get to a different outcome? Talent management is about having great conversations, and having those conversations requires us to manage ourselves well and maybe make some changes on how we manage others. Here are two practices this week to focus on.

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#nicematters

Gratitude matters. #Nicematters. It is important to share with people a simple Thank You, and when we get those messages from others we need to store them in a #nicematters file. Here is a quick request for my friends, to help me celebrate the gifts of 11 high school seniors. I look forward to a great conversation today.

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Ingredient #1: Owning your development

Talent management is about great conversations. One conversation that is powerful is around career development. Looking into the future to plan a career or commit to mastery is exciting, and not easy. Personal ownership is the big key to success, and that is step 1. Here are some tips for owning your own career development and some books/resources that might help.

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7 Books That Make Great Gifts For A New Job

Transitions are exciting and scary at the same time. Within the transitions related to our work, there is a real opportunity for a great conversation. Here is a list of my recommendation of 7 books that make great gifts for a person starting their first job. Each of the potential to create a perspective for someone that will help them manage through the highs and lows of that first role. Some equip people with specific things they can do, while others equip them with a perspective they need to keep. Both are equally important. Talent management is about great conversations. These gifts have the opportunity to start one.

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