communications tagged posts

The Hidden Power of Peer Politeness December 15, 2021 Affective Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Peer Powered Performance

I would have thought that employees’ communications would show more deference to their superiors but the stats tell a different story. In a yearlong review of email exchanges among employees, peers and supervisors, researchers found that “linguistic markers that convey a willingness to yield to another’s preferences or opinions as a sign of respect or reverence”[i] are more common in peer to peer communications...

Is email the bane of nonprofit progress? December 15, 2021 Affective Leadership, Association Insights, Emotional Intelligence No comments

Most nonprofit boards are risk averse so we find that the most effective way to make significant progress is to invest our own time and money to develop, test and prove service systems without any form of guarantee or initial investment required by the board. In the first year we typically lose money but once we work out all the bugs and have successful systems in place we are typically treated like valued partners and compensated fairly for continuing to provide the service...

Fearless Conversations or Fearful Conciliation’s? December 15, 2021 Affective Leadership, Association Insights, Emotional Intelligence, Keynote Keys, Peer Powered Performance, Training

Using Unrelated Stories to Overcome
Unreasonable Defensiveness

I was recently asked to come up with an approach to safety concerns at one of the largest concrete structures in our country.

The request, as usual, was to be funny, fix the problem, and get out. You have 45 minutes. An impossible objective, but it is entirely my own fault. I am a victim of my own creation. For two decades I have been most widely known as a keynote humorist...

Recycling the Same Old Issues? December 15, 2021 Affective Leadership, Association Insights, Emotional Intelligence, Green Solutions, Peer Powered Performance No comments

I am a recycling Neanderthal; I get confused about what goes where, do tops stay on, what kind of plastic is or isn’t recyclable, especially if there are bins or labels I may be unfamiliar with. Truth be told if I am in a hurry and can’t quickly decide (or don’t have my reading glasses) I give it my best guess and in they go. Reflecting on my sorting conundrum I realized this is exactly like the process nonprofit boards and staff go though.

The distribution of board/staff responsibilities ...

Managing Malignancies December 15, 2021 Affective Leadership, Customer Service, Emotional Intelligence, Peer Powered Performance, Positive Deviance, Social Smarts, Spirit at Work, Topics, Training No comments

The story is true, the setting is healthcare but the emotional intelligence, communication expertise and service delivery systems can (and should) be lessons for anyone.

I appreciate the kind concerns that have been expressed by so many but the purpose of this article is to provide a platform for evaluating your own service delivery systems. Real Lessons, Real Science, Real Solutions. It is easy to talk in the abstract...