Research shows that women who speak up at all are risking more than men. Something as minor as telling observers that a CEO “tends to offer his (her) own opinions as much as possible,” and that, “Compared to other CEOs, Mr. (Ms.) Morgan talks much more than others in power,” caused observers to respect Mr. …
Visit the Crucial Skills blog to read David Maxfield’s answer to this question: Can you share some additional thoughts on motivating people who know their positions will soon be cut?
Dear David, How do you define the difference between behavior and culture? Does behavior drive culture, or does culture drive behavior? Sincerely, Natural Order of Things Dear Natural, The short answer is that behavior determines culture, and culture determines behavior. But it’s more complicated than that, and the complications make it a fascinating topic. First, …
Dear David, I am a young executive who has managed to climb the corporate ladder at a rapid pace. My current boss of seven years has been part of my success as he closely mentored me and exposed me to the right individuals—allowing them to see my work and leadership. With my recent promotion, he …
Dear David, How should I handle a very opinionated person who says things to me that are hateful and mean? This particular person is so opinionated that I could try giving my point of view until I’m blue in the face and they won’t hear a word I say. When I’ve tried expressing how their …
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-U6QTRTZSc] “If your best buddy jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?” Too often, the answer is yes. Patients die because nurses and doctors who know better go along with bad decisions. Planes crash because crew members go along with plans they know could kill them. Organizations fail because employees sit on their …
Dear David, My company has recently been acquired. Historically, we have enjoyed a great culture, a profitable business, and high employee satisfaction ratings. I’m concerned that when we integrate into the new company, we’ll lose our “secret sauce”—our unique cultural differentiators that have helped us be successful. Do you have any advice for how to …
Dear Crucial Skills, My boss likes to leave things open for change until the last moment and this stresses me out completely. A few examples: (1) We were presenting to senior management and had agreed to drop several items from the presentation based on specific logical reasons. Two hours before the presentation, he decided we …
In our latest BS Guys video, we asked two boys to approach smokers on the street. Their goal was to get the smokers to consider quitting. They used one of two strategies: “tell” or “ask.” In the tell condition, they did what many have tried before—they told the smokers why they should quit. In the …
Dear Crucial Skills, I’m president of my church choir’s advisory council. The choir has long had a “slush fund” that is used for various choir-related expenses, but it is not administered by the advisory council. I would like to change this, but am unsure of how to approach the “owners” of the fund. These are …
