Archive for January, 2010
January 27th, 2010 | 
Author: You can find them almost everywhere. Myers-Briggs, Enneagrams, leadership styles, learning styles, communication styles, teaching styles, conflict management styles…all designed to classify or label people so they can better understand themselves and others. More and more training vendors are using style questionnaires as a basis for training and development. The question is: are they really useful, or are they just fun exercises akin to astrology? Read the rest of this entry »
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Managers often make the mistake of assuming that once a change is started, that employees will see that it is going to take place, and get on side. This is rarely the case. Because change causes fear, a sense of loss of the familiar, etc., it takes some time for employees to a) understand the meaning of the change and b) commit to the change in a meaningful way. It is important to understand that people tend to go through stages in their attempts to cope with change. Understanding that there are normal progressions helps change leaders avoid under-managing change or over-reacting to resistance. Read the rest of this entry »
They stand tall in the saddle, and they ride in on white horses announcing to one and all they can change people’s lives. Or at least boost their levels of motivation to get work done. Sometimes quirky, almost always charismatic, and proclaiming themselves as gurus, experts or even geniuses, they are the motivational speakers who travel around, getting huge dollars from companies to magically tweak their employees. And beyond a day or two at best, they contribute almost nothing to the organization except to lighten the corporate bank account. Read the rest of this entry »