The First Step in Turning Around Organizational Culture
The purpose of the Center for Positive Organizations is very inclusive. I do not know anyone who doesn’t want to have a high-performing workplace with thriving people! Sadly, many people experience workplaces that are anything but positive. Indeed, a meta […]
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Leadership in Turbulent Times
Picture a fast flowing, deep river winding through a steep bank in a forest. There are many twists and turns. The water is raging and churning, yet it stays within the confines of the river banks. How do you get […]
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Don’t Give Feedback Until You Read This
It’s time for a difficult conversation with a colleague or employee. A project just finished and didn’t go as anyone had hoped. You are dreading raising it directly. You are worried about how he or she will respond. So you […]
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What Teamwork is Not
Teamwork does not mean doing everything together. Think of your favorite team sport. Mine is soccer. I call it Real Football. Great teamwork is beautiful to watch on a football field. It is the balance between great interplay, and moments […]
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Three Steps for a Feedback Culture
Many things stand in the way of creating a culture conducive to giving and receiving feedback. Sometimes, these challenges seem so insurmountable that we stop trying. We simply opt not to take the psychological and relational risk involved with these […]
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Positive Organizing in Tough Times
Having a positive organizational culture is most important when things are not going according to plan. This is somewhat paradoxical. Many people expect that those workplaces with strong, positive cultures somehow have things go perfectly well all the time. Or […]
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4 Efficient Steps To a Positive Culture
Creating organizational culture change can be hard. We may not initially have the skills we need. We have to sustain our energy and commitment to the change process, while continuing to fulfill our other job responsibilities well. We have to […]
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Can You Create Change From the Bottom Up?
An interview with the awesome Michelle McQuaid. Originally at www.michellemcquaid.com Do you lack the authority to create the kind of positive changes you’d love to see in your workplace? Have you tried to get leaders on board and had no […]
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Creating a Healthy Relationship with Technology
Walking down the street is a hazardous experience these days. People have their heads down, eyes glued to their smartphones, while walking full speed ahead (or unconsciously zigzagging), oblivious to people walking in the other direction. From time to time, […]
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In Defense of Doers
Leadership experts make it sound easy: “Follow these simple steps and you will have amazing results!” The typical format is somewhat formulaic. With poise and pithy quotes, we deliver our sticky stories. We boil down thousands of hours of research […]
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How to motivate people? Don’t do it yourself.
How do you motivate employees to greater levels of engagement and productivity? Maybe you shouldn’t try to do it yourself. For many people, the popular TV show The Office strikes just a little too close to the reality of their […]
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Could your calling be all around you?
Today, students and professionals are hungering for purpose. Rarely a day goes by without experiencing some manifestation of the great search for meaning in work that is currently underway. Sometimes it appears in the frustration of a loved one about […]
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Four Ways to Create a Giver Culture
Imagine coming to work each morning feeling cared for and supported as a professional—and as a human being. When you are having a hard time, need information, help with problem, or some good advice, your coworkers are there, freely offering […]
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4 Leverage Points for Being a Positive Leader
When meeting with leaders interested in building positive organizations, one question recurs more often than the others: “where do we start?” As a manager myself, I can certainly relate to this. Good advice is seemingly limitless. Help to put it […]
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Lead Positive Change Without Authority
What factors should you consider in order to make your next change initiative successful? Jerry Davis and I did the Positive Links session this month.
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