How willing are you to provide feedback to your peers?  How about to your boss?  Do your direct reports appreciate your observations and comments?  Or do they cower in fear that you might say something critical?

Feedback is one topic, but forgiveness is a whole "nuther thing," isn't it?  How do you forgive poor performance by a member of your team?  How many errors is too many?  When do you start saying, "If your performance doesn't improve, then...."?

As you read “Feedback and Forgiveness--Valuable Yet Underutilized,” consider the culture in your organization.  If you are finding that improving your organization’s culture is difficult, let's talk.  No charge for an initial inquiry and conversation--in fact, I love learning about situations in different industries and organizations.

Dennis

When I start working with an organizational leadership team, I provide a series of training sessions that allow us to have a common foundation of concepts for mutual sharing.  As we work through the various "courses," there are very interesting perspectives that arise.

One such topic deals with every person's freedom to choose. The obvious beneficiaries of the material are the people in the room---the leaders of the organization.  Yet the application of the concepts is more powerfully relevant to the people they influence.

Those folks have the freedom to choose, too, and it is astounding how many individuals make choices that result in outcomes that are not particularly favorable (to themselves, and sometimes even to the organization).  Although the training I provide seems very elementary initially, we soon move into some very deep implications.  Ultimately, we get around to empowering the leaders to become far better coaches of the individuals under their authority--a win for the leaders and a win for those under their influence.

This week’s article, “Are You Taking Your ‘Freedom to Choose’ for Granted?” will become a standard handout to participants during that session!

Dennis

I enjoy working with people who are positive and empowered and looking for improvement, looking for quality, and looking for solutions.  It is so satisfying to have built a relationship with an individual who is open in sharing his or her limiting perceptions with me, eagerly seeking alternative ways of looking at a discouraging situation.  As we work together to consider new options, I sometimes offer something that is a fresh consideration, and that look of delightful "Aha!" comes over the face!  Hope is restored!

Such an experience happened twice recently in rather rapid succession.  I decided I needed to share the attached article, "Fear and Faith:  Same Definition?", so that I would have it available for future clients.

Dennis

My clients come to me to build their leadership skills.  However, I never cease to find new ways to see the value in increased awareness.  Acquiring new skills seems to have very little interest for most folks until they become aware that "something better" would make them more effective and is indeed available to them.  Ah, then improving and increasing skills becomes very attractive.

Click to read "Increasing Your Sensitivity to 'Awareness'."

Dennis