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Provide Constructive Feedback

Feedback

#77 Provide Constructive Feedback

When providing feedback to help someone improve, we recommend the following: always communicate it in private, be respectful in your tone of voice and volume, and begin with three positive things you like about his/her work.  After sharing the three positives, say “I believe you would be even better if… [insert what you want them to do or stop doing].” Kindness matters and the approach you take will affect how the person receives the feedback.

This is the seventy-seventh post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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Connect With Your Team by Keeping Them “In the Loop”

Business Discussion

#76 Keep Them “In the Loop”

Keep your team in the loop on issues they need to know about. Whenever possible, bring individuals into the loop who express an interest in an issue. Doing so helps people to feel prepared for what’s ahead, which reduces stress and increases engagement.

This is the seventy-sixth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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Divided We Stand: Treating Corporate America’s Loneliness Epidemic

Lonely Woman

By Colton Perry

Since the time of the American Revolution, the phrase “united we stand, divided we fall” has been a popular motto of the United States. It was first written by John Dickinson in the 1768 Liberty Song, and suggests that in order to thrive, we must rely on one another.

While this is one of the most recognizable sayings in America today, it is common to see the opposite in practice. A nationwide survey published in the American Sociological Review in 2006 shows that despite our proud motto, Americans are lonelier now than ever before.

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To Handle Intentional Disconnectors, Wish Them Well

Intentional Disconnector

#75 Wish Them Well

Over your career you will run into intentional disconnectors. They care only about themselves. Psychologists call them the “dark triad” and they are also known as psychopaths, narcissists and Machiavellians. They have little empathy for others. They can make you furious if you let them. It’s best to avoid them and wish them well. Hopefully they will get help from a mental health professional because they need it.

This is the seventy-fifth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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4 Teamwork Lessons from the Iditarod

Iditarod

As seen on Fox Business

Saturday begins the Iditarod, a grueling dog sled race that spans nearly 1,000 miles from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Not only is the terrain challenging but wind chill temperatures have fallen to as low as 130 degrees below zero in past races. The winner of the first Iditarod in 1973 took almost three weeks to finish. Today racers can complete the “Super Bowl” of dog sled races in less than 10 days.

Adversity faced by sled dog teams racing in the Iditarod makes the event a stress test for teamwork and the cohesiveness of a team’s culture. Reading about it, I could see parallels between sled dog teams and teams of people in organizations.

I look forward to explaining the vocabulary of team culture and sharing the inspiring story of how U2’s team culture helped the band achieve sustainable superior performance in this upcoming ATD webcast.

Date: April 3, 2015
Time: 1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT
Event: Association for Talent Development Webcast on Team Culture
Topic: How U2 Cracked the Code of Team Culture
Sponsor: Association for Talent Development
Public: Public
Registration: Click here to register.

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