Dianna Booher's Blog, page 32

How NOT to Respond to a Demanding Boss

Demanding bosses don’t “take well” to people without the same sense of urgency, accuracy, and curiosity as they have. In last week’s blog “Confessions of a Demanding Boss — How to Manage Them,” I owned up to the label “demanding.” Although I don’t rant, rage, or ransack the office because I’m displeased with someone, I have been known to practice some of these questionable habits:

Dash into someone’s office at 5:00 p.m. to delegate a project for the next day Ask a question as they’re walk...

Confessions of a Demanding Boss: How to Manage Them

I don’t yell, rant, curse, pitch fits, or get in your face when things go wrong.  As the owner of a training company, I probably would have labeled myself a demanding boss. You may work for a demanding boss as well—one who’s driving you nuts! Recognize these habits?

Emails to your inbox at all hours Urgent projects piled on top of your other unfinished projects A “to-do” assigned half-hour before time to leave for the day A question for you as you start out the door Insistence that things...

The Single BEST Way to Get Smarter

“You’ll be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read,” was the motto of one of my mentors Charlie Tremendous Jones. One caveat I’d add: The people you meet may change your life all right—but they may not make you any smarter. Reading great books will.

Far too many people save the pleasure of reading for leisure time—and then blush to admit that they have so little of it. Then sometimes the issue is a mere unwillingness to spend the...

12 Communication Habits to Become Better Team Leader

Let’s face it: Most professionals don’t have the gumption to point out to their boss habits that are killing morale, draining productivity, and building an emotional wall. In consulting with organizations for three decades and hearing clients complain about the communication—or lack thereof––from their boss or coworker across the hall, I’ve compiled the following list of communication habits to transform a work team. Some may seem like common sense. But then again, common sense is not comm...

Love Notes to Share With Your Valentine

Those of you who routinely follow my blog know that I typically write about business topics: leadership communication, executive presence, sales presentations, business writing, and book writing and publishing.  But since we’re celebrating love this week with Valentine’s Day, I’m turning to personal relationships at home.

Maintaining rewarding love relationships is both difficult and important. I’d argue that it’s the secret to deep satisfaction. After all, what good is being at the top...

6 Steps to Hire and Keep Top Leaders on Your Team

No one doubts the impact of great leaders to an organization’s overall success. The challenge seems to be finding them, growing them, cloning them, and keeping them. Miss any of these steps and your organization eventually sees gaps in its bench strength.

6 Steps to Hire: Fine-tune your interviewing process

Far too many hiring managers “do their own thing” when it comes to interviewing and, worse, make apples-to-oranges comparison between applicants because of their free-wheeling style o...

Communication Zingers to Avoid in Your Presentations and Email

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In a presentation or an email, it’s typically not the big things but the small missteps that damage relationships—particularly when it comes to blocking receptivity. Of course, as the speaker or writer, you’re focused on substantive matters like strategy, structure, and facts. Yet think of all the recent political and business blow-ups caused by a single word or phrase that hit a raw nerve with the public.

You can’t afford NOT to be concerned with word choice and someone taking offense ove...

How to Handle a Know-It-All

Know-it-alls walk the halls at every level—from the basement to the executive floor. It’s not their title or expertise that’s the problem. Most everyone welcomes helpful information or experience when solving a problem or seeking innovative ideas. The know-it-all label comes from a person’s communication style and attitude—that is, the manner in which their expertise winds its way into the discussion.

Know-it-all nastiness feels like a brick wall when you bump into it. “That’s impossible.”...

Senate Confirmation Hearings: Why Otherwise Smart People “Think Like That”!

Ever ask yourself how an otherwise intelligent friend or coworker could “think like that”? Or “vote like that”? Or “twist things like that”? Do you ever wonder if they are intentionally taking things out of context, attempting to deceive others as they pass on information, or are simply misinformed themselves?

Politics and the Senate confirmation hearings highlight communication conundrums yet again. Similar puzzlement surfaces in business meetings where there’s disagreement on policy or p...

Communicating Your Marketing Message: Clear Or Clever?

Several months ago, someone asked a group of colleagues how best to get a proposal accepted to present at an industry conference. One committee member shot back her response: “Avoid clever and be clear.” I’ll agree with fifty percent of that answer. Be both clever and clear when you can. If you can’t manage both, forget clever.

In a few weeks, we’ll be seeing Super Bowl ads that will be clever and funny. But if this year is like past years, a day or two after the big game, many viewers won...