Dianna Booher's Blog, page 44

Can You Measure Good Judgment?

You’ve no doubt watched someone do something stupid and wondered about their common sense. Like resigning a good job in a fit of anger before landing a new one. Like blowing a wad of money on a whimsical purchase to impress someone they hardly know. Like dashing across an 8-lane freeway at night with speeding traffic in all directions.

Among the reasons CEOs cite for their bad judgment, the most common is that they have misjudged the judgment of others.

We have a plethora of skills tests, in...

Whom Do You Need to Thank?

The airlines and I have more than millions of miles in common at Thanksgiving. The airlines are grateful, because the day before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year. And I’m grateful to be with family and friends this week.

The Thanksgiving season always makes me sentimental. As a communication coach, I urge you to visit, call, email, text, or write (a letter—remember those?) special people in your life to express what they mean to you.

Here’s a letter I wrote to my parents a...

Do Manners Still Matter If You’re the Leader?

We are at our best with those random acts of kindness to strangers. Coworkers and family members don’t fare so well. The reasons vary: We take them for granted and think they’ll love us anyway. Or maybe familiarity breeds irritability.

Whatever the cause, rudeness has ruined family relationships. And otherwise competent business leaders are disliked and dissed by their staff and peers because they fail to understand that manners matter.

The revival of respect and kindness could revolutionize...

4 Customer Comments That May Not Mean What You Think

“Your check is in the mail” and “Don’t call us; we’ll call you” have become laugh-lines for comedians. But other such comments from real customers can be a little trickier for salespeople to interpret. Take, for example, these lines that top sales performers seldom interpret at face value.

––“We’ll get back to you on that.”

––“Let me give it some thought.”

––“Why don’t you put that in an email to me and I’ll pass it on.”

––“I’ll need to talk to a few people around here first.”

Clients and pro...