Author: Eric Douglas Blog

Motivating Different Styles

Studies show that people are motivated by many different things. Money ranks in the middle of the list.

Leaders Should Triple the Amount of Time They Spend Communicating

The word communicate means “to make common.” To build trust and spark innovation, you need to use all the communication tools that you can. If you think you’re already doing enough communicating, think again.

To Become a Better Leader, Orient Yourself Towards Others

This “Southwest Test” may not seem like much, but it says a lot about who you are and your ability to lead through other people.

Hiring the Right People with Behavior-Based Interviewing

When asked the secret of her cooking, the renowned chef Alice Waters liked to say: “Always start with the right ingredients.” What’s surprising is how often leaders and managers overlook this simple fact. Even one bad employee will spoil the whole bunch.

A Balanced Approach to Giving Good Feedback

To build trust, good managers need to make sure people receive effective feedback. Every success should be recognized in some way, no matter how small. At the same time, a special effort needs to be made to coach people when they need constructive feedback. Providing Appreciative Feedback Appreciative, positive feedback is a powerful motivator when …

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The Tools of Productive Communication

This post contains three tools that will help you re-learn how you communicate.

Turning Failure Into Success

Nobody fails because they make mistakes. Failure is only when people stop trying. Leaders should not frame mistakes as failures, but as learning points—inevitable steps on the path of innovation.

Symptoms vs. Systems Thinking

When you encourage people to use systems thinking, you’re asking them to explore and identify the underlying forces at work rather than focus on the superficial symptoms.

The Four Powers of Communication

The word communication literally means “to make common.” At its most basic level, it means letting your needs be known. At its highest level, communication means building strong, trusting relationships with people whose perspectives are very different from your own. The educator and psychotherapist Virginia Satir wrote, “Once a human being has arrived on this …

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What Is Strategic Planning?

Our firm has facilitated dozens of strategic planning processes with clients in all sectors. Inevitably, the question comes up: What does it mean? What is strategic planning?