To find the best team members, hire for values as much as technical skills

Why the perfect candidate becomes your biggest headache three months later You validated their technical abilities. You got strong references. You enthusiastically welcomed them. And yet, bringing in new talent too often feels like playing ‘Hit or Miss’. Though you’ve recruited time and again, you still can’t predict who will last. By all means, validate […]

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How Relationship Wisdom Fuels Your Career Progress

Relationship Wisdom: The Antidote that Transforms Relationship Friction into Career Momentum There’s a particular kind of professional exhaustion that has nothing to do with workload. It shows up as dread before certain meetings, the weight of unresolved tensions, or that persistent sense that you’re working twice as hard for half the recognition. You deliver excellent […]

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Be wary of apologizing: it can cause Relationship Friction!

You think apologizing will make it better? Think again! Just recently, a client asked me to review an email to their manager. Two phrases stood out: “I hope you won’t think me forward.” And: “I trust this email won’t anger you.” At first glance? Respectful and even empathic. In reality… Those two sentences would damage […]

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Why conversations with Millennials hit a wall

Finally understand why your conversations with Millennials hit a wall. I often coach managers who struggle with their Gen Y / Millennial team members. This classic case of Relationship Friction seems a near-universal pain point in professional life right now. It’s exhausting for everyone. My diagnostic: my clients’s professional whys do not align with their […]

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How anger can build up your Relationship Wisdom

Harnessing your anger can help you access your Relationship Wisdom. Anger has a bad rap which I think is underserved. While there is obviously much truth to Ryan Holiday’s statement that there’s “no one stupider than an angry person”, I wish to tell you about how to use anger to combat Relationship Friction. In last […]

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Make up a reason to keep engaging even when Relationship Friction bites

Beat Relationship Friction by making up a reason not to disengage. When Relationship Friction bites, we typically have one of two immediate, instinctive reactions: Anger or withdrawal. This post focuses on withdrawal—that paralyzing feeling, the instinct to run, to disengage. For example, When an important conversation doesn’t work out, you freeze and become mute. When […]

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Taking responsibility is crucial to developing Relationship Wisdom

Relationship Wisdom in practice: taking appropriate responsibility is the hardest step. The other day, I was outlining a customised coaching journey for a prospective client burdened by Relationship Friction. She interrupted me: “It wasn’t my fault.” Until then, she had been smiling. Her body language had been relaxed and open. I saw her visibly tense. […]

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A Model to Make Sense of your Office Challenges (part 2)

The SCARF that Ties (part 2) (click below to view the video or read on if you’d prefer!) Hello and welcome to the last edition of Career Tips for 2014! In this offering, let’s continue unpacking the simple yet powerful model to make sense of your life at work which we started to look at last month. You […]

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A Model to Make Sense of your Office Challenges (part 1)

The SCARF that Ties (click below to view the video or read on if you’d prefer!) Hello and welcome to Career Tips! For the last two editions of this year, I want to share with you two articles focusing on a simple yet powerful model to make sense of your life at work. Does this sound too […]

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