Leadership consultant and communication expert Beth Wonson examines the skills and strengths that make for effective leadership and communication.
Many people experience an excess of strife by constantly responding to the shoulds in their life. Have you noticed how “should” statements are often used to convince us something is “the best,” when they really just restrict and minimize us? Here’s a few ways to turn those “shoulds” around.
Read MoreWhen you believe you’re seeing someone’s potential, what are you really seeing? Are you seeing them as they see themselves, or are you looking at their situation as if it were you? Is what you want for others what’s truly best for them, or is it simply a reflection of what you want for yourself?
Listen in or read on for real-life examples of how positioning yourself as the expert on someone else’s life can cause tension and conflict – at work and at home.
Read MoreHave you ever made a new hire – or been a part of the team that made a new hire – and after a few weeks, you begin to get that sinking feeling of “Oh no, we made a mistake…”?
If so, you are not alone. Bringing on new talent is one of the most challenging tasks that anyone has to deal with. There are so many complex variables in making a good hire, but only seven ways we make a bad one.
Read on or listen in for how to remedy seven bad hire habits, from ambiguous goals to hidden expectations.
Read MoreWe went camping a few weekends ago, and I’m pretty good at building campfires, but it’s close to impossible to build a good fire with bad wood.
Fortunately, our sad, smoky little fire was rescued by two pairs of gentlemen on two separate occasions. With their tattoos and camos, they appeared to be the opposite of us. But it turned out we had at least one thing in common, and answering the question it raised connected all of us, despite all.
Listen in to hear how our paths crossed and what I found there.
Read MoreWhen I was a waitress (way back before they were called servers, and when every cup of coffee came with saucer under it), I struggled to get a full cup of coffee from one side of the dining room to the other without spilling any into the saucer – and customers strongly disliked getting a saucer full of coffee with a cup that was half empty.
Read MorePeople comparing whose car was there and whose parking spot was vacant had become the norm. How many supervisors (and staff) across the United States are equating more hours in the work seat with more value?
Read MoreHere’s the truth: We can all go there, and we’ve all been there – stuck, with a stick up our birdy butt, blaming everyone, and waiting for justice.
But hopefully it is a temporary state, and when we recognize our condition, we take action to move ourselves out of it. Unfortunately, because of the work I do, I see many people who are unable to move, and these old birds are the ones who cause drama, tension, loss of time, and resistance toward organizational success.
So today, instead of focusing on others, we are going to find the stuck old bird within you – and if you know me at all, you are not surprised by this!
Read MoreI recently had the opportunity to work with several people who are feeling very frustrated and stuck in jobs where they experience being disempowered, undervalued, frustrated and without a sense of purpose. They came in with the hope that the organization would change. Maybe their boss, the system, or that annoying coworker might change.
These people’s beliefs were that they’re stuck with only two options: stay and suffer, or leave and lose it all. Can you relate? Do you ever feel like that? Here’s some good news: I have a possible third option for you…
Read MoreI was recently listening to someone share a hot button issue for them, a specific customer scenario that really got under her skin. As she described it, the tension in the room escalated. This person became so animated when describing the past situation that she became red faced with frustration. And because emotions spread like viruses, others in the room started getting tense.
Why do some situations get to us on such an emotional level that even describing the situation days, months, or even years later takes us right back to the same negative vibe, while other situations don’t?
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