January 31st, 2018 by Kelly Kienzle
I have long been a believer that any conflict or frustration between colleagues is due to a difference in personality or temperament. I believed that conflict came about because people could not communicate or understand each other well enough to see the other person’s perspective. A…
August 29th, 2016 by Kelly Kienzle
Sometimes after we’ve been in a role for a while, we are no longer happy. We go through our work almost blindly and do not need to exert much intellectual energy to fulfill our responsibilities satisfactorily. Sometimes we can even be performing above average, but doing…
April 3rd, 2014 by Kelly Kienzle
A Deliberately Developmental Organization (DDO) is, on the surface, some people’s worst nightmare. This strategy states that colleagues should be fully transparent about their greatest weaknesses, explicitly state what their developmental goals are, and constantly be working towards achieving them. Ouch. Yet underneath this strategy can…
March 4th, 2014 by Kelly Kienzle
I always have cheesy wall calendars. Every year, I don’t remember until January to buy a new wall calendar. And then I’m left with paltry options like “Rainbows!” or “Justin Bieber Unleashed.” And 2014 was no different. Sometime in mid January I trekked to our local…
November 8th, 2013 by Kelly Kienzle
Don’t you wish that you could feel just a little calmer? What is that elusive “thing” that would help you feel more engaged and at peace? How do you put just a little more joy in your work life? Try “Thank You Fridays.” “Thank you Fridays”…
October 7th, 2013 by Kelly Kienzle
The next time you have the urge to give someone feedback on what they did, here’s an alternative: Re-focus to the macro issue and think forward. Macro-Issue Feedforward is my spin on Marshall Goldsmith’s excellent Feedforward tool. I added the “Macro-Issue” part. Here’s how my (and…
July 3rd, 2013 by Kelly Kienzle
“If everything depends on context, how can you still have principles?” This is a question asked of Sonia Sotomayor, as described in her autobiography, “My Beloved World”. This question is asked of her in high school, when she is accused of arguing from multiple viewpoints, always…
October 5th, 2012 by Kelly Kienzle
What if you were to forgive yourself once every day? What if you allowed yourself to make at least one mistake for which you would not beat yourself up? What if you held yourself to the same reasonable standard that you hold others? Here’s the scenario: …
June 27th, 2012 by Kelly Kienzle
The philosophy behind servant leadership is a humble one: help others do what they need to do. Yet, as a leader, adopting this philosophy can also help you. The reason is this: In difficult situations, you can overcome your fears if you think first about what…
May 31st, 2012 by Kelly Kienzle
Can you feel the power in these words? Isn’t this what we aspire to do each day? Each time you resolve to “stand your sacred ground”, you are being a leader. You are claiming your vision as something meaningful. This is what leaders do. This is…