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…
November 11th, 2014 by Kelly Kienzle
“It is not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It is the manager’s job to make it safe to take them.” Ed Catmull used this maxim to guide Pixar, Inc. through its birth and emergence as one of the most creative and innovative companies of its…
June 23rd, 2014 by Kelly Kienzle
How many workshops on listening and speaking have you attended in your career? How many books and articles have you read on how to be more effective in your communication skills? If the number is something greater than the number of vacation days you’ve had in…
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…
February 4th, 2014 by Kelly Kienzle
Today is February 4 and if you’re already a bit disillusioned and uninspired by your resolutions, here’s a new perspective: Look at all that you do have. Consider your strengths. What are your successes? What do you want to do more of? (Caveat: This does not…
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…