Newly surfaced photos bring reputation damage More damaging photographs of U.S. soliders surfaced last week, hot on the heels of the controversial Marine “SS” flag picture crisis. This time, the photos depicted soldiers in what they apparently thought were comedic poses with dead Afgan insurgents. How did the public come to see these pictures at …

Do you have exceptional performers on your team? If you do, it can be a wonderful gift to have people who you can count on to get the right results; who thins about what else needs to be done without being told; who are always asking to do more. You Don’t Want to Lose Them! …

Let’s admit it – most of us are on cruise control! Then suddenly we realize our career may be in jeopardy. All of a sudden we’re scrambling to do something fast! The Solution: Pay attention to these four situations that can put you in the “hot seat” and your career in a potential down spiral. …

A four star apology Early last month, the United States Marine Corps issued one of the most concise and effective apologies we’ve ever seen. No, you didn’t read wrong, I said the USMC! Standing the years-long tradition of stodgy communication full of niche terminology on its head, the Marines, much like fellow government agency FEMA, …

How much money do you spend on hiring the right people and then waste by pouring cold water on their enthusiasm on that very first day? Almost all companies do an employee orientation for new hires but few pay much attention to them. Often workers come to work excited about the prospects of a new …

Even if your performance review is due at a later date, you should start getting ready now. Put your best foot forward with these four strategies. 1. Know the system. To get the most from the experience and present yourself in the best light, understand how your company handles reviews, beginning with the form (s) …

“I mean it. I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven here. If things stay this way, I’d like to spend the rest of my working life for this company. You feel like a real person, not just a number.” This a quote from the book “The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit by Giving …

The Secret of the Starting Question The ability of the group to respond to a question is significantly impacted by the quality of the question asked by the facilitator. The starting question is the term we, at Leadership Strategies, use for the question the facilitator asks to begin a discussion. Typically, a starting question is …

“I find myself trying to avoid those annual appraisals with my people. Much as I try to keep the meeting focused, we always seem to get side tracked and involved in personal stuff.” – Health Care Manager During a recent training on performance reviews, I asked managers when they experienced problems. Many said it was …

“I’ve taken over a project team and there are several problem employees. One spends more time socializing than doing her job. Another is making too many mistakes that slow down the team. How should I handle these problems as the new leader?” One of a leader’s toughest jobs is dealing with problem employees. The best …