Meet critics where the conversation started When a social media based crisis hits, the strongest tool in your crisis management arsenal is…social media. Sounds great, but what the heck does it mean? What it means is that you go straight back to where you took the damage with your apology, amends, or solution. Facebook users …

Delegation is often very difficult for new supervisors and managers. Many managers want to remain comfortable making the same decisions they have always made. They believe they can do a better job themselves. They don’t want to risk losing control of the situation or outcome. Often, they don’t want to risk giving authority to subordinates …

I’ve had a disagreement with a coworker. In the heat of the moment, I said things that I wish I hadn’t. How do I remedy the situation? We have all said things we later regretted. That’s human. The important thing is to remedy the situation immediately. Here’s what you can do in a communication or …

In a CFC campaign, each Federal employee gets a pledge card with a long list of charitable organizations, and many folks check the boxes of more than one. Most donations are by designation to specific non-profits, and most donations are made by payroll deductions. CFC campaigns are in the fall, payroll deductions begin in January, …

Great resource, or powerful enemy? In crisis management, the media is a double-edged sword. While they can be a great help in transmitting your desired message, journalists are in the business of delivering subscriptions (or, more likely these days, page views) and want a scoop regardless of whether it damages your reputation or not. In …

I recently published a blog on 5 Ways to Make Your Training Conferences Rock! But we all know that large training conferences aren’t always the most effective training platform. In fact, if we have to have a training conference at all, the smaller conference or meeting (sounds less formal) is the best face-to-face way to …

At some point in a scandal companies can longer gloss over the trouble with settlements and promises of reform. Curious as to whether News Corp has crossed that line. From today’s New York Times: As Mark Lewis, the lawyer for the family of the murdered girl, Milly Dowler, said after Ms. Brooks resigned, “This is …

Some considerations to assist in developing an effective board composition.

Still no substitute for human interaction when thing go wrong Be human and be humane: It’s easy to get defensive and hide behind “no comment” or your lawyers. But when tragedy strikes – your audiences (employees, community, customers, etc.) want to see and hear from you. They don’t expect you to be perfect, but they …

One huge secret behind sales growth is offering a product or service that speaks to the customers – that fulfils an important customer need. Selling may not be the issue. Rather, as a business coach, I often need to point out that the sales issue may be the value proposition for customers. According to an …