Fictional story stirs discussion “Margin Call” is a new film that aims to recreate the rapid fire nature of today’s crisis management. While it misses the mark in terms of reality, especially in the ethics department, it does open up avenues for discussion of real world crisis management. Forbes business writer Coeli Carr took this …

There’s a lot of money available to help small businesses, and it seems like there’ll be more available as we work to make more jobs. So OD in small businesses might be even more worthwhile. About half of our clients are small organizations. My experience of the differences of between OD in small and large …

I subscribe to a wonderful little journal called Sacred Journey. In their winter 2010 edition, they published a “Charter for Compassion” that was developed in 2009 by religious leaders around the world. In reading it, I felt there were parts that could apply to our work. Many teams create team charters for how they will …

Conflict is an inevitable part of life. Conflict is inherent in our differences—in people’s differing backgrounds, perspectives, values, needs, goals, expectations, etc. Here are some common, yet erroneous, beliefs about conflict. Myth #1: We tend to think that disagreements and conflicts must always be win / lose situations. “If I don’t win, I lose and …

I do my job faithfully every day and I do it very well. Why is it then I’ve been in the same position for 3 years while others have been promoted? This is a question from Sharon, a junior accountant at a financial service company. In growing my career and now coaching others, I know …

How many meetings do you attend, or facilitate, in which you are speaking over the telephone or over the Internet? I imagine quite a few. It can be a little unnerving, or it can be a highly engaging experience in remote communication. Here are some tips for making the most of these virtual presentations: Remember …

Today, I start my first day as a professor of public speaking in a hybrid teaching environment. Oh, I’m not new to teaching–just the environment. Granted, it’s been awhile. It is both an exciting and daunting task. I won’t mention any names because it really doesn’t matter what institution it is; they are all relatively …

The Usability of FaceBook “My organization’s website is static and boring, frankly. Our FaceBook page is updated all the time and very popular.” The Executive Director of a local nonprofit told me that. This local humane society has 1,214 friends on FaceBook. That’s 3.3% of the rural population of the county it serves! That’s equivalent …

It is assumed that once we have delivered the information to our students and trainees that they are ready to put them to use. Are students and trainees learning what we want them to and applying that learning when they should? The answer is a resounding, “No!” I was astounded a few years ago when …

Winning teams aren’t created by accident. Rather, the team leaders or manager functions like a coach who recognizes special talents in people and gets them to work together toward a common goal. The following three steps will help you build a winning team and set it in the right direction. 1. Select the right team …