There was a study of email behavior at a large company.  The study determined that email behavior was a predictor of customer satisfaction.   We all have customers.  Some are paying customers that buy our products.  Others are internal customers, those that count on us to help them get their jobs complete.   Here’s what the study found:   Customers want a direct response.  Delays because you’re doing research or asking someone else are undesired. 

Asking a question is a powerful tool.  I once took a class where the teacher focused on the power of a question. His name was Eugene Jennings, and he wrote on the board these simple letters: Q/A. His premise was that Questions were more powerful than Answers. His advice was to ask questions before providing answers.  I saw this happen in a meeting.  We were discussing how to improve a process.  One of the contributors

Motivational speaker JB Glossinger tweeted this: “Live without pretending; love without depending; listen without defending; speak without offending.” Lots of wisdom in a dozen words! To live without pretending means to be authentic and transparent.  Authenticity is a compelling attribute.  It draws people to you. To love without depending on is to love unconditionally.  It’s choosing to provide support and care to family, friends, and colleagues without them having to earn it.  It’s leading with love rather than responding

I listened to a talk where the speaker spoke about the “Cone of Learning.” Here’s how it works: They say people learn 50% of what they hear. So, if you hated listening to a teacher lecture when you were in school, it was probably because you weren’t learning that much. Learning increases when you re-say it. Up to 70%. So, when you repeat what you hear, your learning increases. If you have ever had to teach or

 When giving feedback, consider using this pattern:    Don’t do (that), Do (this).    A “don’t do” statement is evaluative.  Many times, we avoid evaluative comments or direction because it is perceived as judgmental or harsh.  I have often adhered to this strategy.    But I read recently that evaluative feedback is often more memorable.  Maybe because it’s stark. Maybe because it can sting a little.  But it’s still more memorable.    The logic is this: It’s the feedback that

  Larry King died this week.  He was often called the “world’s greatest interviewer.” People watched and listened as he met all the great newsmakers of the age and revealed them. Here’s what King said about his effectiveness. “I never learned anything while I was talking.” Powerful, simple advice. I had a teacher, E. E. Jennings, pour it out this way: L/T = Listen/Talk – Jennings said listeners gathered information.  To listen was to offer your cup to