After nearly 40 years of public service, the average person would be ready for a well-deserved rest. However, our latest person you should know wasn’t satisfied with a 40-year career culminating in his service as United States Coast Guard Commandant from 2010 to 2014. Upon retirement in 2014, he transitioned directly into his appointment as United States Special Envoy […]
Tag Archives: critical conversations
December
21
Who’s Review Is It? 4 Realities of a Conversation Between Two People
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Performance reviews are an interesting topic for first-line supervisors. Nothing evokes more outrage from someone more than a poorly handled review. And nowhere is the scene set for a potentially career-altering conversation than when boss and employee sit down for this process. From The Jersey’s perspective, reducing this to a clash of cultural […]
July
22
When To Lose One For The Gipper
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
One admission it pains me to make is that I generally hate to lose, at anything. There is something at the DNA level since childhood that makes defeat a very bitter-tasting pill to swallow. Over time, it was apparent that not everyone felt the same way about it that I did. I observed that some […]
April
26
The Green Eyed Monster
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Shakespeare’s use of jealousy, in families and governments, was a constant theme throughout his works. His use of this theme was consistent with the era and the predominance of the Catholic Church in those times. Envy was identified as one of the seven deadly sins by Pope Gregory and then used by Dante in his “Divine […]
March
16
The Power of Perception
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
The late Steven Covey has long been considered one of the more important voices in the self-help genre over the past few decades. His signature work, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, was first published in 1989 and has sold over 15 million copies in 38 languages. These numbers suggest that Dr. Covey’s observations […]
March
03
The Hard Truth About Interviews
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
One of the frequent actions a leader must undertake is the autopsy of a failed promotional interview. Leaders strive to achieve and upgrade their seat from coach to business class when opportunities present. As the saying goes, “nothing ventured, nothing gained”. However, taking a positive step of trying to make a vertical move in your organization brings with […]
November
09
What’s Your Story?
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
It is a human experience to tell stories to communicate between each other. Psychologists and neurologists see this as the quintessential human behavior. From Homer’s Iliad to the most recent popular fiction, humans using the power of story is a staple of nearly every culture and community that has graced the earth since recorded time. […]
October
27
You Keep Using That Word – Communicating Effectively
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Resolving communication problems can appear to be simplistic when written as a five-step action plan. In the real world, the causes for miscommunication between yourself and another, or your entire team, may be a much more difficult issue to tackle. Depending on your emotional IQ, or your teams, no one may be even willing to […]
The Truth, and Other Things
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
There are two possibilities about your team that you can contemplate from your position of leader. The first possibility is that they will follow you because they want to. Or, they will follow you because they have to. Despite the apparent differences that each of these realities suggest, there is one important similarity. You have […]
What Happens When The Music Stops? – Managing Conflict
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
One of the most critical moments for an organization is that point when a crisis looms. It might be brought on by a resource issue, and hard decisions had to be made about the way forward. Or, it could be because the organization just spent some time trying to figure out what was value added and what was […]
July
03
Defining the “Reluctant Warrior”
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
It’s review time. You are sitting down with a teammate talking development and goals and the future with a hardworking, productive member of your organization. In the midst of this, comes the following – “Do I need to have goals and a career development plan? I don’t want to be a leader”. Hopefully, your hair […]
June
21
Defining the “Rogue”
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Webster’s defines “rogue” as a “scoundrel, scamp, or generally mischievous person”. In Nachbar and Lanse’s work “Popular Culture”, the tension between the hero as Rogue, and the hero as Citizen is represented in American popular culture in numerous ways. Americans admire their Citizen heroes and carve their faces and names in granite. Americans love their Rogue […]
When Leaders Make Mistakes – Leading With Maturity
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
The art of the apology is one that has had a lifetime of practice given that it has a well stocked and steady stream of imperfect humans making error after error. The relationships of family, marriage, work, business, and society provide numerous opportunities to offend, enrage, sadden, or otherwise damage the connection. It could be between a business […]
Yes…you are a Rocket Scientist – Research and Leadership Effectiveness
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
>People who lead have fascinated social scientists for over a century, which has led to more research than you can read in a single sitting. The most critical finding about leadership is that it is both a science and an art. There are clear findings about what works but equally clear findings that knowing what […]
Got Toxic? – Lead With Maturity and Passion
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Over the last 10 years, the US Army has noticed something that the corporate world has known for a long time. To wit, a jerk boss can really cause damage in an organization. As one of the armed services defined by its relationship to the civilian-led Department of Defense, the Army is required to be […]
Put me in the game, Coach! – Acting as a Coach and Mentor
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Coaching and mentoring are two skills that all good leaders practice often and well, while the leaders at the lower end of the employee satisfaction survey…well, not so much. Is there a difference between the two? For the purposes of this post, we will treat these as different levels of focus using similar skills. The […]
So you are management now – Professional Presence
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Welcome! If this is what you dreamed about, ouch. It might turn out that way, but more than likely, the moments you recall down the road won’t happen in here. Right away, did you notice a change in how people act around you? Do they seem a bit more guarded? Perhaps over-the-top friendly beyond any […]
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