Put time into performance and development conversations and hold them frequently. As an employee, be the CEO of your own life and ask for time to discuss progress, performance, and skill-building if the time isn’t magically appearing in your calendar. As a team leader, supervisor, or executive, block time to think about the team and…

We already know what we know about everything, so suspending our current beliefs and opinions to genuinely understand what someone else sees and feels is the easiest way to find any position between us. Those of us who are very comfortable with our intuition and “facts” may unknowingly stand in the way of something even…

Give feedback as close to the moment as possible. The most valuable feedback you can give is reinforcing strengths and catching people doing things right. The second most valuable feedback is straight talk when something isn’t going well. Peer feedback is a skill worth building, as we spend a lot more time working with teammates…

Show respect for all participants in every scheduled activity by treasuring their time. If you are going to be late, communicate ahead of time and reschedule proactively. If tardiness is a habit you need to break, create a consequence. Ten dollars for every five-minute delay can fund a nice happy hour for the team.

Address people by their names, exactly as they pronounce their names. If you don’t know or can’t remember, ask again and try harder. I went to a training where we had to look a person in the face and say, “I’m sorry, but I don’t care enough about you to remember your name.” Believe me,…

Step away from your desk and schedule time to connect with colleagues. Enjoy the time at the coffee pot or the ten minutes before a meeting starts to check in and catch up. If you’re working remotely, get creative about connecting beyond the topic at hand.

Greet people in passing, whether offering a ‘good morning’ or eye contact with a smile or a nod. Some people are good at a friendly handshake or arm touch, while others are more reserved. I vividly remember complaints about an executive at one of my jobs who always took the stairs for exercise, but when…

In my experience, deep alignment of purpose and mission is critical to attract and empower top talent. When all players in the ecosystem share an urgent pursuit of the mission and a personal connection to the desired future state, the stage is set for creation and delivery. When the reason for the organization’s existence and…