Dog-Inspired Leadership Posts
Managers should nudge, not push, new experiences
Help employees develop new skills with kindness and grace Sometimes you just need a gentle nudge to do something that you wouldn’t do otherwise. And afterwards, you’re grateful for that push. Grace was evidence of this lesson the other day, when she was led down a frightening path, but found it safe and happy after…
Read MoreHow to handle well-adjusted (and not-so-well-adjusted) employees
A friend and Graceful Leadership blog reader emailed me after the last post and said that she was glad to hear that the recent chiropractic visit helped Grace and that she hoped Grace continued to be “well-adjusted.” Of course, I loved that she cared about Grace. And at the same time, it struck my funny bone…
Read MoreManagers who dig in lose sight of the big picture
Good managers know when to focus. But first they must be aware of their surroundings. loan people bad credit When Grace is fixated on something, it’s nearly impossible to get her off of it. She gets so wound up, either excited or nervous, and then she loses all sense of the big picture. You can…
Read MoreTwo easy steps that will lead to mutual respect
Have you ever had a manager or a co-worker show you a lack of respect? I bet you have. When two or more people come together come together to brainstorm ways to work through difficult relationships, respect is one of the first words that surfaces. “Everyone should respect one another,” is echoed again and again.…
Read MoreAre your employees engaged? Or are you missing a signal staring right at you?
Managers can be oblivious to the reality of how their staff really feels. If the signs aren’t hitting them squarely between the eyes (and sometimes even when they are), managers can be so fixated on their own story that they think everyone is happy, when in fact, they aren’t. I see it all the time,…
Read MoreManagers: Listen Up!
Everyone knows (or at least they say they know) how important it is to be a good listener. But are you? Would you, as a manager, be more effective if you were a better listener? You bet you would. So read on to see how. It’s easy to describe what good listening looks like: active…
Read MoreAre you protecting something even though no one else wants it?
Grace loves her marrow bones. It’s one of her all-time favorite treats. So when Oliver and Dodger even throw a glance her way, she goes into protection mode. Those cats could care less about a beef bone. They haven’t once licked it or attempted to play with it (despite the fact that every single item…
Read MoreWant to eliminate workplace dysfunction? Get ticked off!
It’s tick season. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t find at least one tick on Grace. Finding and removing these rather troublesome parasites gives us a lesson for how to better handle difficult colleagues and eliminate workplace dysfunction. Ticks are more than annoying, they carry real health dangers to dogs and humans. Part…
Read MoreFinding real solutions: are you doing the right thing?
Here in New Hampshire, the weather forecast is calling for four straight days of sunshine. I couldn’t be happier after all the consistent off-and-on (more on) cloudiness we’ve had, culminating in a thunder and lightning storm last night that frightened the wits out of Grace. Sunshine just makes me happy. It seems to bring out…
Read MoreKindness is an effective leadership skill
This past weekend, my husband and I walked about 10 paces behind Grace as we were ending up our Sunday hike. We had gone out with a small group of people in search of mushrooms, now that spring is here and morels might be out there to be found. We watched her as she kept…
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