[tweetmeme] As with most kids on summer break, my girls have been spending part of their days taking swimming lessons to help advance their skills in this particular sport. While attending one of their lessons, I noticed something that was reminiscent of what many companies go through when managing the growth of their organization.

For one of their lessons, my daughter’s swim teacher asked the students in her class to swim the length of the pool and then toss a ball into the basketball net. One by one, the kids took their turn swimming across the pool and attempting to varying degrees of success in getting the ball into the net.

When it was my daughter’s turn, she swam toward the basketball net and stopped to one side to take her shot. On her first try, she bounced the ball off the rim of the net. In her next shot, she tried to throw the ball with more force, which ended up sending the ball past the net and over to the other side. Although she tried and missed another two times to get that ball into the net, she never once showed any sign of wavering in trying to succeed, even though she was clearly having no luck with this exercise.

After her class, I applauded her for being so determined to get that ball in the net, but I also had a question for her – why didn’t she just swim to the front of the net where she could have had an easier time shooting the ball? As soon as I asked her this, she gave me this sheepish smile, now realizing how she had made the task harder for herself simply because of where she chose to take the shot.

Watching her single-minded focus in performing this task reminded me of how many organizations and their leaders can also Click here to continue reading »

• A Vote for Impracticality in Pursuit of Mid-Life Renewal by @artpetty http://bit.ly/dov0XU #
• RT @LearnSolMary: Good advice from @TanveerNaseer Thinking Of Skipping Your Vacation This Summer? Think Again http://bit.ly/aZR6F1 *Tx Mary #
• RT @fionamacd: RT @TanveerNaseer 4 Questions To Help You Figure Out If It’s Time To Move On http://bit.ly/cjEtH2 *Thanks for blog RT Fiona #
• What Would You Do? Great post from @mikemyatt http://bit.ly/dkOQeW #
• Hope: Don’t Leave Home Without It http://bit.ly/ciRQ9z #leadership #
• Who Is the New CEO? by @vineetnayar http://bit.ly/8YoHrV #leadership #
• Don’t Torture Your Customers: Cut to the Chase Already http://bit.ly/aVXhUA #management #custserv #
• Grateful to @SmartBrief for including my piece on 3 tactics to improve feedback in their Practising Law newsletter http://bit.ly/aHfY2b #
• Three Stories of Communication and Trust by @LeaderTalk http://bit.ly/dmBJf7 #leadership #communication #
• Come Back Common Sense…We Need You! by @GwynT http://bit.ly/aCr0ML #leadership #
• Do You Have Their Backs? Or Just Your Own? http://bit.ly/c30Yuy #leadership #
• Stop Trying to Make Others Happy by @mjasmus http://bit.ly/9RSFN2 #leadership #team-management #
• Time for an Adjustment of Attitudes and Expectations http://bit.ly/bGMWhN #entrepreneurship #
• RT @elizweiland: Coca Cola’s Happiness Machine – using it to inspire your team http://bit.ly/aX4XzS *Tx for blog RT, Eliz.; how you’ve been? #
• 5 ways to reach out personally at work by Mary Ellen Slayter (via @SBWorkforce ) http://bit.ly/9lbXBS #
• Retaining a Workforce That Wants to Quit http://bit.ly/cPyS38 #leadership #motivation #

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[tweetmeme] A few days ago, my wife and I decided to take the kids to the beach, to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather that’s been absent in previous years. Admittedly, I did question whether I should bring along my laptop to use some of that lounging-around time to do some writing and such. It only took a moment’s consideration, though, for me to dispel the idea, preferring instead to use this time to watch my kids build sandcastles, or simply floating in the water while my mind drifted off. After all, spending time in such carefree pursuits is what we often associate with taking time off work to enjoy our lives.

Unfortunately, many people are either feeling guilty about taking time off work to go on vacation or worse still, forgoing it altogether in favour of staying ‘on the job’ in order to try and diminish the number of issues currently found on their plates. Many leaders have been very public about their decision to skip taking a vacation this year, rationalizing that it would be unwise to be away from the office given the problems arising from today’s economic climate.

And yet, the reality is that the only unwise thing about these situations is thinking that you’re helping your team by not taking time off from work, a decision that can prove to be more harmful than beneficial for you or your organization. To help prove my point, here are four reasons why you should be going on vacation this summer. Click here to continue reading »

[tweetmeme] Today’s piece is a guest post by global talent management strategist and international executive search professional, Dorothy Dalton.  Dorothy is based in Brussels, but also works in the UK and Spain and is a Partner at Hansar Transition Services. She’s a certified coach and trainer with a focus on career transition and management, with a special interest in supporting organizations in the creation and development of the best possible talent pipelines.  She has written several interesting pieces about how gender differences impact workplace interactions on her blog, insights that she shares in this guest piece below.

Let’s stop being trapped by political correctness. Do men and women need different types of management training? I think so.

A number of spin off issues came from my recent research on bullying by women in the workplace – but several were particularly interesting.

Workplace Mars and Venus

One of them was that both men and women alike, shared the need for management and organizational training with a specifically gender related thread. A sort of Mars / Venus for work place skills. This wasn’t specifically just about sexual harassment, but basic communication, conflict resolution and managing expectations. This flies in the face of the common corporate gender-neutral, one-size-fits all management training that exists in most organizations today.

Many would view this as a backward step. But is it really?

Jane Gunn, the Corporate Peacemaker and author of the book “How to Beat Bedlam in the Boardroom and Boredom in the Bedroom”, suggests that “difference is the starting point for adding or creating value. What is needed most is to understand the value that each gender brings to the workplace and how each gender can learn from, rather than feel threatened by, the other”.

Differences are not negative. They’re just different.

Shouldn’t we just be acknowledging the existence of gender differences and recognize that we all need training on how to deal with them, rather than assuming as we do now, that we can all slip into business (gender) neutral on our own. Click here to continue reading »

• RT @mikehenrysr: RT @KetelboeterPR Internet and iPhone and Blackberry, Oh MY! http://ht.ly/183rh7 #
• RT @LeaderChat: 3 Tactics To Improve How You Give Feedback To Your Employees–good advice from @TanveerNaseer http://ow.ly/28NvX *Tx David! #
• Motivating the Unmotivated http://bit.ly/9eqlFn #leadership #
• Excellent stuff – The Secret to Determine Your Business’s Success http://bit.ly/aP4F3l #leadership #
• RT @mjasmus: Deep thanks to @SmartBrief Workforce for picking up my post, “No Better Time” http://bit.ly/dmRqNd *Congrats MJ! #
• 15 Things Every Business Owner Needs to Know http://bit.ly/crGvTG #entrepreneurship #leadership #
• Check out my piece “How to Encourage An Inquisitive Staff”, published in trade magazine Floral Management (July issue) http://bit.ly/a9ysp2 #
• RT @HeatherGStubbs: @TanveerNaseer Good one! How to encourage an inquisitive staff: http://bit.ly/9d0LIF *Thanks Heather! #
• Productive Sleep: 5 Things You Should Know http://bit.ly/aPqja2 #productivity #
• Are Teachers Really Leaders in Disguise? http://bit.ly/dxUTRp #leadership #education #
• The Long of Coming Up Short (HBR) http://bit.ly/bUG72p #innovation #
• RT @mikehenrysr: New post: Monica Diaz – Leading Change Through Otheresteem http://bit.ly/d8BVTW #leadership #
• RT @AMAnet: How to Lead Your Virtual Team to Real Results (Harvard Biz) #Management | http://ht.ly/283th #
• Wrong caption on last picture; here’s the huge marionettes from yesterday’s Mardi Gras parade http://twitpic.com/238q63 #
• Mardi Gras parade in Montreal – Huge marionette floats operated by cranes http://twitpic.com/238ogx #
• Yesterday’s Mardi Gras parade in Montreal – the King and Queen of the parade: http://twitpic.com/238nmz #
• Kudos to #MTLJazzFest organizers for putting together a fantastic Mardi Gras parade through our city last night. Will be sharing pictures. #
• Belated thanks to @SmartBrief for including my blog piece on being consistent with message in their Friday newsletter http://bit.ly/cCoyHL #

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