Psychologist, Author, Consultant, Teacher, Trainer and Restorative Practitioner
One of the challenges you as leader are faced with is getting changes done in your organization. Especially influencing organizational culture, which is an arduous task, and many an attempt fails to bring about the desired cultural change. So why is that? And more importantly: how can you influence your coworkers in such a way that you increase the probability the desired changes are actually effectuated?
Continue reading “Who Changes?”
Written in collaboration with Ellen Sebregts
At long last, focused attention for Mastery, Autonomy and Connection!
Do you know what’s so great? For years we’ve been writing about the three needs which when fulfilled make a person happy – at home and even more so at work: Mastery, Autonomy, and Connection. It’s so simple. Yet not easy. That’s why many organizations who have understood this message realize how difficult it is to truly live up to this challenge and appoint a Chief Happiness Officer.
A hype? Rubbish? We think not.
Continue reading “Long Live the Chief Happiness Officer”
Leadership is about leading. Also, when you need to lead into change. Or is leadership nothing else than facilitating change? Whichever way you choose to look at leadership, leading change is one of your most challenging and, at the same time, essential tasks.
Continue reading “Change is inevitable. Get ready to lead it!”
I often hear (about) leaders in organisations mumbling things like, “We need to get the dialogue going on the subject of . . .” Sounds good, doesn’t it? But what do we mean when we say dialogue? Is it just a hip way of saying we should talk to coworkers?
Continue reading “Leadership and dialogue”
Picture this: as a leader, you’re a real go-getter. And then there’s that team member who always needs to analyze everything to death before finally getting into action. And the other one who is such a perfectionist that they never get the job finished. Why do these co-workers manage to get under your skin? And more importantly, how do you deal with your irritation?
Continue reading “Dealing with difficult team members”
As an organization, as a leader, sustainable performance is key to build and maintain an excellent organization. Sustainable performance means coworkers do excellent work without falling into the traps of burnout or workaholism. Sustainable performance means your organization efficiently and effectively provides quality products and services, is blessed with low absenteeism and low staff-turnover. All of this is good for the bottom line.
Continue reading “The Key to Sustainable Performance”
You have a problem. Coworkers come to work, aren’t really involved, and generally feel themselves unappreciated. The work environment is characterized by complaining (especially amongst one another), general negativity, high absenteeism, and a large brain-drain of valuable employees who seek better opportunities elsewhere. And because they’re interesting candidates, they’re the ones who’re easily snapped up by other organizations, leaving you with the leftovers. And this while your formidable organization is innovative, offers excellent salaries and the best perks! What the heck is going on??? Seems like you’re suffering from a neglected organization . . .
Continue reading “Do You Suffer from a Neglected Organization?”
In a previous post, I explained why you should trust the competence of your colleagues. In this post, I go a step further and discuss stepped decision-making, or delegating responsibility for a certain task, role, or function to the lowest possible hierarchical level in the organization.
Continue reading “Stepped decision-making: Every decision at the right level”
You don’t generally select new employees on obedience, but on what they’re competent at (or potentially capable of doing) together with their ability to collaborate. In this post, I delve deeper into encouraging trust in others’ competence, or allowing people to get on with what they were hired for.
Continue reading “Excellent interpersonal communication and trusting others’ competence”
Good performance is good for the organization; it promises quality results in the future. It’s about more than only the outcome: how the result was attained in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, and collaboration is equally important. Performance feedback entails it all: information on how and how well a task has been executed. In this post I deal with how to let coworkers know their effort is meaningful, good, or excellent.
Continue reading “Feedback Loops for Excellent Interpersonal Communication”