management Archives - Page 4 of 4 - Carpenter Smith Consulting, llc

Benefits, Concerns & Suggestions

September 10, 2012

The process of shifting a team to engage them fully in solving a problem, looking for opportunities, or challenging the cultural norms takes practice but can be successfully started using a simple discussion framework that we call Benefits, Concerns & Suggestions. The Benefits / Concerns / Suggestions framework is an easy to use discussion process that will shift the way your team works. To use the framework, take the following steps: Select an issue, project or topic that you know…

But . . . How Do I Get My Team to Participate in Meetings?

September 3, 2012

Monday Morning Business Coach

Last week we wrote a post entitled, Stop Talking! Now, Communicate and we received many responses from leaders who were having success connecting in new and much deeper ways with the people in their organizations as they stopped talking and started listening. Through listening, they were beginning to see a level of engagement and commitment to solving organizational problems that they had not realized was “out there.” We also received quite a number of inquiries asking us how to get…

Celebrating Success

July 30, 2012

Monday Morning Business Coach

We often hear complaints about bosses who only focus on what is not working and never acknowledge and celebrate what is going well. Other clients describe their experience of bosses who have nothing to say about their performance until they have made a mistake. Some clients even describe their belief that their bosses are lying in wait – ready to pounce on the one bad thing that happens; so, we thought we would take a few moments to look at…

Trust the Process

July 23, 2012

Monday Morning Business Coach

Often, we hear from experienced managers that they are proud to say that they have learned to “trust the process.” Those same managers will describe that they have encouraged younger, greener mangers to do the same and have been shocked when problems arise. Unfortunately, this advice can get less experienced mangers in trouble especially if “trusting the process” isn’t fully defined, since most of them assume that “trusting the process” means just letting whatever happens happen. And that’s rarely successful.…

Your Drop-Down Menu

July 16, 2012

Monday Morning Business Coach

Many of you have probably seen the original Terminator (1984) movie. In it, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a cyborg that has come back in time to kill the future savior of the world. In one scene, the cyborg is in a rundown hotel room tending to some pretty nasty wounds when the hotel manager knocks on the door (wanting to know what the smell is that is coming from the room) and asks him whether he has a dead animal in…

5 Steps to Effectively Attack the Problem

June 18, 2012

Monday Morning Business Coach

Last week we talked about the importance of attacking the problem and leaving the people associated with the problem intact. Today we want to offer you some guidelines for doing so effectively. In 1981, Roger Fisher and William Ury wrote a game-changing book called Getting to Yes. They were the first to change the conversation about how to go into a negotiation. Their work has dramatically changed the world’s perspective on how to approach tough issues with a level of…

Attack the Problem, Not the Person

June 11, 2012

Monday Morning Business Coach

As this week’s title indicates, we want to explore the concept of fiercely attacking a problem without attacking the person who is attached to the problem (either directly or indirectly.) Seems reasonable, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, for most people, it’s much harder than it sounds. For so many of us, when we hear about a problem, or even a potential problem, the first reaction we have is something along the lines of “What the *%#!*^!” The next thought is typically, “Wasn’t…