Just hours after we watched his inauguration, President Joe Biden officiated at a virtual swearing-in of nearly 1,000 presidential appointees. During the … Read more
Coaching With Feedback That Actually Works
Ask any manager what they dislike most about their job, and they’ll respond quickly with something like: “Giving negative feedback” or “Coaching poor … Read more
HR Famous: Netflix Inclusion Report & Hirevue Drops Facial Recognition
On episode 50 of The HR Famous Podcast, long-time HR leaders (and friends) Tim Sackett, Kris Dunn, and Jessica Lee come together once again to discuss … Read more
Defensiveness Is Derailing Efforts to Fix Workplace Discrimination
There’s evidence aplenty of workplace discrimination, from microaggressions to firings (e.g., Google’s dismissing Timnit Gebru, one of their most prominent … Read more
Top 21 Communication Tips for 2021
Nobody decides to be a poor communicator. They become ineffective through neglect. Instead of mindful, intentional communication, they adopt clichés and … Read more
21 Talent Pros Weigh in on the Capitol Attack
Yesterday, the Capitol was attacked by a mob of terrorists. Democracy was threatened as never before in modern U.S. history. To run an article about … Read more
How Language Makes You Likable — or Not!
Following the recent Supreme Court justice confirmation hearings and the presidential and vice presidential debates, you heard the pundits, as well as … Read more
Start With a Joke — or Maybe Not!
The standard line among professional speakers about the importance of humor, even in serious business or technical presentations, goes like this: Question: … Read more
Say What You Have to Say, Don’t Read Your Script
We’ve just come through a political season where we heard (or saw?) speakers reading their scripts — during the conventions, during Supreme Court … Read more
5 Leadership Communication Habits That Destroy Unity
Cyberbullying has received increased attention during the last few years, focusing primarily on children and teens. But adults can be bullying victims as … Read more
4 Communication Lessons From Leaders Who Fail
Many so-called experts today talk about leadership but have never led anything more complex than a high-school marching band. They offer principles as if … Read more
Getting a Grip on Common Grammar Errors
HR often plays the parental role within an organization, particularly in sensitive or crisis situations like mergers, natural disasters, layoffs, or … Read more
When Frontline Workers Return to Work
As people start, stop, and start again to return to the workplace, they are likely to see large-scale changes. Such changes will be especially paramount in … Read more
Do You Have Executive Presence?
At a SHRM mega-session years ago while speaking on the topic of executive presence, I included an audience demonstration about the body language aspect of … Read more
When Covid-19, Remote Work, and Timekeeping Compliance Collide
The rapid transition of many employees to a remote working environment due to COVID-19 presents challenges for maintaining compliance with wage and hour … Read more
Handling Hecklers in the Cheap Seats — Virtual and Otherwise
You have 60 seconds to name all the movies that include a scene like the following: The heroine (or hero) is standing in front of a gathering of … Read more
Secrets Savvy Presenters Use to Keep a Q&A Helpful
A boss’s offhand comment, “Be sure to leave time for Q&A,” often causes great concern among presenters. Maybe they have flashbacks of presidential … Read more
What 2020 Taught HR About Communications
I never even heard the term “fake news” until 2016. Although it rapidly became a Donald Trump rallying cry, cynically (and inaccurately) tied to respected … Read more
What to Ask — and Not to Ask — in Employee Surveys
With in-person interactions being few and far between for many teams, employee engagement is especially crucial to your business’ success. It starts with … Read more
5 Steps to Think Clearly When You Write
An employee at a large oil company submitted a suggestion that netted him $18,000 from his company’s incentive-awards program. Although I can’t share the … Read more