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What Happens When Managers Treat Everything as an Emergency

Have you ever complained, “All I do around here is put out fires?” Even worse, do you have a boss who is the pyromaniac, setting the daily fires that you have to run around putting out? One urgent call, email, text or request can rec havoc on you and your team for the rest of the day. These alarms, most of them false, rob people of the time they need to do the truly important work… obtain the results they are paid to produce.

We recently worked with an organization who had a C level manager who mastered in pyromania. At any time, he would walk out of a meeting or send an email saying that the CEO wants this or that, and it is the highest priority. Five minutes after making the request, I am convinced that both he and the CEO had forgotten about the request and had moved on to another ‘high priority.’ It’s a sad fact, but some of these managers actually like to start fires so they can claim the credit for putting them out.

Continue reading “Pyromaniac Managers and Their Fire Brigade” »

This blog entry has been adapted from the January issue of The Quest for Workplace Excellence (sign up here)

How do you define an “oh no” nanosecond? This is the regret-filled split second after you hit the send button on an email or text that would have been better off remaining in your drafts folder.

Each year, we have the privilege of coaching managers who have sent an email that, to put it bluntly, should have never been sent. These emails have caused friction, escalated conflicts, and undermined teamwork in the organization. Even worse, the sender has hurt his or her ability to lead successfully and others in the organization may no longer be motivated to follow this individual. The following tips will help you to avoid sender’s remorse by becoming an even more effective communicator and leader.
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Resilient People Don’t Bounce Back: They Spring Forward

It’s a hard fact to face, but it’s the truth: because of the economy, many people have not only fallen short of their goals, but have moved further away from their dreams and vision. Maybe you know someone who has lost their job. You may have not received that raise or promotion you were hoping to achieve. Perhaps you feel your organization has taken a step back on the road to achieving its vision. You’ve spent all this time mapping out your future/time/life to achieve your vision and now you may feel road blocked.

Keep in mind, this is only a detour.

With resilience, adversity does not define you, it refines you. Many people have talked about resilience being the ability to bounce back. Winston Churchill once said, “Success is going from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.”

It is our belief that resilience is even bigger than just bouncing back to where you were before. People who are the most resilient are actually able to spring forward and, because of the adversity, emerge stronger.

Continue reading “Bouncing Back is Overrated” »

Quote of the Week Recap

If you’re like most of the world, you’re just now getting back into a regular routine after the holidays. Since its highly likely that your email inbox is swamped, we wanted to help you out and give you a one-stop-shop of the last several Quote of the Week emails you may have missed from Peter Barron Stark Companies. (Not signed up? You can sign up here to receive future Quote of the Week emails)

Happy New Year! Enjoy:

Continue reading “Welcome Back! Here’s What You’ve Missed” »