Can We Disagree Without Being Disagreeable? (If wishing made it so…)
Posted On August 6, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
I prefer speaking with people who think differently than I do. It’s more interesting. It’s more challenging. It makes me think. It opens my eyes to other perspectives. And sometimes it makes me angry. But it’s all 100% healthy. And unfortunately our society – in business and politics, and especially on social media – is […]
For Better Team Alignment, Don’t Forget This Critical Step
Posted On July 21, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
In an earlier post, we talked about the first critical step towards creating a well-aligned, motivated and productive team. You must have a clear direction, mission or goal for that team to be aligned around, before you have any hope of having an aligned team. What’s the second critical step? Well, at the risk of […]
The LeBron James Homecoming Announcement, Part 2
Posted On July 17, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
In the latest edition of our Soundwaves podcast, we offer some additional thoughts on the July 10, 2014 announcement by LeBron James that he’ll be returning to his home town of Cleveland to play with the Cavaliers once again. Rare is the occasion when a celebrity — especially such a high-profile one as LeBron — […]
A Remarkable “Pitch Perfect” Moment from LeBron James
Posted On July 14, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
Every once in a while a celebrity or an athlete does or says something that really catches you off guard, and makes you stop and think “wait… that was really good. Where did that come from?” Last Friday, July 11, 2014 was one of those times. Regardless of whether you like basketball, or follow sports […]
Step One in Aligning a Successful Team
Posted On June 30, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
Regardless of our industry, our organization and our role within our organization, the ability to align and motivate the people who work for us or with us is a mission critical skill. Simple fact. And this is not an easy thing to do. Almost everyone shows up with their own ideas, their own agenda, and their […]
Are You Sure You Practice What You Preach?
Posted On May 27, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
We get inquiries all the time from managers, directors and organizational leaders about a need for communication training for their teams. And in nearly every conversation, the leader is very clear about the needs and weaknesses of his or her team. Then, when we actually conduct the training, and once the participants get comfortable enough […]
What Kind of Teammate are You?
Posted On May 1, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
One of the themes that comes up in all of our leadership communication workshops is the concept of “how to be a good teammate.” People always seem interested in the steps towards being a better leader and a better teammate. First do this… then do this… then do this… People like specific steps, and information […]
Teach Them to Fly, Part 2: Instilling Confidence and Courage
Posted On April 21, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
A little more than a year ago, I wrote a short post here about the importance of instilling confidence in the people around you. I used a vignette about my son to make the point — a little story about how he was still young enough to not care about what other people thought. And […]
Your Slide Deck is Nothing But Risk, Part 2
Posted On April 14, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
A little while back, I wrote a post called Your Slide Deck is Nothing But Risk. It’s caused a lot of discussion — in our workshops, in discussions with our clients, and in some of the social media where we spend time. It’s a premise that has cause a lot of people to furrow their […]
Be Clear and #MakeYourPoint
Posted On April 1, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
I just returned from a two-week trip to Shanghai and Singapore, where we conducted several training workshops for two different top clients. Our workshops were full of people from China, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Britain, India, Belgium, Turkey, and Germany. It was a global group, with all of them reporting to global executives. Work […]