Hi Deb! Your new TBBW feature is cool and, as long as my name is not used, I would LOVE my question to get answered. Here it is – What do you do when a manager is rude or dismissing someone else, in a meeting and the person doesn’t report to you. I want to … Read more
Dear Debbie, Can you help with some Out of Office (OOO) coaching? I recently took some time off from work, but I always try to be available for urgent matters that need my attention. I explain that while I’m on vacation, for anything that needs immediate attention, I can be reached on my cell phone. … Read more
Having houseguests can be flattering since they want to stay at your home and enjoy your space and company. But having houseguests can be relationship-strainers since some people want to use your home as a crash pad and treat it worse than a rental car on spring break. If you can relate to those houseguest … Read more
Humans are a series of emotions, and habits. Our emotions can drive our commitment to well-serving habits and our habits can either quell, or enhance our emotional states in reaction, or response, to people and situations. What happens when emotions are presented at the office, on Zoom/Teams, or with clients, and colleagues in a way … Read more
While likely none of us want to be late, it happens. Kids, pets, traffic, distractions and more can keep us all from being on schedule and/or where we would like to be when we would like to be there. What to do? There’s no need to panic, lie or start rationalizing internally, or to others, … Read more
We have been Zoom-ing and Teams-ing for years and while the frequency of these video meetings may have subsided since the height of the pandemic, the format is here to stay. People have “Zoom Room” fatigue and Teams Meeting “taxed-outed-ness.” So being intentional can keep the time to a minimum and maximize the technology … Read more
You might agree that most unsolicited feedback is perceived as criticism. And, with that in mind, you also may agree that it takes constructive, useful feedback to grow. So, what happens when you receive an idea, criticism, feedback or a “You know, you really should …”? It is important to realize most people—not all—absolutely do … Read more
Depending on what year it is, and what source you’re looking at, it is reported that more than 3 billion emails are exchanged each day. Because subject lines are like book titles, and we know the old “don’t judge a book by its cover” expression, emails are judged and, therefore, opened based on who sends … Read more
People can be difficult. Situations can be difficult. Relationships can be difficult. You can be difficult. While “difficult” is not typically on anyone’s to-do list for any given day, difficult conversations are likely to occur when we are leading, and aren’t we all leading in the way we think, act, speak and respond to others? … Read more
It’s true—tone and body language affect our interpretation of what is being said or shared. So, the words are skewed by the mood, as I like to say. Not ever, though, is a note, an email, a text, letter, announcement or instant message ever received in exactly the same time, mindset and energy that it … Read more
