The cycle of commitment is a set of conversational moves intended to generate and coordinate action between people so they can quickly and effectively get work done. When people who work together use the commitment cycle language consistently it significantly increases the chance that they make strong commitments they will keep. As such it can be a powerful tool. However, when the cycle of commitment is divorced from a shared purpose and vision, and taken out of the context of the larger…

Apologizing is how we humans repair relationships and restore trust when we do something that harms others in some way. The outcome of a sincere, well-made apology is the restoration of trust and everything trust makes possible: good working relationships, innovation, collaboration, engagement, accountability, performance, and good results. A poor apology, on the other hand, won’t make things any better, could make them worse, and might even destroy the…

Trust is a powerful multiplier in teamwork. It is more strongly correlated with team effectiveness than factors such as team member talent, past performance or team leadership according to several studies. Simply put, strong trust greatly increases a team’s productivity, adding real value for the organization. At the same time individual team members experience the sense of satisfaction and wellbeing that comes from working with people they trust and who trust them. Trust as the Assessment…

by Charles Feltman We make many transitions in our lives. We graduate, get a job, change jobs, get married, have kids, get promoted. Etc. Some we assess are good, easy, smooth, while others can be difficult, even painful. Yet each transition offers a great opportunity to learn and grow in our lives and our work. When I was in my late 30’s my wife of 15 years and I separated, making me a part-time single dad. At the same time I moved to a different city to take a new job with a new…

The Privilege of Coaching TED Fellows I have had the privilege of coaching TED Fellows for the past several years. Volunteering my time and using my skillset to support these amazing people has been enormously rewarding for me. It’s not something I’ve spoken or written about, it’s just one of the great things I get to do. But I do want to share an great article by Alanna Shaikh, Head of TED Fellows Coaching and Mentoring Initiative. In it Alanna gives an excellent summary of the value of…

“We don’t need more trust, we need more trustworthiness.” – Rachael Botsman, from an On Point radio interview, Nov. 21, 2017 Many people lately have written or spoken about what seems to be a growing “trust problem” in our society. In know – I’ve been one of those voices. We point to surveys that show trust is at an all time low in businesses, political leaders and government institutions, media, and other areas of society. The punchline of these talks, articles and posts is…

Sometimes distrust between people or groups in the workplace is obvious: blatant interpersonal conflicts, people refusing to work with each other, open acknowledgment that trust is low. But often distrust is hidden. It lurks behind a veneer of polite, friendly interactions that mask what I’ve come to call a culture of secret distrust. Secret distrust can afflict teams, people in different departments or divisions, and even entire companies. The distrust stays hidden because no one will…

After you have had a conversation with yourself (see post titled Confronting Distrust Part 1: Six Things to Think About Before You Talk) and you are ready to talk to someone you distrust about your concerns, here are some suggestions for starting that conversation. There are many ways to start talking with someone about distrust. In my experience some are better than others, and these five moves have proven to work well in most cases.Remember, this is only a start, a way into a productive…

Most of us who have worked in an organization of any kind have been in the situation of having to work with someone we don’t trust. At best this situation can create a lot of stress. At worst it can decrease productivity, escalate costs, increase employee sick days and turnover, an more.A client named Robert recently told me that he had lost trust in another senior director in his group. According to my client, this individual (I’ll call him Mike) had repeatedly said one thing then did…

I recently read an article entitled Why We Suck at Work-Life Balance, and How We Can Suck Less by Mark Nichols, published on the website TheModernTeam.com. As an executive coach I have worked with plenty of clients who could count themselves charter members of the suck at work/life balance club. In his article Nichols offers three good reasons why many people are so poor at getting their work/life equation more balanced. A little more “life”, a…