Candor: How Little We Get, How Much We Need It
We recently transferred a Team Member to a less-demanding position because, while he/she had terrific talents in many areas, this TM needed to work on…
Complete Post List
Complete List of Blog Posts by Nathan S. Collier 1131 ) Count Your Blessings! 1130 ) Give Up Your Suffering 1129 ) Are You Willing…
You Don’t Want to Hear This
You can do more, accomplish more. No matter how busy you are, there is always a way. A way to become better at doing what…
30 Methods of Influence
Listed here are Thirty Methods of Influence from Stephen R. Covey’s “Principle-Centered Leadership,” (Simon & Schuster, pp. 119-128). I could easily write a blog on…
Don’t Hear the Attack
Ah, we humans! We are sensitive creatures; highly reactive to criticism, quick to defend our egos, our territory, our self-esteem. Our quick triggers make us…
I Don’t Want To Hear About It
Think you have problems? Life has dealt you a bad hand? Can’t be done? It just isn’t fair? I don’t want to hear about it.…
Titles Don’t Make a Leader, Six Principles of Leadership That Do
– “Trustworthiness, Transparency and Openness” Leadership is about communication, communication, communication. Often, the biggest problem with communication is the illusion it just occurred. We assume…
“The Long and Winding Road”
Steve Ballmer has been the CEO of Microsoft since 2000 and by his own admission he is a “chop, chop, chop, chop, chop” (yes, that’s…
Can You Hear with your HEART?
One of the best nuggets of learning regarding communication I’ve ever run across is the HEART acronym, an excellent way to remember how to listen…
Active Listening: Listening to Understand
Most of what we call listening is really “waiting to speak.” Here is how people “hear” us: You say something, sounds are heard by another…
Understanding Understanding – The Expert Blind Spot
The “Expert Blind Spot” refers to the tendency to forget how much you know, how challenging a subject matter can be to a novice, to…
Learning your Learning Style
“It is what we think we know that keeps us from learning.” — Chester Barnard Everyone has a learning style or a preferred way of…
Learning Your Learning Style
“It is what we think we know that keeps us from learning.” — Chester Barnard Everyone has a learning style or a preferred way of…
What You Say v. What I Hear
What we intend to convey and what others hear are often two very different realities. “You are yelling at me!” v. “Your voice is elevated.”…
Pssst! Want to Hear a Secret?… The Secrets of Success Are Dull and Boring
And what is more, you probably already know them! You just aren’t doing them! Why? Well, there are also lots of “secrets of success”; each…
360-Degree Feedback
A Classic Post from the NSCBlog Archive Originally posted on February 1, 2008 I recently asked a ten-year+ Team Member to complete an evaluation of…
360-Degree Feedback
I recently asked a ten-year Team Member to complete an evaluation of me using questions I culled from various online sources. Here it is: Have…
You can have ANYTHING you want
You can have ANYTHING you want. You just can’t have EVERYTHING you want. Choices must be made, resources allocated. And if you want to be…
30 Methods of Influence: #24 Don’t Give Up, and Don’t Give In
“30 Methods of Influence” by Stephen R. Covey 24. Don’t give up, and don’t give in. It is unkind to shield people from the consequences…
Overcoming Your Biggest Obstacle: Your Self!
More often than not, it’s not what you don’t have that holds you back; it’s what you have but don’t use… because you don’t believe you have it! What do…
“I don’t want your apology – I want you to be sorry.”
How many times have you heard someone say in a loud or aggrieved voice: “I SAID I was sorry, didn’t I?” Those words may say…
What is Your Belief System About Yourself?
What do you believe about yourself? Of what do you think you are capable? Who do you see yourself as? How do you see yourself…
Criticism: Friend or Foe?
If we choose to regard anything less than praise as an attack, then we cease to hear anything useful a critic may have to say.…
“The Power of a Positive No,” by William Ury
I know, “positive no” sounds like an oxymoron. But it is possible to deliver a no in a positive manner. A manner that affirms the…
Hurrah for Pigovian Taxes!
What is a Pigovian tax? Good question. Thought you’d never ask! A Pigovian tax is a tax on any thing, any activity, or any product…
The Power of Upstream Thinking
You are walking by the side of a river when you hear screams of distress: a child is drowning. You plunge into the water and…