Tag: Effective Leadership

What can you do?

Paul Wagenaar

You probably know several people experiencing food insecurity although you may not be aware they are.

In schools, the quiet child who sits by themselves at lunchtime may not have lunch. The new person who seems to have trouble concentrating late each day because they can’t afford breakfast. That older couple who just had their roof repaired and had to spend money that they didn’t have.

One in five people in our communities are experiencing food insecurity … they need our help … what can you do? Take five minutes and read this.

“People who move rocks out of your path”

Paul Wagenaar

In a book I was listening to recently, the author praised people who take the time to clear obstacles from other people’s paths. The author’s explanation and examples had a very powerful effect on me. The book inspired me to write about people who moved “rocks” for me and for people I have known.

“Nobody seems to want to work today!  We can’t find anyone who wants to work for us.”

Paul Wagenaar

The real problem is some organizations are struggling to find people using tools and strategies that worked in the past but these tools haven’t been updated for the employment environment that exists today. It doesn’t matter if the organization is a “for-profit” or “not-for-profit.” In many ways the problem is a basic supply and demand problem, however, there are many more variables in the equation today than ever before.

Revisiting Red Teams

Paul Wagenaar

Looking at new ideas and concepts through the eyes of the fearful and the critical can better prepare organizations for unintended consequences. Taking this empathetic approach can reveal weaknesses and potentially fatal issues. This process is called RED TEAMING.

Using Theatre to Train Your Team

Paul Wagenaar

Everyone joins an organization with varying levels of skills and experience.  The effective use of role-playing can generate incremental leaps in capabilities through fostering interactive learning between co-workers. 

Make your meetings count …

Paul Wagenaar

Good meetings don’t just happen. Preparation, Planning and Practice make good meetings. Good meeting techniques, like your organization, change and evolve. Some meetings will be better than others but your goal should be to have your people leave your meetings feeling like they understand what is going on, why something is happening, and be excited about moving forward.

Turning the sock inside out …

Paul Wagenaar

Managers and supervisors do not earn their money when everything is running smoothly. Managers and supervisors earn their money when everything is going to shit.

With apologies to Rudyard Kipling, “If you can keep your head while all those about you are losing their minds, then you are truly blessed.”

Solving issues is a learned skill, a process combined with an open perspective will give you a key competitive edge.

If you let them … instead help them with tools, training, and a process that works.

Paul Wagenaar

Nothing about difficult situations and angry people is ever simple.

Rarely is there one trigger and one solution. Nuance, exceptions, and the lack of anything resembling black and white all are factors in finding solutions to their problems. There is never just one or two sides to a story, there are usually forty-two sides!

This post is about a process, the tools, and the training required to anticipate, avoid, and ultimately how to deal with these situations when they occur.