Inspiring Management Tips
“When a dog makes a mistake, I don’t get rid of him.”
A client remarked the other day about how this blog has made her think about her own dog and the correlation to the interactions she has with the employees at her company. “When my dog makes a mistake, I don’t get rid of him,” she said. “Instead, I try to find ways to avoid the…
Well-intentioned people sometimes do unkind things
Kids freak Grace out. Their quick and aggressive movements scare her; she doesn’t know what their intentions are. Based on her street experiences as a pup, kids were known to torment dogs so she’s wary for good reason. In order to protect herself, she growls and bares her teeth hoping to get them to back…
The power of teams; saving lives in Japan
Dogs are amazing. Those of us who love our four-legged friends know that. But when I think about their ability to save lives, I am in awe. A family member (thanks, Jen) alerted me to this: The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation has gone to Japan for a search and rescue mission; you can find…
Some people crave a process — others hate it!
My last post about routines created some interesting dialogue so I decided to explore this further. I know that Grace is better with a consistent routine, but as was pointed out to me, many people like variety in their day. For individuals who want autonomy and independence, a rigid environment will create frustration and burnout….
The value of a routine depends on who you are — but also what you do
I’ve heard that dogs can’t tell time. Yet, I know that Grace is fully aware of patterns in our day. You could set the clock by when she asks for her dinner. And when we turn off the TV at night, she immediately jumps from her bed and waits by the door until I get…
Managers play a key role in an employee performance problem
It’s their fault that the problem exists in the first place, right? But my experience with Grace gave me a lesson in this flawed thinking. The first few days Grace came home, she was an angel. Perfectly adorable. Then an occasional irritating incident would happen, like her walking by my bookshelves of cotton quilting fabric…
About Graceful Leadership: My First Blog Post
People said I should have a blog for my business. But I resisted. What would I write about? How could I ever narrow down the immense number of topics about working with people? It felt overwhelming. I said I didn’t have time. There were lots of reasons for not blogging, but mostly I wasn’t inspired….
