Dang, that hurt.

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Leadership, ManagementLeave a Comment

Why are we so hesitant to tell people when they’ve said something hurtful to us?  We worry that our intention (to end the hurt) will be misunderstood and fear even a gentle confrontation may backfire and perhaps escalate.  Mastering a few simple tactics can dramatically improve your relationships. 

Got Grit?

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Employees, Leadership, Management, Marketing, SalesLeave a Comment

Got Grit

In the 1969 western True Grit, Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) hires U.S. Marshall Rooster J. Cogburn (John Wayne) to track down her father’s killer.  Ross travels to Fort Smith Arkansas to hire Cogburn because she’s heard he has “true grit”.  If you’ve seen the movie, or the remake, you know that Mattie Ross has a substantial dose of “true grit”

Useful Regrets

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Employees, Leadership, Management, Marketing, SalesLeave a Comment

useful regrets

I love podcasts and one of my favorites is NPR’s Hidden Brain with Shankar Vedantam.  One episode “Why We Can’t Shake Life’s ‘Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda’ Moments” explored regret. Regret is a big emotion; people get angry, self-critical, mournful and disappointed about the choices they’ve made.

Hire Like a 4-Star General

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Employees, Leadership, ManagementLeave a Comment

Hire like a 4-star general

A critical part of hiring people who can assist you in taking your company to the next level is being able to articulate what you need. In his book, It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership, Colin Powell lists the traits he “treasures” (his word) in people who work with him.  It’s a list of characteristics necessary in every field,

Is that really the problem?

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Leadership, ManagementLeave a Comment

problem

You may think you are adept at solving problems in your organization, but are you certain you’re working on the real problem? In a survey of 106 executives from 91 companies, 85% agreed that their organizations are poor at problem diagnosis. 87% were concerned that this flaw carried significant costs. Translated that means that we frequently spin our wheels wasting