Mentoring/Coaching

Blaze path for lifelong learning

June 19, 2014

To lift an employee’s performance, you can bark do-this, do-that commands. But you’ll make a more positive impact by helping people discover for themselves how to improve. Use adult learning theory to guide your coaching. Here’s how:

Challenge learners to dig for insight

June 11, 2014
Deep learning occurs when you enable employees to forge neural connections so their skills and in­­sights are easier to tap. Here’s how to make that happen.

Get tough with a ‘Dr. Jekyll’

May 2, 2014
Q: “Tom, a long-term employee, recently transferred into my unit. He has a reputation of being ‘difficult.’ On good days, he’s productive and upbeat. But on bad days, he’s critical and hostile. Unfortunately, the bad days outnumber the good days. I’ve tried to be supportive, but he’s exhausting me! What can I do?”

What’s the pulse of team engagement?

April 30, 2014
Employees who like their immediate supervisor tend to feel prouder and more enthusiastic about their organization as a whole. So if you want a more engaged workforce, enhance your supervisors’ ability to manage well.

Borrow tips from top teachers

April 21, 2014
To train employees to acquire new skills, borrow the tools of top teachers. Research shows that certain pedagogical strategies help students retain information and apply what they learn more successfully.

No cushy office for this mentor

March 5, 2014

When Barry Tarasoff was research director of Schroder Wertheim, a Wall Street investment firm, he sought to hire en­­gaging, reasonable analysts who were friendly and easygoing. This may sound basic. But in many Wall Street firms in the 1990s, cutthroat competition and ruthlessness reigned.

McMillon takes reins as CEO at Walmart

February 24, 2014
The world’s largest retailer, Walmart, has a new boss. Doug McMillon, an Arkansas native and head of the company’s international division, takes over this month from retiring CEO Mike Duke, who has been at the helm for five years and will remain on the board.

Visit with troops to boost morale

December 18, 2013
As a U.S. Army Reserve Special Forces officer, Chad Storlie learned from great leaders while serving in Iraq and Bosnia. He has applied those lessons to his corporate career as a sales and marketing executive for General Electric and Comcast.

Don’t mince words

December 6, 2013
Traveling emergency room doctor Mary Palmer believes that when the stakes are high, leaders have a “teachable moment” because people listen more intently.

Who’s next in line?

November 19, 2013

Tech firms are known for hiring the smartest people, not necessarily the most adept at leading others. If leadership development seems challenging in your operation, ask yourself these questions.