By Steve Adubato, PhD
Some people say that football (or any sport) in many ways resembles life. Athletic coaches and managers from Joe Torre to Bill Parcells are paid big bucks to lead, resolve conflict and build their teams. By the same token, some things happen in sports that provide excellent opportunities to learn what not to do regardless of the arena in which you compete.
By Steve Adubato, PhD
It's that time again. Time to make some New Year's resolutions. Most we'll break, but some we'll actually keep. In that vein, consider some communication and leadership-related resolutions for the New Year that can help you not just at work, but also at home.
For 2003, I resolve to...
By Steve Adubato, PhD
Q: I really need your advice. I am a manager for a major retailer. Every day we are constantly spending and wasting time faxing or e-mailing everything we do to our district manager. Now our regional vice president is giving us everything we have to do on a daily basis and to make sure we are doing it, notes are being faxed to our district office. I love my job, but lately this management and leadership style is driving me nuts and making me feel very inadequate.
My question is very simple. Does this fall under micromanaging? Because it feels like it to me.
By Steve Adubato, PhD
After September 11 you would have thought that the federal agencies involved in anti-terrorism efforts would have joined together and started communicating like they were on the same team. But old habits die hard, and whether it's the Federal Government trying to bring agencies together or a corporation trying to get competing departments to stop feuding - achieving honest communication is hard. Some of the barriers to real communication within and between organizations involve such things as; bad history, unhealthy competition, fear, distrust and just plain laziness.
By Steve Adubato, PhD
A lot of people ask what the best way is to open up a conversation without having the conversation stall after a minute or two as you stand in uncomfortable and awkward silence looking down at your shoes or up at the ceiling until someone finally makes an excuse to part company? How can we all get better at the "small talk" that is so valuable in business and social settings.
By Steve Adubato, PhD
For physicians, one of the most difficult aspects of dealing with patients involves communicating news that is less than positive. Simply put, how does one communicate "bad news" to a patient who is anxious, nervous and downright afraid?
By Steve Adubato, PhD
Andy Cuomo dropped out of the New York Governor's race seven days before the September 10th primary. One of the reasons for him quitting at the eleventh hour was that by his own admission, Cuomo was trying to communicate "too many messages." At a press conference announcing that he was dropping out, Cuomo said, "it was like we had a new idea every day. We weren't focused enough on communicating a single message. Simplicity is very important in communication."