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Articles from Angie Thompson | Selfgrowth.com
- Gallup is Wrong, and You Should be Happy - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2014 from Angie ThompsonGallup is a very smart organization and they do many things well. They also provide great services to organizations and those that lead them, especially in understanding the problems, challenges and solutions to employee engagement. But their findings, in some recently reported research, could ...
Views: 772 - Get Your Message Across by Creating Powerful Stories - by Submitted on Sep 17, 2007 from Angie ThompsonStories are an incredibly powerful way to communicate. But you don’t have to take it from me. Consider Plato’s view: “Those who tell stories rule society.” Perhaps you don’t want to rule society, but you would like to be a bit more influential. Creative writing instructor Robert McKee: “Story ...
Views: 873 - Getting Back to Basics - by Submitted on May 21, 2009 from Angie ThompsonIt can happen to all of us. We have a library of books. We attend meetings and seminars. We read blogs and listen to those we know. We have experience as a leader and being led. We have all of this knowledge available to us about leadership. All of this "stuff" can get in our way. Sometimes it ...
Views: 747 - Getting Back to the Basics of Problem Solving - by Submitted on Mar 03, 2010 from Angie ThompsonEveryone has problems. Big problems, little problems, work problems, relationship problems; pick an area of your life and you probably have at least one, or have had one. At some point along the way you may have received some problem solving training. I know a little bit about that kind of ...
Views: 802 - Getting Greater Creativity By Getting Past The Fear Of Failure - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2007 from Angie ThompsonMost all of us would like everyone on our teams to be more creative (including ourselves). We celebrate the creative genius, dream of the breakthrough product or service idea, and marvel at those who can make these things happen. As a leader you know that higher levels of creativity can make ...
Views: 716 - Getting Your Whole Team Pulling Together - by Submitted on May 18, 2015 from Angie ThompsonWhat we want is everyone working together, pulling in the same direction, striving for the same goals. It seems like it ought to be easy. After all, everyone is on the same team. But the more people who are involved on your team and in your organization, the harder this becomes. People create ...
Views: 945 - Gold Star Leadership - by Submitted on May 19, 2014 from Angie ThompsonPicture box of sticky-back stars. This takes me instantly back to my kidhood. The homework or test is handed back to me from the teacher with a grade, and if you did well and got really lucky, it might have one of these stars on it. The star – whether blue, green or gold, made my day. It told ...
Views: 890 - Helping People See the Big Picture (and Why it is So Important) - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2015 from Angie ThompsonWhen I am flying home to Indianapolis, I always hope for the landing pattern that takes us over the famed oval of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The image here gives you an idea – but unless you have seen it for yourself, you have no grasp for it. The track is 2.5 miles around. Think about ...
Views: 1023 - How Do I Communicate Better With People at a Distance? - by Submitted on Nov 02, 2015 from Angie ThompsonThe saying goes; absence makes the heart grow fonder. While that may be true in some cases, another old saying is also true: Out of sight, out of mind. Both hold shades of truth for any of us wanting to communicate more effectively with people when we are separated by space. More often ...
Views: 906 - How Improving Your Coaching Skills Will Improve Your Life - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2015 from Angie ThompsonWait a minute Kevin...isn’t coaching supposed to be about the person we are coaching, not about us? Yes, the best coaches do put 100% of their focus on helping the other person become more successful and confident. So if this is true, then why are you writing about how the coach will benefit? ...
Views: 859 - How Leaders Make Hard Decisions - by Submitted on Sep 21, 2015 from Angie ThompsonIf you are a leader, you make decisions, large and small, every day. Many are straightforward and take very little time, but if you have been a leader for very long at all, you have had to face a complex, multi-faceted and difficult problem, where the decision was far from easy or ...
Views: 890 - How to Earn People's Attention in Your Next Presentation - by Submitted on Oct 14, 2015 from Angie ThompsonBefore you dive into the details of your next presentation and start preparing your PowerPoint and stressing about how it will go . . . Stop. Ask yourself a more important question. A question that far-too-few people ask. How will I earn their attention? Because if they aren’t paying ...
Views: 927 - How to Implement Your Game Changing Ideas - by Submitted on Sep 21, 2015 from Angie ThompsonIt’s time, and you know it. You and your team have identified the idea that will change your world and results. It’s your Disney World, your iPad, or your DVD player. OK, it might not be that big, but it will be a game changer for you. It is big, it is bold, and it is not like anything you ...
Views: 898 - How to Keep the Negative Attitudes of Others From Impacting You - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2014 from Angie ThompsonIt is a proven fact – the attitude of those around you is contagious. This fact is great, when the attitude we are infected with is a positive one, but that isn’t the purpose of this article. Since negative attitudes are just as contagious as positive ones, you’d like to guard yourself from ...
Views: 813 - How to Lead in Tough Times - by Submitted on May 27, 2009 from Angie ThompsonAs I write this in April 2009, many would say we are living in tough, uncertain economic times. Watching, listening to or reading the news you will "know" that new layoffs are announced every day, a shaky stock market is followed more closely than ever, and uncertainties seem to be ...
Views: 884 - How to Make Every Performance Review More Effective - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2014 from Angie ThompsonWhen you think about performance reviews, what do you think? Chances are, your first thoughts aren't positive, and the day of your performance review isn't a day you circle with positive anticipation. The fact is that . . . Most performance reviews . . . aren't very effective. Most ...
Views: 732 - How to Rig The Market (The Market for Your Skills) - by Submitted on Apr 08, 2014 from Angie ThompsonYou may have seen the story on 60 Minutes, or seen the stories throughout the media all week. There has been a big conversation about the idea that the Stock Market is being “rigged” by high frequency trading. That is the thesis of the new book Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis. ...
Views: 747 - How to Share Bad News Without Demotivating Your Team - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2015 from Angie ThompsonIf you have been leading for very long, you’ve had bad news to deliver to someone or to your entire team. I do realize that there is “bad news” and there is "seriously-work-and-life-changing-bad-news", but regardless of the depth, leaders worry about the impact the news will have on the psyche, ...
Views: 974 - How to Use Video to Become a (Much) Better Presenter - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2014 from Angie ThompsonIf you have ever been to a presentation skills workshop, you likely practiced with video. Whether you liked being video recorded or not, video can be a powerful tool for learning and improvement, if you use it correctly. Here, I want to give you some ideas for using that video for the maximum ...
Views: 825 - How “U-Pick” Your Relationships and Results - by Submitted on May 11, 2015 from Angie ThompsonNote: The essay that follows was written several years ago and comes from my book Vantagepoints on Learning and Life. The lessons are as true as ever. I share this as a day-after-Mother’s Day tribute to my mom. Thanks Mom – I love you. My mother emailed me about an experience she had last week ...
Views: 868 - How “U-Pick” Your Relationships and Results - by Submitted on May 11, 2015 from Angie ThompsonNote: The essay that follows was written several years ago and comes from my book Vantagepoints on Learning and Life. The lessons are as true as ever. I share this as a day-after-Mother’s Day tribute to my mom. Thanks Mom – I love you. My mother emailed me about an experience she had last week ...
Views: 929 - I Want To Win! - The Power And Pitfalls Of Competition - by Submitted on May 19, 2008 from Angie ThompsonThis is an appropriate title for me because I have thought and said “I want to win!” many times in my life. Ask those who know me best and they will tell you that I am a competitive person in just about any facet of life. Ask those who’ve known me my whole life and you might even hear some ...
Views: 622 - I'm A Salesperson? - by Submitted on Nov 26, 2007 from Angie ThompsonI have found that the words sales, selling and salesperson always have feelings attached to them. Some of you are reading, pondering the title of this article and thinking a stream of positive thoughts about selling, things like: Nothing happens until a sale is made or someone sells something. ...
Views: 850 - Improve Your Tomorrows By Asking One Question Today - by Submitted on May 23, 2008 from Angie ThompsonThis article is about two things: recessions and a solution to them. Don’t worry this is not an economic treatise about the definitions and causes of economic downturns sometimes called recessions. Rather, it is an explanation of how we can think about these events differently and, when these ...
Views: 665 - It is Time for Spring Cleaning! - by Submitted on May 27, 2009 from Angie ThompsonI don`t know how spring cleaning became a tradition, and I know that phrase means different things to different people. And while some of that cleaning could take place at any time of the year (and often does), there`s just something about the spring to help you think about airing things out and ...
Views: 800 - It's More Than Rest And Relaxation - by Submitted on May 27, 2008 from Angie ThompsonI recently read a poll and of the nearly 1000 people who were asked, “Do you need a vacation after your vacation?” 87% of them said yes. It is clear that the commonly stated purpose for a vacation – rest and relaxation – might not be working very well! While most of us take vacations and look ...
Views: 1037 - It's Not Easy Being Green - by Submitted on May 05, 2008 from Angie ThompsonWe’ve all been a beginner at something and looked to someone else to coach us and help us become more successful. Sometimes we find a mentor or coach who is really skilled at helping us, and other times, their experience doesn’t seem to translate to being able to help us very well. It is easy ...
Views: 558 - It's Not Easy Being Green - by Submitted on May 27, 2008 from Angie ThompsonWe’ve all been a beginner at something and looked to someone else to coach us and help us become more successful. Sometimes we find a mentor or coach who is really skilled at helping us, and other times, their experience doesn’t seem to translate to being able to help us very well. It is easy ...
Views: 595 - Leadership in Full Color - by Submitted on Mar 16, 2015 from Angie ThompsonRecently I had a conversation with my father-in-law who used to sell and repair televisions as a side business. Somehow we started talking about early color sets. He mentioned that he owns the first color set he ever sold, and we reminisced about the first color sets we had. We got ours when I ...
Views: 975 - Leadership Insanity - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2015 from Angie ThompsonThere are at least two definitions of the word insanity: the one in the dictionary, and the cliché we’ve all heard, used, and knowingly nodded our head at when hearing it. First, from Merriam-Webster: Insanity 1. a deranged state of the mind usually occurring as a specific disorder (as ...
Views: 996 - Leadership is a Marathon, Not a Sprint - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2013 from Angie ThompsonTwo of the most noted races in the track and field world are the 100 meter dash and the marathon. They are on opposite ends of the length spectrum – a sprint of 100 meters and a long trek of 42,195 meters (26 miles, 385 yards). Many times leaders work and act with an incredible sense of urgency, ...
Views: 435 - Leadership Lessons From Presidential Campaigns - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2008 from Angie ThompsonEvery four years the United States elects a new President. The process isn’t simple, and it isn’t short. Because this process plays out in the news media, and because it requires leadership both to gain the job and do the job, there are lessons from the process for the taking. These lessons, ...
Views: 633 - Leadership Potential: Make the "Possible" Your "Reality" - by Submitted on May 04, 2015 from Angie ThompsonOne of the words we use a lot at The Kevin Eikenberry Group is potential. It is in book and newsletter titles, and it is on my mind every day. Implied in those titles is our belief that we all have significant potential. Here is what is at the bottom of this blog: "Extraordinary potential ...
Views: 959 - Leading The Day After - Leadership Opportunities After The Project Is Over - by Submitted on Sep 24, 2007 from Angie ThompsonIf you lead for any length of time, you have experienced one (or both) of these situations: Your team achieves a major goal, finishes a big project or lands the big client. The team tries for but doesn’t reach the big goal, finishes a big project late or loses a big client. While these two ...
Views: 724 - Looking at the World Through a Learning Lens - by Submitted on Jun 22, 2015 from Angie ThompsonEveryone would agree that we can learn from our life experiences. And everyone does. But while we all have experiences every day, have you noticed that some people seem to glean far more from those experiences than others? If you would like to better harvest the lessons from your experiences, ...
Views: 853 - Maintaining And Building Momentum - by Submitted on Nov 12, 2007 from Angie ThompsonYou know what momentum is. You’ve felt it before. It’s that feeling that things are heading in the right direction; that things are going well; the future looks bright. It is like the snowball rolling downhill – as its gaining speed – it appears that the power of its momentum could make a huge ...
Views: 832 - Make The Jump To Better Decisions - by Submitted on May 27, 2008 from Angie ThompsonIn 1919 Leslie Irvin made a decision. He decided to jump from an airplane. He wasn’t the first to jump from a plane; and it wasn’t even the first time he jumped from a plane – in fact he had been jumping for five years. But on April 28, 1919, Leslie did something no one had ever done before. ...
Views: 765 - Making Metrics Matter - by Submitted on Oct 06, 2014 from Angie ThompsonWhen I talk to many leaders, the term “metrics” seems to cause one of two responses: a gleam in the eye of those leaders who love the numbers...or a blank stare from the rest who know that measures and metrics are important, but will say they “aren’t numbers people.” You are likely one of those ...
Views: 795 - Making These Decisions Will Change Your Life - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2008 from Angie ThompsonWe all make choices every day. In fact, one way to look at your life is to consider it as the sum total of all the choices you have made. It is easy to think about that in the big picture, think for example, about these choices: -Whether to finish High School (or not) -Whether to go to college ...
Views: 865 - Maya Angelou’s Leadership Advice - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2014 from Angie ThompsonIt is three simple lines and the words I most connect to Maya Angelou. After I heard of her passing, they are the words I thought of . . . “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.” - Maya Angelou The advice is powerful and easy ...
Views: 878 - One Important Choice - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2007 from Angie ThompsonIt might seem a bit strange to highlight one particular choice as important. After all, I’m guessing you can immediately think of many important choices you have made in your life. However, the choice I’m talking about isn’t deciding what job to take, where to live or who to share your life ...
Views: 965 - Putting Out Fires - Stop, Drop, And Role - by Submitted on Jan 15, 2008 from Angie ThompsonI’ve worked with well-meaning, highly-principled leaders for years. When the topic of coaching and developing their employees comes up I often hear that they know coaching is important, they want to coach more, but they don’t have time because they are too busy “putting out fires”. As children ...
Views: 741 - Sail the C's for Successful Collaborations - by Submitted on Apr 22, 2008 from Angie ThompsonMost everyone I talk with wants greater success in some (or many) parts of their life. And however independent you may think you are, no one can achieve as much working alone as they can with the collaborative help of others . . . if that collaboration is truly helpful. You hopefully have ...
Views: 778 - Seven Great Questions to Ask Others - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2014 from Angie ThompsonSeven Great Questions to Ask OthersJust this morning, in a coaching conversation, I asked a question that, as stated by the other person, was exactly what would help them past their obstacle. I’m gratified that I could help. The same question, without trust between the other person and me, ...
Views: 836 - Seven Ways to Productively Learn From the Past - by Submitted on Dec 08, 2014 from Angie ThompsonNot everyone values history or the past in the same way. In the quotation books on my book shelves, for every quote that echoes “history is bunk” (from Henry Ford), I can find a “those who cannot learn from history are bound to repeat it” (from George Santayana). I don’t know if you liked U.S. ...
Views: 840 - Seven Ways to Support and Grow Your Top Performers - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2014 from Angie ThompsonRecently I wrote about why as leaders and coaches we mess up when we focus all (or far too much) of our coaching time on lower performers. In that piece, I made the argument for spending at least 50% of your energy, focus and time on coaching and further developing your top or best ...
Views: 790 - Simple Stories Sell Ideas - by Submitted on Sep 19, 2007 from Angie ThompsonMost of us don’t tell stories to become an entertainer or to make it on television. We tell stories as a way to instruct, explain and, in the end, sell our ideas to others. As a leader we must sell ideas. As a co-worker we must sell ideas. As a spouse, parent and friend we want and need to sell ...
Views: 964 - Six Commencement Challenges For Leaders Young and Old - by Submitted on May 08, 2014 from Angie ThompsonThe inspiration for this comes in celebration of my son Parker’s graduation from Ball State university this weekend. This is one of thousands of graduation exercises for high schools, colleges and universities that will take place across the country in the coming weeks. My focus is on six ...
Views: 670 - Six Reasons Why Boundaries Help Everyone Be More Successful - by Submitted on Oct 20, 2014 from Angie ThompsonThere are all sorts of boundaries in our lives. Boundaries define the playing field for most sports. Fences provide boundaries for homes and farms. Walls keep people in, or out. These are obvious and clear boundaries. There are others that while we know they exist, there isn’t a physical ...
Views: 858 - Six Ways Leaders Can Help Others Measure Success - by Submitted on Jul 14, 2014 from Angie ThompsonGrowing up on a farm, one of earliest tools I learned how to use was a tape measure. There are several reasons for that - it is often used, using it won’t hurt you (think hammer, saw, or torch!), and my Dad carried a small one in his pocket. And as a boy, emulating Dad was always a good ...
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