The Positive Energy Workplace

"I just don't think they can do it without me." I was having dinner with a client of mine who was talking about his frustration about how slowly his team was moving an initiative forward.

"Why do you think that?" I asked.

"It's just the sense I get. I feel like I need to be more involved in it so it's done the way I want it." He wasn't clear on why his team wasn't stepping into more of a leadership role and taking the initiative they needed to take in order to rock this project.

Heads up, my friends! This is a completely new style of blog post—one I’ve never written before, but one that needs to be written because I so want you to know about what’s coming around the corner. For those of you who know me, or who’ve been close to me this last year, this will be a recap and update. For those of you new to me…thanks in advance for celebrating this milestone with me, for coming to this site, and for participating in this work in whatever way you do. It’s an honor.

You're getting things done, making decisions, moving initiatives forward, people even like working with you—all sorts of good stuff is happening. But are you truly connecting with people? Your answer may be an automatic "Why yes! Of course!" You're a great listener, you care, you make it a point to be the best leader you can be, you're doing it all. But, there's even more you can do.

Give acknowledgements, not compliments. An acknowledgement speaks to who the person "is" and who they're "being", whereas a compliment speaks primarily to what they "did". "Good job George on getting us ready for that client meeting, you did an awesome job leading it."—is nice... But, "George, I really saw your dedication, courage, and care for the client and what we're all up to and it made a big difference on everyone's experience, ultimately landing us that work."—is way better.

You're an awesome person. A great leader. A fantastic collaborator. Super smart... Fabulous. You use your time well. Lead your energy. And manage your money with intention and rigor... Wonderful. You want to do more good work. Have even better relationships. Be more inspiring. Attract more meaningful partnerships into your life... Lovely. How's it going?