Blue Fjord Leaders Blog
The Voice for Insightful Leadership with Shelley Row, P.E.
Three Ways to Make SMART Goals Smarter
The 1996 Summer Olympics were approaching fast. Atlanta hummed with construction. I was part of a team that designed and built the Transportation Management Center or TMC. The work engulfed the city, all of the surrounding counties, the state department of...
How to Not Waste Time on Performance Reviews
It is likely that your performance review process is a colossal waste of time - for you and your employee. Can your business tolerate a process that is a colossal waste of time? If your answer is no, then here are some tips that with a bit of thought, will improve the...
Persuasion: It’s Not About the Facts
“Just the facts: they speak for themselves.” Don’t they? Not so much. From my technical background, I have observed a fact-based approach to persuasion many times but rarely successfully. It’s no wonder. The brain isn’t designed to respond to facts alone. Analytical...
How to Manage Your Mood and Language to Resolve Workplace Disputes
"I can't work with him! The project was late because he didn't do his part. I have to hold his hand every step of the way." That's what she said as she stood in my office frustrated, agitated and angry. And, she expected me to "take care of it." The situation is...
Five Ways to Reward Employees – It’s Not About the Money.
It was a perfect July 4th evening in Annapolis, Maryland. A soft breeze blew in from the water as the crowds gathered on the bridges, piers, and in boats moored within the harbor. Poof, poof, poof and the sky glitters with globes of red and blue twinkles. Poof, boom...
Four Ways Fairness Addresses Performance Problems
"It's not fair!" You have a team that is working hard and delivering results...except for one team member. He's not pulling his fair share and the workload has to be reallocated because of missed deadlines. The other team members' effort and morale is being impacted....
Blue Fjord Leaders Newsletter with Shelley Row, PE, CSP
Your place for short, easy-to-read articles on management, leadership, decision-making, and personal & professional development.
Featured Blog Posts
Are We Having Fun Yet? Three Reasons for Humor at Work
Years ago, when I led an office at the Department of Transportation, we invested in a 360 assessment for the top managers and me. I looked forward to the results because I appreciate getting others’ perspectives. Or at least I thought I did— until I got the results. ...
Motivation: Tips to Give (not Take) Clout
The brain really likes feeling important, but it’s not just about giving out raises or promotions (although that’s okay, too). As a manager, there are simple ways to activate the brain’s reward response by helping people feel important and give them a sense of clout....
It’s Not Fair! Three Ways to Combat Unfairness
“But it’s not fair!” Have you ever heard that from someone on your staff or from a frustrated colleague? At one time or another, everyone has felt the pangs of unfairness. There’s a reason for that. The brain is wired to easily detect and react to perceptions of...
Connection: We Feel Good When We Feel Connected
Is there someone you work with who could use a little motivation? Could you use a little motivation? You can’t motivate someone else if you can’t motivate yourself and, frankly, we could all use a little motivation sometime. Too often we think of motivation as money...
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