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I was first exposed to the concept of personal space in a high school psychology class. The teacher explained how each person carves out an imaginary bubble of protective physical space for themselves when communicating with others, and feels uncomfortable when this space is encroached upon. So just for fun, I tried it out on…
These days, meetings can take place in a conference room, video-conference, web conference or Starbucks. Sometimes there is a pre-meeting BEFORE the big client meeting, just to make sure everyone is on the same page. Sometimes there is a post-meeting to discuss what you discussed. And there’s one more meeting you attend whether you like it or…
You’ve heard the saying… “a friend in need is a friend indeed.” It’s meant to put a sarcastic spin on the idea that friends will call you for help, but ONLY call when they need help. Now the definition of the word “friend” has been stretched even more broadly by Facebook to include people you…
When you ask co-workers to turn on webcams during an online meeting, some will say “Sure!” and appreciate the social connectedness it brings. Some will reject it faster than a bushman afraid of losing his soul. Everyone wants to look their best at work, but why is webcam video so different than a face to…
Have you ever told your team “OK let’s brainstorm…” and then the free flow of great ideas didn’t exactly flow? Maybe the environment or timing was not quite right. Maybe the presence of executives made it too risky to share freely. Maybe you just needed a good dose of the Gilligan Effect. There’s a good chance…
If you’ve seen an Olympic relay race, you’re familiar with this concept. Four runners work together to win a race by running one segment each. Each runner carries a white plastic baton as they run, and must pass it off to the next in line before he or she can take off. As I learned…
Among all the quotable quotes from the great and humble John Wooden, I was most impacted by his three simple rules for his players: 1) No tardiness. 2) No profanity. 3) No criticizing your teammates. These three simple rules have one thing in common… respect. Not just respect for authority, but respect for one’s peers. …
I sat next to a group of cacophonous card players on the train this morning. I have nothing against people socializing on a long commute, but they were shouting and laughing at FULL volume, as if there were no one else on that car working or sleeping. I asked myself (as I plugged in my noise-cancelling…
Originally published at Ideas in Motion. That’s not a typo in the title. I’m talking about the inane commentary that initially turned me off to Twitter. Why does anyone care if you blew out a tire and fell off your bike? Well, if you’re Lance Armstrong, there are lots of people who care. Some high…
Have you ever attended a formal meeting or special event and wondered “why all the rules?” There are so many traditions, customs and parliamentary procedures… there’s no way to keep track or live up to all of them. And you may think “why bother?” Why not just wing it? I’m sure you’ve had to sit…