Talking the Walk Series

It’s time to hire for a key position. Which will you choose: your boss’s favorite, your team’s up-and-comer, or the trusted ally you worked with in the past? Each has something going for them, and no one agrees on the right pick. You know who you think is best, but can your judgment be trusted? What’s a conflict – and what is just good sense? Find out in this month’s Talking the Walk.

Being the last set of eyes on a work product should be simple. But sometimes only the last set of eyes can see clearly. What happens when a team has gone too far down the wrong road? How can you get back on track without leaving the team alienated, blindsided, or discouraged? Find out in this month’s Talking the Walk.

Cut costs. Speed up. Do more. Be more. Better. Faster. Stronger. Cheaper.
What happens when the push to trim the budget and increase efficiency comes for the reporting and investigations team? Just how widespread might the damage be when an organization misses the warning signs of an E&C failure? Find out in this month’s Talking the Walk.

Management is a delicate dance—pushing a little, but providing support and giving guidance while empowering your staff to maintain their autonomy. Some managers never give up control and deny their reports the chance to grow and shine. Others throw them into the abyss, issuing assignments and taking credit, but neglecting to provide support or soften blame. Nikky’s internship is a lesson in management gone awry. What lessons will she—will we—walk away with? Find out in this month’s Talking the Walk.

I was just being direct. I was stressed. How was I to know what might upset you? I didn’t mean it that way. There are lots of reasons and lots of excuses. And lots of ways that managers can rationalize away poor treatment and abusive behavior. What does that look like in action? How will it impact your employees and your organization? How can you ensure that your organization lives its values? Find out in this month’s Talking the Walk.

Workplaces today include employees from four or even five different generations, with different life experiences, sensibilities, and ways of communicating. It can be easy to hurt someone unintentionally, take things the wrong way, or simply talk past each other. How can our team turn conflict into an opportunity for mutual understanding and increased trust? Find out in this month’s Talking the Walk.

Don’t get me wrong, I love not having a commute. But I miss the old days when I actually had a work life and a home life. When I could pop by and talk over a concern with a colleague rather than agonizing about how to strike just the right tone over email. When no one could turn off a video conference camera and be on a call without really being “present.” I miss being able to talk about what’s happening in the world without worrying that I’m touching a political hornet’s nest. I wish things could just get back to normal. But I doubt the old normal will ever exist again. How can I, can we, find our way? Find out in this month’s Talking the Walk.

You log on, look at your calendar and groan: another day packed with meetings awaits you. More (virtual) face time, even less productivity. You know there has to be a better way, but you can’t solve this alone. Can a meeting about meetings make a difference? Find out in this month’s Talking the Walk.

You’ve been through a lot as a team. First, the incident. Then, the report and the investigation. Now, you have to face every other day together. How do you adequately acknowledge what you’ve all been through? And how do you move on—together, as a team? Once you’ve made it through a challenging time, how do you find a new normal? Find out in this month’s Talking the Walk.

We all can all feel frustrated sometimes, and we all deal with that frustration in more or less productive ways. How can we give our team members the grace we’d like to be afforded? Find out more in this month’s Talking the Walk.

Improvement matters, but the way in which feedback is delivered is important, too. As a team, we need to be willing to see ways we can do better and think of strategies for success. However, we must be mindful of how we share those thoughts. Find out more in this month’s Talking the Walk.

The rules matter, but so do values. When employees feel intense pressure to not make mistakes, they can lose sight of the big picture. E&C teams are tasked with encouraging employees to do what’s right, not just avoid doing what’s wrong. How can our team encourage employees to trust themselves and our company’s values?

Feeling left out doesn’t end when you graduate from high school, and being part of a team doesn’t matter only when you’re vying for a state championship. Team dynamics matters, and employees do their best work when they feel included, safe, and valued. How do we welcome new members to our team? And what can we do each day to build a workplace where everyone can thrive?

It’s time to find out in this month’s Talking the Walk case.

Late nights. Weekends. Holidays. Travel. It’s not the most fun, but somebody has to do it; sometimes the job simply has to be done.

How do you decide who has to work when no one wants to?

Will it be the tenured employee counting his days until retirement, the one with an ailing father, the parent of a graduating senior, the new mom whose husband is on the brink, or the singleton who feels like he’s always covering for the rest of the team?

How would you decide? And how will Jesse, the team’s leader?

Find out in this month’s Talking the Walk.

Case studies are released with an included Leader’s Guide, to help you walk employees through the scenario’s, facilitate meaningful conversation and pose questions that lead to important interactions.