People often say "Make a wish" on one's birthday. Well, today's my day and I'll use the opportunity to make a wish for you.
I wish you happiness at work and at play. And I hope the two intersect. I hope you find such joy in your work that it often feels like play -- and certainly pleasure. I'm smiling in this photo, which was taken earlier this year at a seminar for new managers, because it reflects the joy I feel in working with leaders.
The workplace can be joyful. It happens when leaders believe in employee engagement and in building positive work environments. It takes values, skill and commitment. I know it's possible and I wish it for you as a leader and as an employee!
September 2, 2013
"Jill Geisler", "What great bosses know", "Work Happy: What Gret Bosses Know", leadership, management, poynter
One of the most important and underutilized management tools is feedback. That's why I devote several chapters of "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW" to feedback of all varieties and how to deliver it.
I define feedback as:
Information with Intent to Influence
Just think about all the things feedback can influence: productivity, quality, motivation, morale, team-building, relationships, and risk-taking. When you consider that, it's a shame employees say time and again that they're hungry for feedback but fail to get it.
In a column and podcast today for Poynter.org, I share advice on how to close the feedback gap. Just click on this link -- and feel free to send me YOUR feedback! -- Jill
June 24, 2013
"Jill Geisler", "work happy: what great bosses know", feedback, leadership, management, managers, poynter
I'm in Washington, DC this week, teaching workshops at NPR. Folks here have just moved into a beautiful new building. It's not just a state-of-the-art workspace. It's also designed to bring many creative people together for better opportunities to think and collaborate.
That's important here, for sure, because public radio is built on ideas. But every good organization wants to capture and cultivate good proposals, plans, thoughts, suggestions. It works best when leaders understand how to cultivate great ideas. How to make it easy and effective to pitch, catch and coach them.
In preparation for the teaching, I immersed myself in a good amount of literature about brainstorming, collaboration and innovation. I turned that into a column and podcast for Poynter.org, titled "
Don't Be an Idea Killer: Ten Tips for Cultivating Good Ideas."
Here's how I begin:
Some of our best ideas come when we’re taking a break from concentration. At least, that’s what recent research says. Since the concept for this column coalesced while I was sweating my way through a Zumba class, I’m prepared to believe it.
I’d been doing a lot of reading about the cultivation of ideas — especially the leader’s role in brainstorming, creativity and innovation. I collected insights and advice from all sorts of experts to use in my teaching. I wanted to craft a column, too, but kept debating with myself about the framing.
Not surprisingly, my breakthrough came when I stopped fretting and shifted my focus to enjoying some music and keeping pace with the class leader.
And here's a link to the full column and all ten tips.
May 15, 2013
"Jill Geisler", "What great bosses know", "work happy: what great bosses know", brainstorming, ideas, leadership, management, success, teams
This website has a newer, cleaner look. Hope you like it. I'm in great debt to this little fellow for the updated style and format:
Future online marketing genius at work - 1994.
That's actually a 1994 photo of my youngest son, Mac. We don't recall why he chose that particular outfit, but it's quite memorable, isn't it? (So memorable, in fact, that the
photo went viral when he recently posted it on the web.)
He dresses better now and is about to complete his international MBA at the University of Denver.
Mac also happens to specialize in online marketing. He persuaded me that it was time to update the look of the site. Then he set about doing it!
Mac also spent time teaching me the nuances of the new site so I can easily feature more photos, videos, even podcasts. Always nice when the teacher becomes a learner!
April 28, 2013
"Jill Geisler", "What great bosses know", "work happy: what great bosses know", leadership, management
Welcome to the Aarhus studios and offices of DR - Danish Broadcasting.
On a Friday morning in April, I spent the day there to teach about leadership and success. To say I was welcomed would be an understatement. Take a look at the front door! That poster, announcing my morning talk to the full staff, was not only there, but everywhere around the building.
I had been asked to talk to DR employees about a successful, creative and competitive workplace, with both the joys and the demands it places on people. In fact, the talk was titled "Surviving Success." The shot below is from the back of the gathering. I'm that tiny spot in the front right corner.
Fortunately, English is a second (or third or fourth!) language for many Danes, because my Danish is quite limited. It's so limited, I told the group, that I knew only a few Danish words: "tusen takk" -- which means "thank you very much" and "velkommen," which is "welcome." But for this day, I had learned a new and very powerful Danish word. Here it is:
Arbejdsglæde
It is the Danish word for "happiness at work." Isn't it interesting that there's no one-word equivalent for it in English? We talk about motivation, or job satisfaction, but arbejdsglæde means more than that. It means the workplace is a great place and people look forward to coming to work. Great bosses guiding great employees create that culture of arbejdsglæde.
The DR staff applauded my attempt to pronounce the word. (Sounds like "ah-BITES-glay-the") Later that day, I applauded their managers for their focus on leadership, during our daylong workshop.
These are the top leaders of various aspects of DR's news and information programming. We talked about their values and how values lead to the choices they make every day as leaders. We focused on communication, collaboration and the development of successful and happy staff.
As you can tell from the extra care DR took to emphasize the positive, right down to putting an image of "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW" on the manager's name cards, the word "arbejdsglæde" might have been new to me, but it's in the leadership lexicon of this team.
April 28, 2013
"Jill Geisler", "What great bosses know", "work happy: what great bosses know", "work happy", Denmark, leadership, management, success, teams
I love working with new managers, because they are such eager learners. I recently spent a week with twenty-one newly promoted bosses. This was a diverse group in age, gender, ethnicity, and geography.
At the end of the seminar, I mentioned to a colleague how energized I was by the group. There was an optimism in the room that was undeniable. It was a special mindset -- refreshing in these days of downsizing, changing demands and tight budgets. The more I thought about it, the more I was inspired to write, so I could encourage veteran managers to recapture an essential part of the new manager mindset. Here's a link to that column and podcast on Poynter.org.
Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think.
March 15, 2013
"Jill Geisler", "work happy: what great bosses know", book, leadership, management
33 Voices is a website rich with leadership ideas, lessons and tips. The site's motto is "Smart Conversations about Business and Life." Its founder,
Moe Abdou, himself a voice of leadership, interviews
authors, researchers and business leaders. Moe's goal is to provide as much practical learning as possible on his site and lead people to ideas and answers.
Moe contacted me to talk about the key ideas of "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW," and we had a terrific conversation.
Here's a link to the 25 minute chat on the 33 Voices site.
And this is the SlideShare summary of Moe's key takeaways from our talk. I told Moe I felt less like I'd been interviewed and more like I was installed in the Abdou Hall of Fame -- and I'm truly honored.
[slideshare id=16633107&doc=jillgeisler-130219164034-phpapp02]
February 21, 2013
"33 Voices", "Jill Geisler", "Moe Abdou", leadership, management, success
Stepping up. Asking for additional responsibility. Pitching yourself for a promotion. Questioning the status quo. Offering ideas and solutions. Do you do these things in your organization, or do you hesitate? In my work with managers, and aspiring managers, I find that people often talk themselves out these important acts of leadership.
When the topic came up in a recent workshop -- introduced by one of those reluctant risk-takers, it led me to produce a list of ten common barriers we build for ourselves. Of course, if we build them, we're the ones who can take them down, as well.
For a look at the ten barriers and what to do about them,
this link will take you to my column and podcast on Poynter.org.
February 16, 2013
"Jill Geisler", "work happy: what great bosses know", leadership, management, success
"WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW" is a book that had its roots in a podcast. That podcast, "
What Great Bosses Know," is available on iTunes U, which is the learning center on iTunes. All sorts of colleges, universities and academics post courses and collections there.
Apparently lots of people have found "What Great Bosses Know," according to the weekly download reports for 2012 that come to us from ITunes.
Because it's usually among the top ten podcast collections, I knew it had a following. But the final tally for 2102 was remarkable. Are you ready for the total? Drum roll, please:
3,187,324!
Yes, that's three million, one hundred eighty-seven thousand, three hundred and twenty-four. It amazes me, too. But it's a tribute to the interest worldwide in becoming a better leader and manager. Many people who've purchased "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW" discovered it through the podcasts.
The production isn't sophisticated. My studio is wherever my laptop and I happen to be. This photo is from my home office, but I've recorded in many locations, including on the road when I'm away teaching or consulting.
The podcasts are brief, practical and conversational. People tell me they listen to them while driving to work and even while exercising. Perhaps the real secret to their popularity, though, is that they are FREE!
If you'd like to be among the 2013 downloaders, just click on this link and it will take you to iTunes U and the "What Great Bosses Know" podcasts. And of course, if you like what you learn by listening, just think what "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW" -- with its greater depth -- could do for you!
January 3, 2013
"Jill Geisler", "What great bosses know", "work happy", iTunes, iTunes U, leadership, management, poynter
My latest column on Poynter.org blows the cover on something many people don't know: Their bosses keep secrets from them. In fact, great bosses keep very specific secrets from employees. They do it not to be mysterious or misleading. They do it to help people. So, what are those secrets?
I made a list of ten of them for my latest "What Great Bosses Know" column on Poynter.org. I wrote it in recognition of a holiday I didn't even know existed: National Boss Day -- which the calendar (and greeting card companies) say is October 16.
Here's a link to the column. Perhaps, after reading it, you'll take a moment to thank a great boss, on October 16 -- or any day of the year.
October 15, 2012
"Jill Geisler", "What great bosses know", "work happy", leadership, management, poynter, secret
