by Esther Derby | Oct 6, 2010 | Leadership & Management
Many managers believe that giving feedback is their job. And they’re right. But it is also everyone’s job to offer feedback when it comes to building working relationships. A Story Tom looked up to see Jonathan, who had just transferred onto the team,... by Esther Derby | Sep 21, 2010 | Coaching, Leadership & Management
I read some advice suggesting that when we’re stressed or feeling non-positive emotions because of situations out side work—the illness of a spouse or child, a divorce, or other personal problem–employees should hide their emotions and pretend to be “eager... by Esther Derby | Aug 24, 2010 | Collaboration & Teams, Leadership & Management
Authors note: A recent blog post on Bob Sutton’s Work Matters reminded me of this little piece I wrote a while ago. A simple thank you can make a difference; appreciation builds good will, and reminds people that they are valued as human beings, not just as CPUs... by Esther Derby | Aug 18, 2010 | Coaching
I noticed at the recent agile conference that there were lots of people who billed themselves as agile coaches, and several sessions on coaching. Seemed like more of both than in past years. I consider myself a coach, too, though not with a capital C. I usually coach... by Esther Derby | Jul 27, 2010 | Leadership & Management, Systems and Complexity
No one likes to be blamed, so why do we blame each other in the first place? What place does it have in our relationships, and how does it affect our problem-solving abilities? A personal experience with customer disservice to highlight our attraction to assigning...