Influencing and Problem Solving for Leaders and Others Mike Lehr's Blog

Relationship Building Technique #1: Open-ended Questions

Posted on12 Jan 2012

Tagscontrol, conversation, conversation techniques, emotions, feelings, open-ended questions, question, questioning techniques, Relationship Building Techniques Series, relationships, Techniques, Thoughts, word, word choice

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When learning listening techniques, we often don’t learn their value in building relationships. As a result, we might be listening, but the other person doesn’t...

Placebo Management (Pt 2): Tapping Emotions

Previously I had indicated that placebo management could impact performance. I recently read Michael Specter’s article, “The Power of Nothing,” in the December 12, 2011...

Positive-Negative Reinforcements: Pluses and Minuses

It’s generally easier to understand what positive and negative reinforcements are than it is to understand their advantages and disadvantages. Trade offs exist. Generally, in...

The Seduction of Rankings

Posted on02 Jan 2012

Tagscomplexity, Google, Greek mythology, knowledge, numbers, quantify, rankings, sirens, statistics, unique, unknown

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Even though rankings are extremely subjective, they seduce us as strongly as the sirens did sailors in Greek mythology. Consequently, we often wreck ourselves on...

Consumer Psychology & Freud’s Rebirth

Posted on29 Dec 2011

Tagsjudges, decisions, emotions, Ernest Dichter, Sigmund Freud, intuition, irrational, names, online dating, Retail Therapy, retailing, subconscious, The Atlantic, The Economist

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There is no place that the revisiting of our unconscious urges are taken more seriously than in retailing. The Economist article “Retail Therapy” appearing in...

Cooperation vs. Self-interest (Pt 6): Incentives & Rats

In Part 4 of this series, I discussed the positivity of intrinsic rewards in the workplace. Let’s now address the negative impact of monetary motivations...

Strategic Complimenting (Pt 2): Six Expectations

Posted on22 Dec 2011

Tagsexpectations, Strategic Complimenting Series, Techniques, relationships, praise, positive, management by walking around, management, Linda Hill, Kent Lineback, HBR Blog Network, constructive criticism, compliments, change management, change

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Linda Hill and Kent Lineback write in their April 5, 2011 HBR Blog Network post, “Why Does Criticism Seem More Effective than Praise?”: A lot...

“Ask Don’t Tell” Inspirational Technique

Posted on19 Dec 2011

Tagsvalues, using names, power, names, motivation, morale, feelings, cooperation, change management, change

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People feel better about themselves when they feel they have power to effect change in their worlds. One of the best ways is to ask...

Style Trumps Content Once Again

Posted on15 Dec 2011

TagsMidwestern State University, beauty, confidence, content, effectiveness, Harvard Business Review, Influence, intuition, labels, attractiveness, outcome, perception, style, subconscious, Talent, Timothy DeGroot, voice, assessments, attraction

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My August 15, 2011 post, “Eloquence Trumps Honesty in Trust & Likeability Wars,” discussed how style affects our assessment of talent. Now, in the November...

Great Strategy? Don’t Neglect Culture

Posted on12 Dec 2011

Tagsusing names, decisions, compensation, organizational culture, employees, goal setting, HBR Blog Network, intuition, management, message, names, Nilofer Merchant, placebo, relationships, remembering names, strategy

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Many companies are finalizing their 2012 strategies by planning their roll out to their employees. To this effort, Nilofer Merchant’s March 22, 2011 post on...

Cooperation vs. Self-interest (Pt 5): Humans vs. Apes

Posted on08 Dec 2011

Tagsapes, context, cooperation, Cooperation vs Self-interest Series, diversity, Elizabeth Kolbert, empathy, employees, humans, intelligence, intrinsic, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Michael Tomasello, problem solving, self-interest, Sleeping With The Enemy, The New Yorker

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In a previous post, I briefly mentioned the work of Michael Tomasello of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology as reported by Elizabeth Kolbert...

Coach Selection: A Highly Subjective Affair

Posted on05 Dec 2011

TagsThe New Yorker, Personal Best, Performance, marriage, experience, credibility, coaching, Atul Gawande

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People periodically ask me, “Should I get a coach?” I chuckle because it’s akin to asking, “Should I get married?” Coaching as with marriage is...

Entering the Golden Age of Women in Business

Posted on01 Dec 2011

Tagsattributes, workplace, women, Virginia Rometty, The Atlantic, technology, Talent, skills, relationships, men, intuition, humans, Fortune 500, Feminine Influence in Business, Chief Executive Officer

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If you have a son and a daughter both under college age, odds are greater that she will become CEO of a Fortune 500 company....

Apologies & Our Personality Differences

Posted on28 Nov 2011

TagsAndrew Howell, self-esteem, Scientific American, Personality, money, Lauren Friedman, humans, Grant MacEwan University, compliments, compassion, apologize

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We know each of us is different; however, the degree of difference is clearly underestimated. We experience this whenever we exclaim we cannot understand why...

Blank Slates No More

Posted on24 Nov 2011

Tagsconflict, conditionality, blank slate, organizational culture, societies, Transporter of Delight, The Economist, Talent, sum of our experiences, product of our environment, Personality, knowledge, intuition, introvert, humans, extrovert, expression

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Part of what makes intuition so powerful is the assumption that we are born with personalities, talents and knowledge. Life then becomes the challenge to...

Mike Lehr’s Blog

Placebo Management (Pt 2): Tapping Emotions

Positive-Negative Reinforcements: Pluses and Minuses

The Seduction of Rankings

Consumer Psychology & Freud’s Rebirth

Cooperation vs. Self-interest (Pt 6): Incentives & Rats

Strategic Complimenting (Pt 2): Six Expectations

“Ask Don’t Tell” Inspirational Technique

Style Trumps Content Once Again

Great Strategy? Don’t Neglect Culture

Cooperation vs. Self-interest (Pt 5): Humans vs. Apes

Coach Selection: A Highly Subjective Affair

Apologies & Our Personality Differences

Blank Slates No More

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