Direction, or directions?

The best executive is the one who has the sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it. Theodore Roosevelt 1858 – 1919 Do you want to be a better manager, parent or relationship partner? If your relationships with your employees, co-workers, friends or relatives aren’t what you’d like, here’s a good way to improve: ask yourself this question: “Do I give direction, or directions?” That question may sound too simple or too subtle, but the answer could lead to a huge change in …
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Praise or criticism

Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Proverbs 9:8 At a networking function a few years ago, the developer of a product related an incident where he was offered feedback. The person giving the feedback asked the developer if he wanted praise or the truth. The implication was both daunting and clear: do you want me to tell you how great the product is, or do you want me to be honest? The developer of the product responded that he wanted the truth. Then, he said, he braced himself for …
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Do you talk too much?

Speech is the mirror of the soul; as a man speaks, so he is. Publilius Syrus 1st Century B.C. I’m sure you’ve known people who are very uncomfortable with silence: they constantly talk even when they have nothing worth saying. At the other end of the spectrum are people who say very little — but when they do speak, their carefully chosen words convey much more than you’d expect. Here’s my question to you: where do you fit on this spectrum? I know people who talk far too much, and I know others who are sparing with their words. There …
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