How to Keep People from Throwing You Under the Bus

I’ve been thrown under the bus a few times in my career but a while ago I couldn’t escape one. After speaking at a convention, the bus transporting conference attendees from the convention center to the hotel had a “minor malfunction.” When it was time to unload, the door made a sound like it

Read More »

How to Stop a Complainer

Oh no…she was back…and she was bringing more complaints. Unfortunately, I didn’t have 30 minutes to hear “Diane” vent and describe every slight she suffered that week. My exploding at her, “Sorry, I just don’t have time to fix YOUR problems today,” certainly did not improve our work relationship. Ever have people

Read More »

How to Communicate with Good Cheer

Wow. I had a bad customer service experience over the holidays. While visiting one of my favorite stores, I encountered a Scrooge who did not like working. To be fair, it was busy and the dressing rooms were a disaster. (Don’t you wonder about people who won’t hang up the

Read More »

How to Refocus a Complainer

I’m embarrassed to say that heading over to the launch for my book Stop Complainers and Energy Drainers, I wasn’t pleasant. In fact, I was a big whiner – but I had “good” reasons. First, there was the late start because I forgot to load boxes into my car. Then, there

Read More »

The Worst Thing to Say to a Complainer

Some things you never forget. Quite a few years ago I was in the San Francisco airport after attending a three-day jam-packed National Speakers Association conference. Overwhelmed by all I had learned,  I was now at a tipping point in my career and not sure which direction to take. An industry

Read More »

Stop Complainers & Energy Drainers Survey Results (Part 2)

Jerks are worth complaining about! As I put the finishing touches on writing the book Stop Complainers & Energy Drainers: How to Negotiate Work Drama to Get More Done, I’ve added an entire section on how to handle an office jerk who complains and drains your energy. After reading your survey

Read More »

Why You Shouldn’t Send Emails on Monday

Not surprisingly, 54.5% of survey participants say they experience Complainers or Energy Drainers the most on Mondays because, “It ends their weekend, so they come to work cranky and fired up to complain the rest of the week.” The challenges and challenging people you face are unbelievable. Thank you for sharing your

Read More »

I Need Your Help for My New Book

As of today, it’s official…I’ve got a contract to write a book called Stop Complainers and Energy Drainers: How to Negotiate Work Drama and Get More Done. I really need your help with the research. Can you take this short, 5 minute survey ? We’ll share the preliminary results with you first

Read More »