The Great Eight: Communication

Posted on August 22, 2016June 27, 2022 by Meredith Nieuwsma

(Today’s post is written by Rodger Price, owner of Leading by DESIGN, where I am a team member. It was originally shared on the LbD blog and is written for our LEAD 365 alumni, although all are welcome to read it.)

Communication is truly one of the key characteristics of great teams. Effective communication is rarely identified as a strength in the teams I’ve had the privilege to observe over the past twenty years. In fact, when doing a cultural assessment, most of the teams I’ve worked with rank it as one of their top five weaknesses. I’ve also heard that it’s the number one reason marriages fall apart. (Not sure if that’s true, but I do recall hearing it from a marriage expert.)

Communication is a pretty simple idea: someone wants to (or should want to) send a message of some sort, and someone else wants to (or should want to) receive that message. It’s simple to understand—and really challenging to do.Continue reading→

Scarcity, Choice Paralysis, and Time

Posted on June 13, 2016June 27, 2022 by Meredith Nieuwsma

(This post was originally shared at Leading by DESIGN, where I’m a team member. It is written for ourLEAD 365 alumni, although all are welcome to read it.)

I’m reading a book right now about scarcity (appropriately titled Scarcity.) Actually, I’m listening to it as an audiobook because I have so many projects to do around the house, but I feel behind in my reading for work, so two birds, one stone.

The book intrigued me partly because I almost always feel like time is my scarcest resource, and I’m not naturally good at prioritizing what is most important versus what feels most urgent. I imagine that this is a familiar state for many of you. Continue reading→