Competitive Motivation: Against Benchmarks or Against Others

Thursday, September 10, 2009 by Dave Blum There’s an interesting article in a recent Sports Illustrated about Dick Fosbury, the gawky teenager who pretty much invented the modern style of high jumping.   Before Fosbury, people essentially jumped forward and straddled the high-jump bar as they went over.  Fosbury did it backwards–jumping with his back to […]

Twelve Tips to Create a Happier (and More Productive) Workplace.

Thursday, September 3, 2009 by Dave Blum This url was “tweeted” to me today and I thought it was worth sharing.  It’s from a great blogger: Gretchen Rubin. She’s written a list of questions employees should ask themselves when considering their own job satisfaction.  If you’re a manager who wants to create a happier and […]

Thinking about Layoffs Leads to Low Morale

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 by Dave Blum In a recent article (titled “Visibly Shaken”: June 2009) in ASTD’s Training & Development Magazine, the author Michael Laff talked about the effect this downturn is having on employee morale.  He writes: “A closed door, an ignored email, or an unfriendly gesture are all subtle hints that one’s […]

Videos games as team building

Tuesday, August 18, 2009 by Dave Blum I recently came across this article: “Shooting the boss (and getting paid for it)”, by Daniel Terdiman http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10308711-235.html?tag=mncol;title It talks about a company that uses collaborative video games as a team bonding exercise.  I have to say, it’s an interesting concept and not something to dismiss.  I mean, here […]

The term “Teambuilding”: three categories

Friday, July 24, 2009 by Dave Blum I’ve been thinking, of late, that “team-building” is an awfully fuzzy term.  First off, it’s unclear to me how to even write it.  I mean is it: 1) teambuilding? 2) team building?  or 3) team-building? Then there’s the question of what it is.   For example, is a night of […]

Upcoming Free Teleclass

Friday, July 17, 2009 by Dave Blum FR*EE Teleclass: “The JOY of Conflict: Three Roles that Trap Us in Conflict — And How to Escape Them.” A conversation with me and Gary Harper WHEN: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 11am PDT FEE: Free REGISTRATION: Send us an email at drclue@drclue.com and we’ll provide all the call-in […]

Feedback and Intention

Thursday, July 2, 2009 by Dave Blum I realize I have a little bit more to say about the giving and receiving of feedback, and the concept of “Intention/Impact”.  I refer back both to my blog entry a couple of days ago, and also to a piece I wrote in December about Gary Harper and […]

Dr. Clue News…SF Chron article and Teleclass on line

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 by Dave Blum Warhol wrote about everyone getting 15 minutes of fame.  Well, I  received a few choice minutes yesterday, thanks to reporter Edward Guthmann, who wrote a nice article about me (and Dr. Clue) in the SF Chronicle’s Monday workplace column.  Check it out at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/29/DDHE18EOBI.DTL What do you think? ————————————————————-   Give it a listen; I’d love […]

Giving Feedback That Actually Gets Listened To

Monday, June 29, 2009 by Dave Blum My wife and I had a fight yesterday morning — one of those domestic spats that every couple has now and again.  It went something like this: Jen:  When you slid the extra leaf back into the dining room table, did you clean it first? Dave:  Yes, I […]