Makarios Consulting Blog

Author: Timothy I. Thomas and Rip Tilden

What We Have Here is a Failure to Execute

It’s a new year. You and your team have just taken a fresh look at your strategic direction and established specific goals for this year. The strategy is clear; the goals are lofty. Here’s where it gets tricky and where many leaders fail to bring their strategy to life. As 2016 approaches, let’s take a… Continue reading What We Have Here is a Failure to Execute

Tough Love: It’s in the Delivery

No one likes to hear what they’re doing wrong. And, as leaders, we often don’t want to tell employees ‘bad news’ about their progress or attitude. In last week’s blog, we discussed the concept of ‘reinforcing feedback’ – recognizing and encouraging positive behavior. This week, we’ll focus on ‘redirecting feedback,’ which seeks to change, or… Continue reading Tough Love: It’s in the Delivery

Sincerity and Courage: Critical Elements of Reinforcing Feedback

The thing about ‘reinforcing feedback’ is that everyone needs it. Not just individuals who are under-performing, but all-star performers, outside vendors, and everyone in between. Anyone with whom we interact in the course of the workday can benefit from reinforcing feedback. Even the most consistent performers need us to recognize and affirm their performances. Keep… Continue reading Sincerity and Courage: Critical Elements of Reinforcing Feedback

First Impressions and the Feedback Statement

Feedback is a powerful tool in the communication process. We define the “feedback statement” as the first one or two sentences spoken by the person giving the feedback, which explain to the recipient why the conversation is taking place. Think of a feedback statement as a first impression. That first impression is difficult to shake,… Continue reading First Impressions and the Feedback Statement

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses: Why We Avoid Giving Feedback!

Feedback is one of the most powerful leadership tools we can use in leading our team. Why? Because giving and receiving feedback promotes communication, respect, ownership, accountability and effectiveness – all critical to a successful performance in your business. So why don’t leaders use this powerful tool more often? Here are the six most common… Continue reading Excuses, Excuses, Excuses: Why We Avoid Giving Feedback!

Get Focused and Execute Your Goals

Many of the company leadership teams we work with have a pretty good sense of what they want to accomplish with their businesses, at least in general terms. Unfortunately, most tell us they find it hard to execute effectively every day, every quarter, and every year to make their vision a reality. One key step… Continue reading Get Focused and Execute Your Goals