Ocean Palmer

The Official Site of Ted Simondinger

JOIN TED'S MAILING LIST

Why Modern Progess is One Step Forward, One Step Back

by Leave a Comment

It must be reunion season. Having heard from several friends over the past couple weeks who are courageously heading to theirs, I’ve wished them godspeed and safe egos. Reunion are not my thing. They are like root canals, buying tires, or having to rent a tuxedo. None are listed on the first 28 pages of […]

LEARN MORE

How to Survive Collaborating

by Leave a Comment

When teaching business classes, I typically deal with eight personality types. One is “independent workers.” Independents are a joy because all they need is instruction. Once they understand the desired state and what success looks like, independents run on autopilot. They can be left alone to do good work. But collaboration involves teamwork, not independent […]

LEARN MORE

How to Turn A Negative Situation Into A Positive Experiences

by Leave a Comment

I came across an article in Inc. magazine recently that really lit my tail on fire. In it, the author shared his opinion of how to criticize employees. Basically speaking, his advice was to berate and browbeat your people so they’ll straighten up and perform better. Everything about his approach and techniques rankled me as […]

LEARN MORE

How to Protect Your R.O.E. (“Return On Energy”)

by Leave a Comment

In business we often hear about a company’s desire for a high “ROI” (Return on Investment). “If we invest X amount, how much will we reap from that investment? What’s our rate of return?” High numbers make people happy. Low numbers get them fired. Companies live to know and discuss ROUI. People like chasing a […]

LEARN MORE

How to Juggle Your 11 Primary Emotions

by Leave a Comment

An interesting web article by Diane Raymond caught my eye and I thought her topic—human emotions—was worth sharing and building upon. All of us relentlessly experience a range of singular and blended emotions that vary by degree. We cycle in and out of these things all the time. Since they are part of daily living, […]

LEARN MORE

Why Good Talent Leaves

by Leave a Comment

Talented people choose to leave organizations for a simple reason: Talent has options. The further you slide back along the excellence curve, the fewer options those lesser performers will have. Because of that, mediocrity tends to stay. But top performers live with a different realism. They will be courted by other companies, recruited by headhunters, […]

LEARN MORE

Difficult Conversations: 10 Tips

by Leave a Comment

As more people withdraw to keyboards interactions instead of talking over the telephone or in-person, interactive effectiveness when confronted with a difficult conversation is diminished for two reasons: lack of comfort and lack of experience. Tortuous to the uninitiated, experience makes them easier. Conflict resolution is sometimes a choice, sometimes a necessity. When faced with […]

LEARN MORE

How to Repair A Relationship

by 1 Comment

Whether at work or home, relationships erode because of four things: 1.     Criticism 2.     Contempt 3.     Being too defensive 4.     Stonewalling. Criticism Criticism is marked by attacks and negativity, the usual tricks of a bully. These stinging attacks hit especially hard on those whose personalities are meek or submissive, or who do not possess a […]

LEARN MORE

How to Turn Stern Situations into Positive Coaching Experiences

by Leave a Comment

I recently read an article in Inc magazine that really set my tail feathers on fire. It was called “How to Criticize Employees: 6 Rules,” which landed on me as one nearly clueless man writing about something he knew little about but pretending to be an expert. He was nowhere close. I barely midway through […]

LEARN MORE

Why Many Sales Coaches Aren’t as Good as They Think

by Leave a Comment

I read an article recently from the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) in Washington, D. C. that shed some light on the dearth of coaches and excess of managers (and micromanagers) in many sales organizations. The culprits: situation and circumstance. It also seems that a perception gap exists between how sales managers see themselves as coaches […]

LEARN MORE