Rick Brenner @rickbrenner

Conversational #narcissism happens when participants focus on themselves by talking so rapidly that other participants cannot ask questions or interrupt. It makes grasping the abuser's meaning more difficult, and compels listeners to ask for explanations. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

In #meetings, if you must allocate an action item to someone not in attendance, they might be unaware of the details that emerged in the meeting discussion. Document the meeting discussion in much greater detail than would otherwise occur. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

Next issue of my newsletter due out 9/4/2024: "Beating the #Layoffs: 1": If you work in an organization about to conduct layoffs, there are advantages to exiting voluntarily before the layoffs, and disadvantages to waiting around to be laid off. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

By converting a #checklist into an active form, supported by software running in the background, we can capture all information needed for audits without troubling the people who use the checklist to run the procedure. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

New issue of my newsletter out today: "Layoff Warning Signs: II": #Layoffs often signal their arrival well in advance. Some of the indicators areeasily confused with normal operations. Here are three indicators that layoffs are secretly underway. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

When person P makes outrageous demands, resignation need not be an all-or-nothing option. For example, you can negotiate terms so that you stay on, but P relaxes some of the outrageousness. P gets continuity; you get reasonableness. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2… #outrageousness

When mysterious #secrecy enfolds some of the work of a group, it can contribute to a low level of psychological safety. Some people are designated as “trusted insiders.” Others are “outsiders.” Trust and psychological safety suffer. Truth goes underground. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

Although the rhetorical question is grammatically legitimate, its function isn’t interrogatory. It’s a device for making a point. It compels auditors to silently devise answers, and in so doing, it’s a device almost designed for the abuser. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2… #bullying

When a #bully make outrageous demands, you have choices if you recognize your own power. It's possible that the bully wants you to surrender because their power is so limited that your surrender is the only path that leads to their desired outcome. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

Next issue of my newsletter due out 8/28/2024: "Layoff Warning Signs: II": #Layoffs often signal their arrival well in advance. Some of the indicators areeasily confused with normal operations. Here are three indicators that layoffs are secretly underway. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

Conversational #narcissism happens when someone asks the abuser a question and the abuser balks because the question leads somewhere the abuser doesn't want to go. The abuser might deliberately misinterpret the question, or duck it, or move to a new topic. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

New issue of my newsletter out today: "Layoff Warning Signs: I": One of the better career moves you can make is leaving your current position before your employer conducts #layoffs. Choose the time of your exit confers valuable advantages. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

As a manager or project manager, when you hear this, someone might be #gaslighting you: "This confusion is embarrassing for us all. From now on, I'll be the one to talk to the customer. If you need any info from them, let me know and I'll take care of it." ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

Toughening up isn't a solution to #bullying. If the bullies sense that their tactics aren't creating enough suffering, they try different tactics. And what they try will be even more abusive than whatever they had been using up to that point. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

If time constraints are tight, the urge to find communications shortcuts can be overwhelming. But the time you save with shortcuts will be eaten by #misunderstandings. Take a lesson from cattle ranchers of old: the only way to drive cattle fast is slowly. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

#Miscommunications can arise even when all participants are speaking the same language if for some participants, that language is their first language, while for others it's a later-acquired language. Assuming everyone easily understands can be trouble. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

Next issue of my newsletter due out 8/21/2024: "Layoff Warning Signs: I": One of the better career moves you can make is leaving your current position before your employer conducts layoffs.Choose the time of your exit confers valuable advantages. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

When composing a response to a question, #uncertainty can be troublesome if you're someone who regards as a sign of weakness anything less than a definitive response. Uncertainty isn’t weakness when there is no definitive response. It’s just uncertainty. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

New issue of my newsletter out today: "Project Procrastination": Sometimes we delay dealing with one of a project's tasks because we're procrastinating -- the delay makes us more comfortable. Here are five causes of project #procrastination. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…

After a #meeting, a “recap message” is an email message that “recaps” the decisions made at the meeting. It’s especially helpful if some of the participants identify more closely with their factions, rather than with the meeting as a whole. ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/2…