Dr. Francis Eberle Archives - Price Associates

Suspending Judgement is a Key Leadership Skill

By Dr. Francis Eberle

One of my clients recently had difficulty letting go of some unfair comments from her supervisor. The comments were harsh because the supervisor thought the work was shoddy, but the supervisor had gaps in his knowledge and had overlooked the true quality of the work. My client knew she had to get past the comments, but they still hurt. There were two aspects to grapple with—the personal hurt and the professional relationship. My client had to be objective about the comments and build a more respectful professional relationship.

Instead of just letting the comments go, one way to move forward is hold one issue in limbo while focusing on another issue. In other words, suspend the belief that the supervisor had negative intentions when he made the comment and instead focus on the relationship.

How Leaders Can Guide Company Culture

Dr. Francis Eberle, HR.com, March 2021

Imagine a high school where students, and all boys at that, are asked to exhibit leadership in setting student behavior norms, conducting student discipline and maintaining the school’s facilities. At the small all-boys high school I attended, this was exactly what happened. The seniors set the school behavior standards and punishments for all students, managed and maintained the grounds, supported the kitchen and dining room, and facilitated cleaning of the living areas and rooms. It was a unique school.

I learned then, and have seen even more since, that there are good and bad leaders. More importantly, both leadership types have an enormous influence on the culture and interactions of the organizations they lead. At my high school, fierce disciplinarians were mocked behind their backs and avoided as much as possible.Read More

Using Human Behavior to Make Better Virtual Connections at Work

By Dr. Francis Eberle

A year into the pandemic, I have noticed that some people have changed their persona on video calls. Some seem almost as if they are lost, when, before the pandemic, they were energetic and very talkative. Other people seemed to have become more outspoken, when prior they were quieter and more reserved.

To understand what is going on, we need to look to the psychological and cognitive sciences of behavior. Video calls are not the same as in-person interactions, so understandably the connections we make during these two types of connections do not occur in the same way. When people are on video calls, their behavioral tendencies differ due to that lack of connection. The approaches used in traditional communication and interaction during in-person meetings don’t work in a virtual setting.

New Book Outlines Collaborative Leadership Trend

Given the shifting workplace landscape of the last year, many companies are embracing collaborative leadership as part of their new work strategy. This type of leadership allows for flexibility, shared ownership and personal empowerment, culminating in employees who lead themselves. As remote and hybrid work continues, collaborative leadership has become an impactful and effective leadership style.

Executive coach, team facilitator and author Francis Eberle, Ph.D., has just released a book that provides a model to understand collaborative leadership and offers practical steps to begin implementing it within any organization or team.

How Can Challenges Inspire You To Think Differently

Dr. Francis Eberle, HR.com, November 2020

When I was in graduate school for my doctoral degree, I submitted a paper to a well-respected professor. Afterward, he asked to meet and inquired whether English was my second language. It wasn’t. At the time, I was working full time, had a young family and commuted 1.5 hours each way to the school several nights a week, getting home at midnight. I was often very tired. I could have blamed these circumstances, but I knew better.

How Collaboration is Like a Chinese Finger Trap

By Dr. Francis Eberle

Imagine you’ve just settled into your office for the morning, coffee in hand, desktop firing up, when two employees blow through the door. Each has a strong, yet opposing, viewpoint about the next steps for a project. And before you know it, you are drawn into playing referee or decision-maker.

This scenario is much like the Chinese finger trap. You are probably familiar with this child’s toy. You put your finger in one end and a friend puts their finger in the other end. The goal for both players is to get their fingers out. As each tries to pull their fingers out, the trap tightens—the more you pull, the tighter the trap gets, increasing the pressure on your finger.

What Are You Missing When You’re Paying Attention?

By Dr. Francis Eberle

Recently I came across a familiar video I had not seen in a while. It has two teams, one in black shirts and the other in white shirts, passing basketballs to each other. As you watch it, you are asked to count the number of passes. Sounds easy, right? If you want to watch the original video, go here.

After you report how many passes you saw, you are asked if you saw the gorilla. And yes, during the video a gorilla strolls into the middle of the action, faces the camera and thumps his chest, and then walks away. When groups of people watched the video for the first time and were asked if they saw the gorilla, about 50% answered no. I have shown this video to groups and seen the same reaction.

How Leaders Can Help Their Remote Workers

By Dr. Francis Eberle

What can we do when it feels like inertia is holding us back? These days, I have noticed during recent video calls that some of the people who are normally high energy seem to have much less energy. Staying motivated when working remotely involves more than just setting up a work area and logging into a video call. The stresses of accomplishing tasks without your colleagues close by, distractions at home, news of the world, fear about safety when going out, and the desire to do something other than sit at home can be exhausting. In addition, some people are also experiencing uncertainty about future wages.

When I first decided to write about motivation, I didn’t want it to be all about working from home because of the COVID-19 virus. Remote work existed before all of this. It’s just more widespread now.

My Team Isn’t Working Together Well

By Dr. Francis Eberle

I have heard some version of this many times from clients over the years. Leaders often tell me that a team isn’t as effective as they once were, team members don’t want to participate, or they need more cooperation so they can move faster.

Many leaders forget that teams are fluid. What I mean is they change over time due to variable factors. These can be things like someone joining or leaving the team, projects changing dramatically, tasks becoming routine, fear about job safety due to changing market forces, or more. All of these dynamics impact the people on a team and their performance.

Teams are more important now than they have been in the past, partly because problems are more complex than they have been in the past. Solving them requires multiple perspectives and experiences.

Think Local Featuring Francis Eberle, Ph.D.

Francis was recently a guest on the podcast Think Local.

In this episode, Francis discusses the importance of connecting with people, four classic behaviors and how to communicate with them, and more.
Read More

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Suspending Judgement is a Key Leadership Skill

How Leaders Can Guide Company Culture

Using Human Behavior to Make Better Virtual Connections at Work

New Book Outlines Collaborative Leadership Trend

How Can Challenges Inspire You To Think Differently

How Collaboration is Like a Chinese Finger Trap

What Are You Missing When You’re Paying Attention?

How Leaders Can Help Their Remote Workers

My Team Isn’t Working Together Well

Think Local Featuring Francis Eberle, Ph.D.

OUR THINKING

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