Jill Geisler
About the Author
Jill Geisler
Latest Work
Jill Geisler: 10 questions for leaders who want to be better delegators
Ask managers how they’re doing these days, and you’re likely to get the universal answer: “Busy. Really busy.” Today’s leaders must navigate meetings, projects, personnel issues, paperwork, planning, hiring, coaching, strategizing — and putting out the inevitable fires. But when a well-meaning person says, “Maybe you could delegate a few things,” it can frustrate the…
Jill Geisler: Leadership is the best antidote to office politics
I ’m accustomed to hearing people refer to office politics when talking about challenges at work. It’s a negative descriptor, one that implies success is determined by game-playing. Such games may involve deception, information hoarding, power plays, sucking up, passive aggression, opportunistic coalitions, backstabbing and hidden agendas. People see or suspect that others are doing…
Jill Geisler: How to give feedback to your boss
It was a wonderful event. The executive who promoted me and other women into management when it was still a rarity (this was the early ‘80s) was receiving an award for his efforts. In his acceptance, he told the audience, “You’re honoring me for being selfish. I want only the best people on my team,…
Jill Geisler: Being positive and solving problems are not mutually exclusive
We want our leaders to be positive forces for good. But what happens when they prefer to deal with only the positive aspects of the job and avoid the negative? An hfm reader recently suggested this scenario might be worth exploring in a column. Indeed, it is. The reader described working with two nonprofit leaders…
Jill Geisler: Make sure your written communication hits the mark
The best leaders are good communicators, whether speaking or writing. That’s why it’s important to periodically assess how well you’re performing in this area. My last column offered tips to improve your presentations. This one is designed to help upgrade your writing game, focusing on memos, email and social media. 1 Maximize memo impact Whether…
Jill Geisler: 9 tips for healthcare finance leaders looking to improve their presentation skills
Do professional public speakers get nervous? Absolutely — but they don’t let it show. That’s what I teach to both students and front-line leaders who want to be better communicators. I draw on my background. My first career was as a broadcast reporter and anchor before moving into management. Today, I moderate U.S. Senate and…
Jill Geisler: 8 proactive ways to keep your top performers engaged
Here’s to the best performers on your team. Their high standards, reliability, creativity and problem-solving skills are a joy to behold. They’re your self-starters, your pacesetters, your go-to people — the ones who’d leave a big hole in the operation if you lost them. And you surely don’t want to lose them. That’s why managers…
Jill Geisler: Tips on how to be an accessible, approachable leader
Ask people about the leaders they most admire, and they’re likely to describe someone who’s not only smart and strategic, but also approachable and accessible. Those respected leaders make that aura of warmth and welcome look easy, but we know the real story. It’s hard work. And it isn’t getting easier. Tackling business, technology, regulatory…
Jill Geisler: 8 ways to lead a team, not a silo
Have you ever worked in an organization where departments or divisions don’t get along well? You might assume it’s caused by old grudges or personality conflicts. But take a closer look. It’s often a leadership issue — and specifically when leaders may have allowed or even encouraged their staff to work as a silo instead…
Jill Geisler: 6 things good leaders don’t do when delivering bad news
Don’t you just love those days when it feels great to be a manager? That’s when business is humming, quality is high, and your team is happy. As a leader, you have the delightful job of sharing success stories with everyone involved. Life is good. And then there are the far less pleasant days. In…