Frank Sonnenberg, Author at Frank Sonnenberg Online

Promise Yourself

Promise Yourself

8 Communication Barriers in Business

Companies must develop a working environment that is conducive to open, trusting, caring relationships between people—an environment that welcomes new ideas and encourages constructive feedback; one in which management actively serves as a catalyst for nurturing and then disseminating new ideas. One of the functions of management is to recognize communication barriers so that the organization… [Read More]

Honesty: The Plain and Simple Truth

By Frank Sonnenberg 94 Comments

What would happen if lying were the norm? Spouses wouldn’t be able to trust one another; leaders wouldn’t be credible; and the news would be meaningless. Everything, and I mean everything, depends on honesty. That’s why it’s so critical to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The truth is . . …. [Read More]

Win-Win Business Relationships

By Frank Sonnenberg 9 Comments

Formal contracts don’t make successful relationships, people do. It requires a willingness to create a foundation on which trust, loyalty, and commitment can be built. Remember, every relationship is unique and must be treated as special. The basic rule is that you get what you put into the relationship. A partnership is successful to the… [Read More]

There’s More to Life Than Money

By Frank Sonnenberg 28 Comments

It’s easy to know how well you did in school, the baseball game, or even at work. But how do you grade success in life? There’s more to life than money. In school we receive grades; in baseball we count runs; and at work we get performance reviews. But life isn’t quite that simple. We… [Read More]

Call Me . . . Maybe

By Frank Sonnenberg 20 Comments

Would you use voicemail to fire someone, recite your marriage vows in an e-mail, or end a romantic relationship via text? –– Of course not. But unfortunately, these communication media are used inappropriately every day. The fact is, each form of communication — face-to-face conversations, telephone calls, social media, e-mails, and texting — has its… [Read More]

Creative Blocks: Is Management Helping or Hurting?

By Frank Sonnenberg 3 Comments

Many people have little understanding of the creative process. They try to issue orders to stimulate, put time limits on, or insist that the creative process conform to preconceived notions. The fact is, the better you are at identifying creative blocks the easier it is to remove them. Management’s responsibility then is to ensure that… [Read More]