Directory of Articles

In addition to being an accomplished keynoter and seminar facilitator, Merge is an award-winning published author, writing for many well-known organizations and publications. In addition to her books and audio CDs, Merge is also the author of over 40 articles, most of which are available for free download below.

Merge's column, Further than Figures, runs regularly in CGA Magazine, a glossy print magazine read by over 60,000 professional accountants and their associates. The column covers various topics in "soft skills", mostly in different areas of leadership and communication, and is published in both English and as Savoir-être in French.

FMI Journal is published three times a year by the Financial Management Institute of Canada and Merge has written for them on the human side of financial management. In 2004, Merge was awarded the Alan G. Ross Award for Writing Excellence for one of her articles in this magazine. Find out why for yourself in the article titled Employee Retention and Turnover.

Merge has also written several management and leadership articles for Landscape Trades Magazine, and a series of other publications.

For permission to reprint or copy these articles, please scroll to our Reprint Policy at the bottom of this page.

Leadership Tools

• A Manager's Folly | Le gestionnaire qui se croyait leader CGA Magazine, May-Jun 2010. A leadership fable about how actions speak louder than words

• Developing Independent Thinkers | Encouragez l'autonomie CGA Magazine, Mar-Apr 2010. The business case for not solving the problem

• Conquering the Negativity Toxin | L'attitude negative CGA Magazine, Nov-Dec 2009. Strategies to deal with negativity in the workplace

• Are you giving your people butter knives or bread knives? American Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak Republic Connection Magazine, Sep-Oct 2009. Are you guilty of setting your employees up to fail?

• Following a Tough Act | Après un geste difficile CGA Magazine, Jul-Aug 2009. Four crucial steps to take after firing an employee

• Training as an Investment | La formation: un investissement CGA Magazine, May-Jun 2009. Why slashing training and development budgets is not a good idea

• Giovanni's Folly | La folie de Giovanni CGA Magazine, Mar-Apr 2009. A leadership fable about how one manager lost sight of the big picture

• Going Against the Grain: A Contrarian View to Common Recessionary Tactics The Better Business Advocate (special insert in Alberta Venture Magazine), April 2009. Go to page 3.

• Putting Your People First | Pensez d'abord aux employés CGA Magazine, Sep-Oct 2008. A central role of leadership is to develop and support your people.

• Defusing Defensive Employees | Apaiser les employés sur la défensive CGA Magazine, Mar-Apr 2008. How to give negative feedback positively

• Giving a Negative Review | Les rencontres d'évaluation négatives CGA Magazine, Nov-Dec 2007. Two things you must do before meeting with a problem employee

• Avoiding Reverse Delegation | Dites non à la délégation à rebours CGA Magazine, May-Jun 2007. Empowering staff to solve their own problems is positive for all involved
  

• Supervising Friends | Superviser ses amis CGA Magazine, Mar-Apr 2007. Maintaining peak performance when a promotion puts you in charge of workplace pals
  

• Valuing Experience | La valeur de l'expérience CGA Magazine, Jan-Feb 2007. How to bring out the best in long-term employees

• Employee Rewards | La reconnaissance des employés CGA Magazine, Nov-Dec 2006. How to motivate people on a shoestring budget

• Managing Virtually | La gestion virtuelle CGA Magazine, Sep-Oct 2006. Four ways to overcome the challenges of long-distance leadership

• Staff Retention | Fidéliser les employés CGA Magazine, Jul-Aug 2006. Keeping talent in a competitive economy

• Motivating Your Employees Landscape Trades Magazine, June 2006. Money isn't the answer

• Effective Evaluations | Des évaluations efficaces CGA Magazine, May-Jun 2006. Tips for conducting performance evaluations
  

• Dealing with Change | Faire face au changement CGA Magazine, Jul-Aug 2005. While negative change is often unpredictable, people's reactions to it tend to follow a classic model

• Crossing the Bridge: Going from Non-Management to Management | English | French FMI Journal, Autumn 2004

• Employee Retention and Turnover: The Real Reasons Why Employees Stay or Go | English | French FMI Journal, Winter 2004. This article went on to win the 2004 Alan G. Ross Award for Writing Excellence

• Motivating Employees | La motivation des employés CGA Magazine, Nov-Dec 2003. An old principle still holds true today when it comes to inspiring staff

Communication Tools

• Breaking Bad News | Annoncer une mauvaise nouvelle CGA Magazine, Jul-Aug 2010. How to deliver unpleasant information with compassion and credibility

• Communicating in 2010 | La communication en 2010 CGA Magazine, Jan-Feb 2010. Why leaders cannot ignore the impact of social media

• Communicating clearly | Pour une communication claire CGA Magazine, Sep-Oct 2009. The case for reducing jargon in the workplace

• The Leader's Guide to Difficult Conversations Statements Magazine, April-May 2009. Are you avoiding that "difficult" conversation with an employee or co-worker? Here are the tools to take command now

  This article received positive feedback in the subsequent June-July issue of Statements Magazine. Read the Letters to the Editor

• Meet the Millennials Advisor's Edge, December 2008. A financial advisor's perspective on working more effectively with the Millennial demographic

• Dealing with Micro-managers | Composer avec les microgestionnaires CGA Magazine, Jan-Feb 2008. Strategies to save your sanity

• Leading by Influence Statements Magazine, Oct-Nov 2007. How can you be successful in influencing others? Go to the FAB world of advertising and sales for the answer

• Working the Grapevine | Alimentez la machine à rumeurs CGA Magazine, Jul-Aug 2007. Harness the power of the company rumour mill

• Phone Power | Téléphone: mode e'emploi CGA Magazine, Mar-Apr 2006. Tips for managing an endless onslaught of calls

• Listen up! | Écoutez! CGA Magazine, Sep-Oct 2005. What causes poor listening and how to overcome it

• Writing for Results | Écrire efficacement CGA Magazine, Jan-Feb 2005. What you might not have learned in your high-school English class ...

• You've Got Mail | Vous avez du courrier CGA Magazine, Jul-Aug 2004. Avoid the pitfalls of electronic mail

• The Silent Communicator | Le communicateur silencieux CGA Magazine, Mar-Apr 2004. Body language says much more than you might think

Hiring/Training Tools

• Hiring Right the First Time Landscape Trades Magazine, Mar 2006. Minimize the costs of poor hiring decisions by using sound interviewing techniques

• Sterling Silver: Why You Should be Recruiting Employees Aged 50 and Over | English | French FMI Journal, Autumn 2005. If you're missing out on recruiting in this important demographic, you're doing your organization a huge disservice

• Hiring Right | Savoir engager CGA Magazine, May-Jun 2005. Use behaviour descriptive interviewing to hire the right person

• Training by the Senses Landscape Trades Magazine, May 2005. Two powerful concepts to make your training produce results

• Training and Motivating for Quality Management: A Practical Model. Paper presented at the ASQ's (American Society for Quality) 54th Annual Quality Congress in Indianapolis IN, May 2000

Productivity Tools

• Mastermind Circles | Les cercles de réflexion CGA Magazine, Nov-Dec 2008. A powerful and easy way to create your own advisory panel

• Twelve Surefire Signs That Your Meetings Need a Makeover Sep 2008. A fun article about the challenges of meeting management

• Checks and Balances Landscape Trades Magazine, Sep 2004. A professional accountant herself, Merge is keenly aware that accountants can be guilty of speaking in a foreign language that non-accountants have trouble understanding. For that reason, she occasionally takes her communication skills to a slightly different arena - helping non-accountants understand the accounting lingo! If you're a non-financial person, learn how to use the "balanced score card" in your businesses.

• Effective Meetings | Des réunions productives CGA Magazine, Sep-Oct 2004. Five rules for holding successful meetings

Professionalism Tools

• Responding to Criticism | Répondre aux critiques CGA Magazine, Jan-Feb 2009. Use a simple grid to evaluate feedback

• Welcome to Your First Job | Bienvenue su le marché du travail CGA Magazine, May-Jun 2008. Tips on getting respect despite your youth

• Good Manners Matter | Les bonnes manières en disent long sur vous CGA Magazine, Nov-Dec 2005. Don't underestimate the importance of business etiquette

• Business Casual | La tenue de bureau décontractée CGA Magazine, Mar-Apr 2005. What does it mean anyway?

Self-development Tools

• Taking Education Beyond the Classroom The Bottom Line Magazine, Mid-May 2009. Six specific ideas to keep you at a competitive advantage.

• When the Boss Moves On | Quand votre patron s’en va CGA Magazine, Jul-Aug 2008. Strategies to re-establish your reputation with a new manager

• Serving on a Board | Siéger à un conseil CGA Magazine, Sep-Oct 2007. Being on a board of directors is different from managing a business

• Overcoming Speaker Anxiety | La peur des discours CGA Magazine, Nov-Dec 2004. Getting past the fear of speaking in public

• Power Networking | La force des réseaux CGA Magazine, May-Jun 2004. Put six degrees of separation to work for your career

• Support for Soft Skills | Exploiter son savoir-étre CGA Magazine, Sep-Oct 2003. People skills are as important as technical skills

Reprint policy: for permission to reprint or copy these articles, please contact either the editor or the author. If you use excerpts from any of these articles in your print, electronic, or other publications, copyright must be attributed to Merge, and the following byline must also be included:

Merge Gupta-Sunderji turns managers into leaders. Through engaging keynotes and workshops, she gives people specific and practical tools to achieve leadership and communication success. Contact her at www.mergespeaks.com or 403-605-4756.

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