No one wants to believe they have biases, but we all do, even if we don’t realize it. Source: LinkedIn, July 18, 2022. Link. . . . learn about unconscious biases, plus how to recognize and disrupt them. INSIGHTS: Separate your biases from your helpful experiences. … [Read more...]
Dealing with despair
Despair comes quietly in our heads, hearts and bodies, but if we don’t handle it well, it can have negative impacts on our entire organization. Source: Forbes, July 12, 2022. Link. It is the leader's job to acknowledge differences and enable others to hold them, if those views do not conflict with the organization's vision, mission, and values. INSIGHTS: The pandemic, … [Read more...]
Communication gap between frontline employees and employers is real
Frontline employees are ambitious and eager to climb the career ladder. Among communication barriers is a stark disconnect between what frontline employees want and what employers think they want. Source: McKinsey, July 21, 2022. Link. Voices of frontline employees are largely missing from the discourse on career advancement, which tends to focus on other segments of the … [Read more...]
Preventing burnout
All it takes is a little self-reflection on how burnout has manifested for you before. Then set new boundaries with coworkers and yourself. Source: Fast Company, July 6, 2022. Link. Once you set those on and off hours, it’s time to hold yourself to them—especially if you’re working from home. Try creating a ritual that signals you’re done working for the day, like closing your … [Read more...]
Your future self?
When we think of our future selves, our brain lights up the same as it would when we think of Natalie Portman or Matt Damon who are strangers with whom we are somewhat familiar. According to our brains, us in the future is not us.” Source: LinkedIn Pulse, June 28, 2022. Link. Start by thinking of 10 things right now that you don’t want to repeat, 10 things in your past that … [Read more...]
Motivation – beyond the poster
It is Monday: Eight more hours and four more days until the week is over. Can you change the way you feel and find fulfillment? Source: LinkedIn, June 16, 2022. Link. It’s important to take a step back to be able to dive back into your work, feeling motivated again, because you can't pour from an empty cup.” INSIGHTS: Both the employer and the employee have … [Read more...]
The complaint department
Gas prices are above $5 and diesel is even higher. You thought pharmaceutical prices were bad, have you been to the grocery store lately? There certainly is enough to complain about ,including having to listen to other people’s complaints. These three simple tools may help you get through the day. Source: JonGordon.com, June 2018. Link. Focus on the “get to” instead of the … [Read more...]
Integrity is forever
We live in a world where integrity isn’t talked about nearly enough. We live in a world where “the end justifies the means” has become an acceptable school of thought for far too many. Source: Forbes, November 28, 2012. Link. Success will come and go, but integrity is forever.” INSIGHTS: Although it’s 10 years old, this article couldn’t be better timed. … [Read more...]
Resignation: the next phase
First it was the Great Employee Resignation brought on by poor management and a tight labor market. Many organizations successfully made changes to improve their employee retention. Some did not and are now facing the possibility of the Great Customer Resignation. Source: Gallup, May 20, 2022. Link. To avoid the Great Customer Resignation, leaders need to take three … [Read more...]
Reducing meetings
Whether those meetings were face-to-face or virtual, every employee and leader has felt the pain of pointless, aimless, unfocused, and generally inefficient ones. Source: Forbes, May 31, 2022. Link. A meeting without a clear objective is going to be painful for all involved. And the data would suggest that the pain of unproductive meetings could seriously damage employees' … [Read more...]
Learning to say NO
Saying no doesn't always feel good, and sometimes it costs us emotionally. But to successfully reach the top, we must learn how to say no without nagging regret or hurting relationships. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, May 10, 2022. Link. Sometimes, the cost of saying no will be accepting that we will inevitably disappoint others—often those whose approval matters to … [Read more...]
Counter cyclical leadership
Leading counter-cyclically in tough times means knowing when to stop pushing, knowing when to lead with empathy and make things lighter, not heavier. Source: Medium, May 3, 2022. Link. The best way to communicate difficult news is to be straightforward. INSIGHT: You don’t have to wait a lifetime to leave people better than you found them.” … [Read more...]
Pandemic lessons for all
Your attitude determines how you approach opportunities and ongoing success. Source: Vet Advantage, April 2022. Link. The key to capitalizing on the current situation is in your attitude, the value you bring, and your talent. INSIGHT: Business history is replete with organizations and individuals that have grown and prospered in challenging times. … [Read more...]
Grow yourself
Career success is not just a matter of hard work – it’s an amalgam that also includes good timing, help from our network and knowing when to play by the rules and when to rewrite the rules. Source: Forbes, April 22, 2022. Link. I don’t deny my own skills or talent, but I do believe sometimes our lack of being able to separate ourselves from a situation or from an experience or … [Read more...]
Managing pressure
Most of us can reflect on a few moments when we choked under pressure. Maybe you lost your voice or your ability to think straight when speaking with an important client, manager or audience. No one is immune. Source: Harvard Business Review, April 7, 2022. Link. Rehearsal is important, whether you’re alone in your office or in front of a camera or crowd. You can raise the … [Read more...]
No quit
Emotionally intelligent people also understand that “not losing” doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing as “winning.” Instead, it means that you haven’t lost yet. The game isn’t over, even if some people think it is. The outcome isn’t set in stone. Source: Inc., April 3, 2022. Link. And it’s planting the seed in the other person’s mind, too – so that they might compare … [Read more...]
Your customers buy benefits
Consumers do not buy features or functions – they buy benefits, or, what they will have because of their buying decisions. Source: Vet-Advantage, April 2020. Link. Today’s fast-paced environment in your hospitals and clinics require that you get to the point as quickly as possible. Your competition requires that you create a sustainable competitive advantage that sets you … [Read more...]
Change and consequences
Experts often conclude people are resistant to change, which is not true. We are resistant to one of the two consequences of change: success, or failure. I do not believe folks fear success. So, the resistance to change is rooted in the fear of failure. Source: Veterinary Advantage, April 2017. Link. Conversely, the lack of consequences, negative or positive, will only … [Read more...]
Introspection is the hard work
The more your leadership power grows, the more strength it will take to harness that power. The surest way to keep hubris at bay is to honor the work required to be a good leader with a continual regimen of honest self-evaluation and deliberate self-development. Source: Giant Leap Consulting, February 9, 2022. Link. Humility is essential to mental and spiritual fitness and … [Read more...]
Solutions to toxic situations
Like many business challenges, the solution to toxic situations involves making changes. And with personal issues, the best starting point is found within us. Consider the following suggestions when facing your next people challenge. Source: Inc, February 20, 2022. Link. What's the proper way to handle such toxic people? It's to put into practice one smart principle of … [Read more...]
Upon further review
Online reviews for consumer-driven businesses increased in importance during the recent pandemic. Whether they are good, bad or indifferent, how you respond can affect the success of your business. Consider these suggestions. Source: Vet-Advantage, February 2022. Link. It is important here to remember that the negative review is not going away, and the real objective is to … [Read more...]
Balancing performance and compassion
In a recent worldwide survey of 300 senior business leaders across industries ranging from hospitality to automotive to biotech, 61 percent reported they’re struggling to balance employees’ need for support with their company’s drive for high performance. Source: Harvard Business Review, February 16, 2022. Link. Leaders need to find out what employees really care about … [Read more...]
Routines are not creative
In everyday life, it is easy to get sucked into the prevailing culture. We know the expectations and what is acceptable in our working life. Even when we are working remotely, we still feel we cannot take time off for lunch, that we cannot go for a walk around the block when we need a break. Source: Fast Company, February 14, 2022. Link. The key here is to play, experiment, … [Read more...]
Ghosting
When I first heard some of my younger colleagues talking about ghosting, I thought it was some type of a Ghostbusters slime game like silly string. (Okay, I’m old.) Unfortunately, it’s not a game. So, two thoughts – don’t do it to others and if it happens to you or, as Judith Humprey offers, here are a couple of strategies to handle it. Source: Fast Company, February 9, … [Read more...]
No regrets?
To extinguish your regrets doesn’t put you on a path to freedom; it consigns you to make the same mistakes again and again. Source: The Atlantic, February 3, 2022. Link. True freedom requires that we put regret in its proper place in our life. Look out for people who may be struggling with heavy workloads or working long hours while juggling home schooling, childcare, elder … [Read more...]
Emotions – make them work for you
Emotional intelligence is finding the balance for better control of yourself and relationships with others. Source: Inc., January 19, 2022. Link. The rule of resilience is all about learning how to deal with the emotions that rise when you fail repeatedly, or when you face pressure or difficult challenges. INSIGHT: Procrastinating on a decision IS a decision. … [Read more...]
Stopping the Great Resignation
Simple suggestions from the Oracle of Omaha to ensure you have an engaged, committed workforce. Source: Inc, January 20, 2022. Link. A person with character also brings more truth and truth-tellers to the business, which makes it very attractive to others seeking the same.” INSIGHTS: Top characteristic expected of a leader = integrity … [Read more...]
No-cost coaching
Coaching is a valuable way to create clarity and deal with the uncertainty of an increasingly nuanced world of work. Source: Harvard Business Review, January 13, 2022. Link. Asking yourself insightful coaching questions will unlock your thinking and support you to identify actions that will help you make positive progress.” INSIGHT: The greatest coaching questions are … [Read more...]
Don’t reinvent the wheel
Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Here are five suggestions from successful executives that may help your business become more successful. Source: Forbes, January 11, 2022. Link. We are very good at saying no to lots of things.” - Daniel Ek, CEO, Spotify INSIGHTS: These five tips are the key to “see around the corner” … [Read more...]
Getting ahead?
What “good” performance looks like is embedded in your job description. But exceptional performance, and exponential career growth, is found in the nuance. Source: Gwinnet Daily Post, December 12, 2021. Link. When you get to a certain level, advancement is more about reputation than job skill.” INSIGHTS: High performers are willing to have fierce conversations. … [Read more...]