There are many reasons to encourage diverse thinking in your workplace. Social justice and political correctness may be admirable, but their contribution to your bottom line is marginal. The real payoff of diverse thinking is the added value for your organization. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, December 2, 2019. Link. The term “psychological safety” refers to the concept of a … [Read more...]
Find your perfect moment
A perfect moment is one that you utterly and wholly feel where the very concept of time recedes into the distance. It’s where you and your surroundings are alive, brimming with tiny details of mesmerizing beauty. Source: LinkedIn Pulse December 4, 2019. Link. I realize now that Perfect Moments can happen anywhere, anytime. The difference is me, and whether I choose to be … [Read more...]
Leadership Presence
Leadership presence is difficult to define, but it is generally where your experience and competence intersect with your confidence and demeanor. The good news is that there are some very reliable ways to develop your leadership presence. Wally Schmader has suggestions. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, November 5, 2019. Link. Recognizing the good work of others is crucial to … [Read more...]
Positivity pays off
We all have a choice. We can choose to be positive and encouraging, or we can choose to be a pessimist and have self-pity. It’s a power we all have. Each of us encounters hard times, hurt feelings and pain. The key is to realize it’s not what happens to you that matters; it’s how you choose to respond. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, September 2, 2019. Link. One of the most … [Read more...]
Keep success simple
One thing is true, regardless of how you choose to define success, it’s not for the weak-hearted! With some courage, a commitment to leadership and resilience, success is attainable and sustainable. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, August 14, 2019. Link As with many things in life, there's a little mind over matter involved. What we see as the final product (success) is actually made … [Read more...]
The smartest in the room
Some in leadership positions believe that to be an effective leader, they must be the smartest person at their company and if they are not, it somehow sends a signal to their staff that the leader is inept. In reality, no one is an expert in everything. Source: LinkedInPulse, June 3, 2019. Link Great leaders aren't know-it-alls who constantly try to outshine everyone. They … [Read more...]
Meet Gen Fur, the biggest growing target market
Jeanne Shields says to forget Gens X, Y and Z. The biggest growth market is what she calls Gen Fur. Shields sites a recent article from Forbes < link > that features metrics that confirm the explosive growth of the pet industry. The new generation of pet owners embraces pet ownership with enthusiasm and spares no expense in treating their pets like family. Source: … [Read more...]
Compassionate, directness are transformative when combined
We define it (compassionate directness) as empowering employees to speak up, give feedback, disagree, and surface problems, pain points and constructive criticism. And to do this immediately, continuously, and with clarity, but also to do it with compassion, empathy and understanding. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, May 9, 2019. Link. According to a poll from H.R. management … [Read more...]
Evaluate your affect on your team
Do you have a positive impact on your team or do you just get in their way? Effective leaders constantly evaluate their performance, especially as it relates to the people they serve. And, they are ruthless when it comes to self-evaluation. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, March 21, 2019. Link. The good news is that as a leader, you have the greatest influence in motivating your … [Read more...]
Loyal employees = loyal customers
Loyalty, in general use, is a devotion and faithfulness to a nation, cause, philosophy, company, group or person. According to research by Gallup, fewer than 30 percent of employees say they are loyal to their company. Frequent turnover has a negative impact on employee morale, productivity and company revenue. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, June 18, 2018. Link. The reality is that … [Read more...]
Failures are essential to success
One of the hardest things for effective managers to do is to let one of their direct reports fail. The natural inclination is to jump in and save the day. But, you would never learn to ride a bike if you didn’t fall off a few times. So, failure is an essential part of success. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, October 1, 2018. Link. Success is important as it tells you that, what you … [Read more...]
Leadership secrets revealed
Done well, leadership looks easy and effortless, much like a swan gliding across a pond appears graceful and elegant. But, like the swan, there is a lot of work going on below the waterline. So, understanding the following secrets of leadership will help develop your leadership abilities. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, March 22, 2018. Don’t expect the world to look at you as a … [Read more...]
3 reasons why you should bring your dog to work
Richard Moran discusses dogs at work in the context of them being good for our health. He speculates on the ups and downs of packs of dogs roaming a workplace compared to the hypothesis that dogs and work are a good combination and could lead to a happier and more productive culture. Perhaps love from a dog could help make the job better and make you more … [Read more...]
11 common email mistakes everyone makes
Email etiquette is increasingly important! It's an integral part of how you communicate and develop relationships with people. Betty Liu compiled these tips to help avoid the most common email mistakes: Bad grammar/spelling Misdirected emails BCC too much Silence Saying 'To whom it may concern' Not changing the subject line Marking emails as unnecessarily … [Read more...]
Happiness is a journey, not a destination and other career lessons
Bernard Marr gathered his top 10 career lessons to take to heart now. He has found that people often take the nose-to-the-grindstone advice and then learn too late in their careers that there’s more to life (and success) than just keeping busy. AHD was developed to support #5 and #7. Source: LinkedIn, September 18, 2017. Here are the 10 ten career lessons from Bernard … [Read more...]
Comfort and growth do not co-exist
Comfort can produce complacency. Complacency creates a false sense of security. A false sense of security creates vulnerability that leads to decline and eventually destruction. Effective leaders know this and create some discomfort in their organizations because it leads to growth. Source: Pulse, November 21, 2017. It may surprise you that your job as an open-door leader … [Read more...]
The need to please could be dishonest
Do you prefer to avoid confrontation? When someone asks you what you think, do you tell them what you think they want to hear or what you truly believe? Have you, or are you putting off having a difficult conversation with a staff member? Avoiding an honest conversation has a variety of personal and organizational downsides. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, October 30, 2017. The … [Read more...]
Poor Leadership is Expensive
There are countless examples of where the expense of poor leadership was millions, if not billions of dollars. Here are some of the real costs of poor leadership. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, September 13, 2017. When you have bad leadership, the best employees on the team will begin looking for a different environment. INSIGHTS: Those who had highly demanding jobs but no … [Read more...]
The answer to why
All kinds of things make us happy at work: hitting a goal, getting a promotion, landing a new client, completing a project; the list goes on. But happiness is temporary. The feeling doesn’t last. Nobody walks around energized by the memory of a goal hit 12 months ago. That intensity passes with time. Instead of looking for happiness at work, consider what is fulfilling about … [Read more...]
Millenials need to use the phone – to talk
It is commonly perceived that most millennials have mastered function on today’s smartphones, except for one. Using these phones to have a conversation seems like a foreign concept to many. Today’s communication technology offers several ways to bypass having conversations – conversations that could strengthen business relationships. Millenials or not – proper phone use is a … [Read more...]
Lead, Coach, Manage
In my experience, the most effective and successful practices have a clear leader and effective coaches. Together, they efficiently manage the entire operation. We have written about leadership and management before. Today’s focus is coaching. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, March 12, 2017. The great sales coaches that I have known see teaching and training as a continuous need for … [Read more...]
4 ways to give effective feedback
Receiving feedback is often difficult. Many times, providing feedback is just as difficult. But, without it, we have no idea if we are meeting expectations, are below expectations or exceeding expectations. Most importantly, we need to know if there is opportunity for improvement. The simplest solution to this dilemma is to provide feedback in a way that has a positive impact … [Read more...]
Examine leadership to set growth path
Life, especially business life, can be a brutal teacher. She often gives the test first and the lesson afterwards. Fortunately, there are others who have gone before us and are willing to share some of life’s lessons with others who follow. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, September 16, 2016. In our connected world, it’s tempting to let all the little screens we have access to … [Read more...]
Do you want to be liked or lead?
I learned long ago that if I wanted to be universally liked, I should not aspire to a leadership role. Certainly, as a leader, there will be people who do like you and appreciate your leadership. There will also be people who dislike you and will attempt to derail your leadership efforts. Getting past that negative is essential to a leader’s success and coming to grips with … [Read more...]
Providing corrective feedback correctly
Providing corrective feedback is challenging but it becomes more difficult when it gets emotional. Defensiveness, crying or yelling create an environment that most would rather avoid. However, it is part of the real world. So, tips on handling these types of situations are helpful. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, September 22, 2016. Remember the “why.” Focus on all the good reasons … [Read more...]
Be confident. People will notice.
True confidence has a look all its own. We sense it and see it in people from all walks of life. As Dr. Travis Bradberry points out, truly confident people always have the upper hand. Plus, confidence is something that can learned. He offers nine habits we can emulate to strengthen our confidence. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, October 5 2016. Ford’s notion that your mentality has … [Read more...]
Self-awareness key to improvement
Working in the leadership development industry for more than 25 years, I have found that unconscious incompetence is the starting point for most positive interventions. We often get in our own way and have no idea that we are the problem. So, this article attracted my attention. Source: Source: LinkedIn Pulse, July 20, 2016. Self-awareness, one of the four key components of … [Read more...]
Be tough, but fair
Some days it seems the business world has things upside down. Kindness is viewed as weakness. Empathy has no place in the business world. Ruthlessness is essential for success. Why, there are even training programs to help you go “from bud to boss.” Now, research that proves nice bosses can and do finish first. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, July 17, 2016. The thing is, nice … [Read more...]