There’s no such thing as a ready-born leader. While certain skills may be innate, leadership demands constant work and practice. What’s more it requires the emotional intelligence to understand the people working for you and what they need from you as their manager. As executive coach and author Scott Eblin explains, being able to connect with your employees on a personal level is the first step to being able to get the best out of them. Knowledge is key Flawless company and industry … [Read more...]
Effective Managers Do These Three Things
As a manager, you are in a tough spot. At times, it can feel like you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, you must understand, support and ensure your team’s share of the organization’s goals are achieved, no matter what. And, on the other hand, you must understand and support your team members to ensure they have what they need (such as information, resources, buy-in from senior management) to achieve the goals that have been assigned to them. When things are going well – … [Read more...]
An Organizational Wake-Up Call
Thank goodness leaders and managers are becoming increasingly aware of the critical importance of paying attention not only to organizational performance (operational efficiencies, financial performance, etc.) but also organizational health (how teams agree to function to get great work done together). We firmly believe, and studies back up the fact, that the healthiest teams indeed achieve the highest levels of performance. But not all leaders get it…yet. Consider tending to organizational … [Read more...]
The 5 Reasons New Hires Fail in the First 18 Months
Fact: 46% of new employees will fail within their first 18 months on the job. This startling figure (revealed by a study by Leadership IQ) is enough to put you off that exciting career move, or even step foot on the career ladder in the first place. The trick to ensure you are not one of those doomed to fail is in being able to understand how employers categorize success and failure and to have a realistic idea of how well you perform in these areas before beginning a new role. These are … [Read more...]
Is Your Organization Losing Half its Revenue Due to Poor Change Management?
I’m sure you’ve had the experience of sitting and listening to a new vision or strategy from the CEO. Sometimes these are a hit, and you can’t wait to jump on the bus, but in some cases you can tell the impact of these changes on employees hasn’t been well considered. Businesses need to be agile in order to remain relevant in today’s market. But this doesn’t mean overlooking the needs of employees during times of change. Without a strong roadmap to follow not only will any change initiatives … [Read more...]
Hello Boss. Nothing Personal, You’re Fired!
It’s been said employees do not leave companies, they leave leaders, supervisors and managers. A respected author, Fortune 500 CEO and Poet James Autry said that behind every termination there is a failure in leadership. All leaders should add his books to their reading list. And, if you are fortunate to view his video and read his book: “Love & Profit: The Art of Caring Leadership” I would not be surprised if it brings tears to your eyes, while helping you to realize that true power and … [Read more...]
What Are Your Top Concerns in Business as We Approach the Middle of 2016?
The national elections have stirred up many issues that affect business throughout our country. Taxes, health insurance and healthcare costs, the handling of our diverse population, crime, terrorism, and so many others. There are no easy solutions for any of these, and yet the employers are expected to find remedies for many of the challenges. To top off these stressful issues, our choices for our country’s president seems to be a “muddy mess.” The public, according to polls, are torn about … [Read more...]
Vision and Values are Essential to Building an Effective Team
I’ve managed a number of teams over the years. Some I built from scratch; some I inherited and then changed over time. While each team had its unique characteristics, they had two main similarities, which influenced – I would even say enabled – their ability to succeed: a shared vision and a set of shared values. I should say that I’m strong advocate for leadership consulting. My Executive Coach helped me adjust my perspective, so that it was properly focused on understanding the motivation, … [Read more...]
Shift Happens! Leading Compassionately Through Change
Change management is a term that gets used fairly loosely when companies hope to implement change. It can seem fairly straightforward. The company wants to move from x to z. How do the leaders make it happen? Well, through Change Management, of course. But what does that mean really? A definition that I like to work from is “the application of a set of tools, processes, skills and principles for managing the people side of change to achieve the required outcomes of a change project or … [Read more...]
6 New Year’s Resolutions for 2016
A new year is always a great time to start putting some positive best practices into your work strategy. As you plan out your goals and what you hope to achieve in 2016, please consider the following as resolutions for you and your team: 1. Have Plenty of Conflict A healthy team is one where there is plenty of conflict. Not the type of personal conflict that can place stress on the company culture but the type of conflict in which your employees passionately offer their ideas and then fight … [Read more...]