Regular One-On-Ones Could Prevent Future Crises Few leaders have the luxury of exclusively leading people. Typically, leaders have extensive to-do lists of their own. But, as a leader, your highest priority is supporting, motivating, guiding and inspiring the people who report to you. If you’re not already holding regular one-on-ones with key members of your […]

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Pledges and Commitments That Create Accountability Ever held a meeting where everyone seemed enthusiastic about the topic and next steps? But, soon after, it was back to business as usual? Here are two tips that may increase commitment and foster progress. After introducing the meeting’s purpose, objectives and agenda, ask participants to respond to this […]

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The higher you move up, the bigger your impact on larger numbers of people, significant business processes and, very likely, a higher percentage of the company’s bottom line. Your world becomes more complex, filled with responsibility. Yet, the transition from one rung to the next may leave you feeling overwhelmed and stressed. If that’s so, […]

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Clients tell me that they share my videos and podcasts with their teams. One client says she starts her staff meetings off by playing one of my videos. She finds the messages helpful for aligning their focus, strengthening confidence and enhancing emotional intelligence. If you’re looking for tools to help your team grow professionally or […]

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Often times, when leaders announce a major change, resistance from vocal stakeholders soon follows. If you’re lucky, the people with issues will come to you directly – giving you a chance to address grievances. But, more likely, the grumbling will happen out of earshot, although not without manifesting itself in one form or another. If […]

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In a recent “60 Minutes” interview with Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer, he shared his approach to providing outstanding hospitality. He trains his staff to identify the boss at every table so they can make sure that person leaves happy. For Meyer, that’s the secret to creating loyal customers in a crowded industry. I began […]

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Successful managers understand that they must adapt their leadership style to the situation at hand. In their book, Primal Leadership, Daniel Goleman, and his coauthors identify six effective and emotionally intelligent ways to lead. The Affiliative & the Democratic Leader The Affiliative Leader puts people first, focuses on harmony and emotional connection, and encourages inclusion. […]

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Well-meaning Collaboration Can Burn Your Superstars Out If your team of superstars is morphing into burned out zombies and productivity is waning, Eric Garton, co-author of “Time, Talent, Energy: Overcome Organizational Drag and Unleash Your Team’s Productive Power,” says look no further than your company culture. He writes in the Harvard Business Review that three […]

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6 Ways Reveal Team Dynamics Might Be Holding You Back Mindtools.com says leaders and team members can both contribute to team dysfunction. Good group dynamics are critical to a team’s success, but if yours suffers from any of these 6 issues, you’ve got work to do. Weak leadership. This gives way to the more dominant […]

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How To Bond Your Team Through Better Communication Skills The best team members genuinely listen to one-another. Here’s a quick and simple 30-minute team-building exercise from Mindtools.com that will improve this critical interpersonal skill. Divide your team into pairs and sit them across from one another. Give each pair eight index cards with topics written […]

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How to Turn Conflict Into Something Positive Conflict at work is something most people rather avoid. But some experts believe conflict is actually healthy. According to HR Magazine’s Dori Meinert, conflict can actually spark innovation and creativity. She cites the work of former psychologist and author Nate Regier, who says conflict is the energy created […]

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When Layoffs Happen, How Do You Manage The Team that Remains? Headlines say the economy is doing great. Yet, in our ever-changing business landscape, the reality is downsizing and layoffs still happen. If you’ve suddenly found yourself leading a smaller team, Mindtools.com offers these suggestions for moving forward. Don’t preach that people are lucky to […]

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Is Your Young Staff Turning Off Your Valued Clients? Recently a client told me that they removed the furniture from their reception area because a group of young external consultants were using it as if they were in their living room. Lounging on the sofas with laptops in hand. Working with their feet on the […]

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Fun Can Create A Safe Space To Take Chances Is having fun at work valued in your workplace? Researchers from Penn State, Loyola University and Ohio State University looked at this very topic. They concluded that performance can improve in environments where having fun is supported by the leadership. According to Penn State’s Michael Tews, fun […]

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What Are You Good At and With What Do You Need Help? Tom Rath and Barry Conchie, authors of “Strengths-Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow,” argue that the most successful teams possess a wide range of strengths, and allow employees to use what they excel at, rather than dictate how they contribute. Where […]

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Managing People Doesn’t Always Come Naturally It’s not uncommon for someone who is very successful in one job to be promoted to a leadership position in which they struggle, even fail. Success in one role does not guarantee success in another. Admittedly, some may succeed no matter where they’re placed. But, for many, failure can […]

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Innovate By Creating Constraints At the heart of innovation lies the necessity for fresh insight and new ideas. Imposing artificial constraints on your business model is one unusual way to spark creativity. McKinsey & Company suggests injecting stark-necessity into idea generation sessions. Start by asking participants to imagine a world where they must function with severe […]

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How to Lead When You’re Not The Boss (Part 1) Even though you’re not the boss, you might be asked to lead a team of your peers on a project. Forbes contributor Lisa Rabasca Roepe offers tips on taking charge without alienating your co-workers. Start by getting everyone on the same page. Don’t assume that […]

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Stretch goals – goals that seem impossible given current reality – have advantages. They encourage creative thinking and exploratory learning, according to Mindtools.com.  And, they can have a downside, too. If the goal is truly impossible, it can demotivate and overwhelm team members. Increase stress levels and absenteeism. Result excessive risk-taking, causing mistakes that take […]

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Effective Apologies Have you ever wondered how best to say you’re sorry after making a big mistake? Researchers at Ohio State & Eastern Kentucky University’s may have the answer. They determined that there are 6 elements that make up an effective apology. Participants in the study ranked the first two elements ‑- acknowledging you made […]

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