3 Tips That Will Make You A Better Communicator For just one day, try this challenge. Listen more and talk less. Listen to understand. Listen to learn. Listen to empathize. Listen to validate. Listen to connect. Don’t worry. You won’t become invisible, powerless or less impactful. In fact, you’ll become more visible. You’ll stand out […]

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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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There are many components involved in Emotional Intelligence or EQ. One very important EQ trait is the ability to reframe your negative thinking. According to BabbleOut.com’s Zoey Miller, people with high EQ’s do this and they’re adept at helping others do it, too. Reframing is intentionally choosing a different interpretation of an event in order […]

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4 Steps That Will Help You Address Bias Safely It’s not easy to speak up when someone says or does something that you believe reveals negative bias. Yet, you become complicit in unwanted behavior if you don’t speak up. A recent Harvard Business Review article suggests taking these steps to address bias without offending others. Use […]

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Unconscious Use of These Speech Patterns Could Be Undermining You We pick up language patterns from the people we live and work with. As a result, habits that lessen our credibility are hardly noticeable to our own ear. Good speaking skills aren’t just for the podium. The way we communicate, moment-to-moment, influences how people perceive […]

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With the constant barrage of emails today, it’s easy to lose sight of habits that could be undermining what you intend to communicate. Business Insider compiled a list of 21 things that can render emails unprofessional.  Here are a few. Sending “urgent” emails that aren’t “urgent.” Striking an inappropriate tone – like being too casual […]

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Stop Apologizing and You’ll Instantly Boost Your Credibility Do you apologize for everything? For mistakes others make? Or expressing an opinion that seem might be seen as unpopular? For walking into a room? Do you take the blame for things that have nothing to do with you? Or when something is clearly someone else’s fault? […]

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Has managing your email become the bane of your existence, leading to anxiety, lost messages, missed deadlines? Well, Fast Company contributor Zach Hanlon says you really need only 5 email folders. He recommends organizing your folders by deadlines, instead of subjects or projects. He also says stop using your inbox as a to-do list. Emails […]

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Poor On-Boarding Can Hurt Your Bottom Line You just spent a great deal of time, energy, and possibly money, to recruit a new, promising employee. How this new relationship starts will have a lasting impact on the new hire’s success. Just like a first date, it’s important to make a good first impression. Without it, […]

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Why Employee Recognition Is Important Study after study points to the value of employee recognition. It impacts job satisfaction, retention and performance. Employers search for innovative ways to build organizational cultures that engage, inspire and motivate. Yet workers across the US continue to say they’re rarely thanked for a job well done. Never lose sight […]

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Addicted To Being Right Have you ever known someone who can’t stand being wrong? Are you one of the many who is addicted to being right? Judith Glazer says on PsychologyToday.com that this addiction is real. In situations of high stress, fear or distrust, cortisol – a hormone and neurotransmitter – can highjack the brain. […]

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Explaining The What and The Why  We all know the saying “good news travels fast.” Well, “bad information travels faster.” Stay ahead of the warp speed at which bad information travels by proactively explaining the what, why and impact of changes up front. Technology upgrades. Process alterations. Organizational restructuring. Personnel moves. Mergers. Acquisitions. Changes in […]

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The Pitfalls of Inconsistent Leadership Emotionally intelligent leaders are consistent. Consistency creates a sense of emotional stability and safety. Without consistency, your team is likely to be unaligned and not optimally productive. If a leader allows his mood or emotions to drive how he interacts with his team, those who report to him won’t know […]

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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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CQ = Conversational Intelligence First there was IQ.  Then came EQ or Emotional Intelligence.  Now Judith Glazer of “The Harvard Coaching Institute” has introduced the concept of CQ – which stands for Conversational Intelligence. CQ taps into our need for self-expression and validation.   Glazer says that in environments where people can share their aspirations, […]

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What Motivates People If you’re a manager, you are called on regularly to motivate others. Being a successful leader relies on your ability to help others perform well.  Traditionally, we use the carrot and stick approach.  We bribe people with money or other incentives.  But, once the incentive goes away, so does the drive to […]

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Celebrating Women’s History Month: Tools and Tactics For Women At Work In her weekly blog, author and organizational development expert Dr. Anne Litwin sites study after study that conclude that women perform better than men in areas of leadership, management and decision-making. Yet women only make up 3 to 4 percent of CEO’s worldwide. For […]

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