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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  Social Relationships At Work Affect Health Would it surprise you to learn that social relationships at work can affect your health? After an international team of researchers analyzed 58 studies from 15 countries, they concluded that positive workplace relationships are associated with better health and lower burnout. The report in the journal, “Personality and […]

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A Mistake Repeated Is A Decision Brazilian Novelist Paulo Coelho once said, “A mistake repeated more than once is a decision.” I was struck by this simple, yet profound, statement. It says a lot about our power to consciously choose our destiny. We’re supposed to learn from our mistakes. But, if we knowingly repeat an […]

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> Relationships At Work Given how much time we spend at the office, it’s not surprising that many love relationships begin there. Rather than being led exclusively by your heart, we have to remember that it’s important to involve your head when it comes to how a workplace relationship plays out. To avoid problems, check […]

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  93% Say They’re More Productive Working Remotely 93 percent of the 3,100 professionals surveyed by the company Flex Jobs said they’re more productive when they work remotely. More than half said home is where they prefer to work. Fewer interruptions from colleagues, fewer distractions, less office politics and stress from commuting were some of […]

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How The Quiet Can Contribute A recent WorkingMother.com article looked at the ways people who sit quietly in meetings can become more comfortable with speaking up. Dr. Jennifer Kahnweiler, the author of “The Genius of Opposites: How Introverts and Extroverts Achieve Extraordinary Results Together” offers these four meeting prep tips for introverts. Find out the […]

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Being A Game Changer Starts Within Do you fantasize about being a game changer? About being on the big stage enlightening the world, or creating something that reshapes how people live? But, it seems the more you invest in finding what will catapult you into fame, the further out of reach it seems to become. […]

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My Secret Weapon Question That Instantly Diffuses Anger Whether on the highway, when the driver in front of you won’t get out of your way, or during a conversation when the other person won’t listen to your point, or when a co-worker takes up your valuable time talking about his problems, at times, we all could […]

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5 Tips That Will Help You Speak Up At Meetings For some, speaking up at meetings is easy, but there are many who languish in silence yearning to be heard. If you’re the silent type who knows being heard will help your career, Mindtools offer these suggestions. Have confidence in your own value. You’re in […]

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True Empathetic Listening One of the hardest things to do is listen – really listen – to another person. Instead of being fully present as they explain, complain or share, our minds are busy planning what we’ll say next. Even at our most altruistic, we’re contemplating what to say that will help. Parker Palmer of […]

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“…Involve Me And I’ll Learn” Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying “Tell me and I will forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I will learn.” When it comes to your team, are you the kind of leader who reports on the latest changes and processes expecting your team to glean from […]

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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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Voluteerism & Networking Instead of making networking a big, hairy, scary chore, what if you found ways to make it easier, fun and more effective? For example, find an organization you’re interested in joining, or an event you want to attend. Offer your services. Yes; raise your hand to be part of the programming or […]

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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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Culture vs. Strategy Peter Drucker said, “Culture eats strategy for lunch.” The right strategy plays an important role in any company’s success. But, the right culture makes implementing that strategy easier and more sustainable. Culture is nourished by hiring people who have the necessary education and skills, but who also who embody the organization’s core […]

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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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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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Humility In the C-Suite A 2015 Wall Street Journal article extoled the virtues of humble executives. It praised characteristically humble attributes like listening well, admitting errors and the willingness to share the limelight. The article also reported on examples of leaders were undone due to their lack of humility. In particular, a self-promoting division head […]

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Quick to Judge Science now confirms that you only get one chance to make a first impression and that judgment happens more quickly than you’d expect. Psychologist and neuroscientist Dr. Bastian Schiller and a team of researchers in Switzerland have discovered that subconsciously, we decide within milliseconds who or what we like or don’t like. […]

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