A good friend asked me recently, “What’s the single most debilitating thing facing the generation entering the workforce?” My fast answer: critical thinking. With managing emotions a close second. I’m not a generations researcher by career focus. I wound up studying this in response to a growing number of befuddled clients – and apparently most CEOs in Davos last month, asking … [Read more...]
How to Keep Your Team from Melting Down During the Holiday Season
It's that time of year again! The holidays are upon us and, for many businesses, that means an increase in workload and stress levels. How can you keep your team from melting down during this busy season? Here are a few tips: 1. Identify Goals and Prioritize Identify goals that must be met and determine priorities that must be handled now vs. what can wait until the holiday … [Read more...]
Why Your Feedback May Not Be Getting Results: 5 Antidotes to Bad Feedback
When you hear the word “feedback” what comes up for you? Do you welcome it or cringe and run for the hills? My guess is most of us are at the latter edge of the spectrum. Why? Because most of us have been the receiver of unhelpful feedback at best or feedback that damaged relationships at worst. If you’re in a position where you give feedback (and really this should happen … [Read more...]
The Unexpected Outcomes of Workplace Crying
Yesterday, I made what I originally thought was an egregious mistake – I fell to tears in front of my manager when he asked me how I was doing. And as soon as it began, the sob fest became unrelenting because with each response and explanation, new tears welled up despite my effort to control them. Now mind you, I wasn’t sobbing uncontrollably – many of you may know what … [Read more...]
Virtual Team Building – What It Is, Why it Matters and How to Do It Properly
If you type “virtual team building” into Google trends, there is an explosion in the search term usage between the 7th-20th of March 2020. That’s when many countries around the world went into lockdown with once desk-bound employees now working from home. This trend demonstrates the need to connect with our colleagues. No matter the circumstance, it is absolutely essential … [Read more...]
How to Become a Better Leader for Your Team
It's no secret that one of the most difficult parts of being a manager, at any level, is the ability to effectively lead your team(s). Ironically, it's also an area that companies often neglect, with research from Grovo suggesting as many as 98% of leaders feel they would benefit from more training in this area. Whether you've been managing people for a long time or you're … [Read more...]
5 Steps to Take Before a Difficult Conversation
Difficult conversations — those interactions that keep us up at night— are a common challenge for many managers. Most of us would love to learn how to approach tough interactions without getting stressed out, losing sleep, or endlessly rehearsing what-ifs. Fortunately, this is achievable for almost anyone; getting there just takes a little effort and practice. And it starts … [Read more...]
4 Reasons Career Agility is a Must and How to Get There
Climbing the corporate ladder is no longer a linear pursuit. In fact, a staggering 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet. As conventional career paths continue to evolve and be disrupted by technology, how can employees successfully navigate the changing world of work? The answer is career agility. At a high level, career agility is the … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Fuel the Entrepreneurs in Your Teams
Companies are consistently pressured to innovate products and services to drive greater benefit to customers. Now, we have more data than ever on customer habits and preferences, but responding to customer needs can still be a challenge for many businesses grappling with increasing competition, legacy systems, and a non-agile workforce. While you may face challenges, there … [Read more...]
Do You Feel Under Water? Dealing with Change Saturation
Do you ever feel like you and/or your team are ‘under water’ and don’t know why? You may be experiencing change saturation. Change saturation occurs when the threshold between capacity for change and the demands of implementing change is crossed. When this happens, people can experience a range of symptoms from confusion and frustration to physical impact. It can also … [Read more...]