Imagine Belonging on a Global Scale
Can you imagine belonging at work…on a global scale? Perhaps when attempting to answer this question you find yourself being dismissive and cynical, silently saying to yourself, that’s impossible. You may feel justified in your response for good reasons. You might have personally experienced one, some, or all of these common pitfalls that stymie your workplace from advancing its [...]
Leading a Hybrid Workforce
What are the differences between leading in an office environment and a remote environment? By now you can list several things and likely offer challenges as well as opportunities in the contrast of places we have worked for the past year or more. Start your engines for the next iteration of the world of work as we move to an [...]
The Ladder of Inference as a De-Escalation Tool
Over the past 40 years, there has been a growing body of research about resilience. The definitions above capture what most of us imagine resilience to be. But what are the traits that make someone resilient? And are there any particular traits that are especially important to introverts as leaders? We’ve all heard the phrase “jumping to conclusions,” but have [...]
Cultivating Workplace Cultures of Belonging
As leaders in the workplace, we know that the employees are most satisfied when they know they can be their authentic selves, where they feel a sense of belonging, where their differences are viewed as a source of strength, and where their individual contributions are recognized and valued. When more organizations understand how to cultivate this kind of workplace culture, [...]
Keeping Your Strategic Plan Alive
Welcome to the new year! Did you create a new strategic plan last fall, or are you in the middle of a multi-year plan? Either way, how do you create and sustain the energy to move the plan throughout the year? Start with bringing the plan into action. What steps (aka goals) can be taken in this first quarter? [...]
Five Obstacles to Successful Leadership
The speed of business is fast. Really fast. And, it’s getting faster all the time. Collaboration has been reduced to meetings, which aren’t all that productive. Advancing initiatives means sending emails after hours, and accomplishing tasks means passing them on to someone else. Sound like you? The real trouble begins when your leadership skills are the only ones required, and [...]
Leading Up
Our recent Leaders’ Lab conversation was focused on leading up. How do we influence our “bosses”? Let’s start by defining ‘leading up’ to be influencing a person with power or authority for the mutually beneficial result, for the greater good. That opens the definition up beyond boss – to include leading those around you that have more authority or power [...]
Game-Changing Questions
This is the season of long range planning, of budgeting and forecasting, and planning for 2019 both personally and in our organizations. If you are embarking on this path for the first time you likely have more than enough information to overwhelm your process, and your discussions. If you’ve ‘been around the block’ you might be looking for a new [...]
Being Real…
It was a red Mazda RX-7. I was driving at nearly 100 mph on the empty road in the middle of the night. I had finished a fifth of Jack Daniels, and had half a joint in the ashtray, along with a cigarette – to hide the smell. Seemed logical at the time, although who would smell the marijuana at [...]
Stress 2.0
I’ve been talking about stress management for nearly two decades. As a certified personal trainer, and an accredited executive coach, my fascination is where our bodies influence our minds, and vice versa. Understanding the relationship between your thoughts and your form provides solutions and a path to managing stress. Do you recognize your stress triggers? Maybe even easier is to [...]