Does your personal vision statement inspire others to greatness? Is it hardwired into the DNA of your people? If not, take time today to further refine your vision, and collaborate with your team on an action plan to bring your company’s vision to life…. Read More»
To many executives, involving rank-and-file workers in business strategy is a strange concept. Isn’t business strategy better left to those trained in it? Can’t the VP of operations provide all the insights a regular employee could — and then some? The reality, however, is that strategic planners tend to be a homogenous bunch, and organizational creativity thrives on diversity. Three-quarters of a strategy team might be ex-consultant MBAs or members of the executive suite. Sure, their ideas might look great in 2×2 or 9-box matrices, but they’re all several degrees of separation from the factory floor. Innovation happens when those executive-level ideas collide with equally valuable ones from everyday workers…. Read More»
Business leaders are feeling the effects of the competitive job market. A drop in retention now could mean loss of business and heightened costs from extra hiring initiatives. This means the ability to engage employees is more important to your bottom line than ever before. Battling employee engagement pitfalls within your organization is a major challenge, but you have the power to make an impact…. Read More»
One of the perks as a resource speaker for training is the chance to meet people from different walks of life. I once had a discussion with a parenting coach about our children who where both starting at primary school at that time. I expressed my concern that my child was too timid to excel in school. Surprisingly, the parenting coach blamed me for not pushing my child to be more outspoken. Then I realized parenting is almost like managing a team. Since then, I started using the parenting analogy in my leadership training, teaching leaders to inspire employees…. Read More»
Just like anything of lasting impact, huddles require dedication and commitment. Don’t be discouraged if it takes a while to get everyone bought into the concept. Likewise, you’ll need to experiment with the flow and pace of your huddle to fit your company’s personality. Emphasize that huddles are not being implemented as a flavor of the month program…. Read More»
Leaders need to do more than pay attention to results. Healthy leaders hold onto a set of values which ensure that organizational outcomes are not delivered at the expense of their own health and happiness – or of the people in their care…. Read More»
And just like that, we’ve traded our scarves for sunglasses, and switched our Pumpkin Spice Lattes to Unicorn Frappucinos. Summer is officially here… again! While summer creates unique opportunities for team bonding activities, happy hours and Nerf gun battles are not everyone’s cup of tea. What constitutes fun varies depending on the unique personalities in your group, but the benefits of disconnecting from work (and connecting with team members) shouldn’t be ignored. So step away from the daily routine, take advantage of the good weather and find something fun to keep the ties between your team members strong! Capitalize on the positive energy that spills over from the experience and find ways to keep the momentum going when you’re back in the office! Our friends at the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) are filled with great ideas so we asked them to weigh in on their summer plans.
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Accountability is both the sweet spot and Achilles heel of many leaders. Leaders learn early the importance of “holding associates accountable” for results. Despite its downbeat reputation accountability, effectively executed, remains the keystone for trust between leaders and associates, and associates with their customers…. Read More»
In our series, Raising Up Leaders, we discussed that 51% of any great leader’s job is to develop new leaders. This process of raising up leaders is vital to any organization’s long-term success. In the previous article, we looked at the importance of charisma as a key to relating to people in order to influence them. While character is ultimately the bedrock upon which all good leadership is built, without charisma, people will not join the vision. Today, we will discuss leadership competencies…. Read More»
A common job interview question we’ve all either had to answer or ask is, “What are your weaknesses?” Prospective employees spend time agonizing over how to answer this question in a way that turns their weaknesses into strengths. Let’s flip the question around: “What are your strengths?” Their answers might be more confident and spirited. Companies that use a strengths-based approach to hiring and keeping current talent can enhance strengths, innovation, and productivity…. Read More»
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