Welcome to the Leadership Digest! Here you’ll find awareness-raising, behavior-changing, and results-driving tips for leaders.
OK, so it wasn’t really a bar. It was a nice meeting room, but it felt a lot like a bar-room-brawl. There was finger pointing, turf battling, name calling, accusation throwing, “I dare you to cross this line” taunting, yelling, and even tears. It was two executives and a workplace mediator, spending a day together…
Over the years, I have noticed leaders – whether just stepping into their roles or seasoned veterans- tend to identify themselves as results focused or people focused. However, what I have learned, witnessed, and experienced, is that to be a great leader one must possess a balance of both results focused and people focused leadership skills….
Leadership challenge? Nah, It’s great to be a leader – easy in fact! Presiding over your kingdom, all your peeps utilizing their strengths effectively; everyone getting along and collaborating for the best possible outcomes; goals being met ahead of schedule; creative ideas flowing; and all the key stakeholders as happy as they can be. Yep,…
You’ve heard the saying “you get what you give” right? Have you experienced the power of putting it into practice at work? Here’s one example of how we help clients turn around challenging workplace relationships: Recently I was coaching one of my most favorite clients – all of my clients are my favorite, of course, but this…
Did you know the use of proactive mediation in the workplace can effectively decrease the costly effects of lingering conflict, and in turn increase morale, productivity and overall organizational success? Historically, organizations have waited until workplace conflict turns into the worst-case scenario – EEO complaints and litigation – before seeking resolution through professional mediation services….
Last week we posted about how using nonviolent communication in the workplace can help create a healthy work environment. One tip we offered was to ditch your judgments and focus on objectively observing the instant situation. In other words, be present for what really is. But how do we do that? Before we give you the…
Having trouble creating synergy at your workplace? I hate to break this to you, but it might just be YOU. Many of us don’t take the time to consider how we communicate when conflict arises. Unfortunately, most of us have been trained to speak a language that encourages us to alienate ourselves, through our communication…
Resistance has the power to derail the best of plans, but acknowledging it with empathy and compassion might just engage the leverage you need to achieve your goals. Like most things in life, resistance has a spectrum. On one end, it shows up as avoidance or maybe a little passive aggressive. One the opposite end,…
Great leaders understand organizational success requires commitment to core values and goals; authentic and timely communication; collaboration to identify the best possible action plans, timelines, and solutions; and, they know how and when to celebrate! Indeed, great leaders celebrate! They celebrate the big wins of course, but more importantly, they seek opportunities to celebrate the…
Commit, Communicate, COLLABORATE, and Celebrate. Did you know Henry Ford spent a great deal of time bouncing ideas off his friends Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone? Man, what would it be like to collaborate with heavy-hitters like that? Well, Mr. Ford changed our world through the power of collaboration. He said “If there is any…
Twenty years ago as a new manager in the insurance industry, I remember being told by a corporate leadership trainer “the key to being a successful manager is Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!” I also remember looking skeptically into the eyes of that trainer and thinking “Really? You are getting paid to tell me I need to…
Recently, I pointed to meerkats as a fine example of successful collaboration, stemming naturally from the shared vision, mission, and values of a group. Today we’ll begin to “unpack” traits I observed within the meerkat clans, which keep them aligned, moving forward, and enjoying themselves along the way. Commitment, Communication, Collaboration, and Celebration are the characteristics…