Conflict costs US businesses $359 Billion per year. For many, the thought of addressing team conflict proactively is enough to necessitate a mental health day. Most leaders feel unprepared for addressing conflict in the workplace, which is not surprising given that 60% of employees have never received basic conflict resolution training. Conflict itself is stress-inducing enough, but tackling the issue as a leader can feel like being asked to walk a tight rope while blind-folded. Before deciding how to address the conflict, it’s important to define which kinds of conflict are truly dangerous for the workplace. Let’s break down the … Read More
Thirty Acts of Empowerment
Today’s leaders don’t command and demand. They inspire and empower. They communicate a vision that enables each person to visualize the critical role they play in helping the organization achieve it’s mission. A powerful, inspirational leader helps everyone realize their “best self” and gives them the opportunity to shine every day. Here are 30 acts of empowerment a leader can deliver every day.
Build Morale During Madness
If you’re a college basketball fan, then March is the most wonderful time of the year! It’s the time when fair-weather fans and die-hards alike spent hours pouring over statistics and injury reports in an effort to chase the elusive perfect NCAA Basketball Tournament bracket. Now, if you’re a manager or work in Human Resources, March may not seem so wonderful. Over 70 million individuals fill out tournament brackets annually. Studies say that March Madness is the #3 tech-related office distraction behind texting and Facebook. March Madness has the potential to wreak havoc in an organization. Some researchers estimate that … Read More
Lunch Breaks Actually Improve Engagement
In the workplace era of “do more with less,” few leaders feel like they can realistically accomplish all of their goals during a normal 8-hour workday. In an effort to increase productivity and find more hours in the day, but not sacrifice time with the family, most leaders start stealing from themselves. First, the 15-20 minute breaks disappear, then lunch comes next. I was recently coordinating calendars with a senior HR Manager whose only opening in the day was at noon. I suggested we postpone our meeting until another, less hectic, day. She said “That’s not necessary. I don’t take … Read More
Never Be the Smartest Person in the Room
“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” This wise quote has been attributed to everyone from Lorne Michaels to Marissa Mayer and several variations have been quoted by other successful leaders. There are so many benefits to surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you. First, we should always strive to learn new things. By intentionally surrounding yourself with smarter people, you’re admitting you don’t know everything and allowing others to fill in the gaps. Additionally, high achievers never like to come in second place, so bringing in someone smarter than you will … Read More
Frontline Leader Challenges: Managing B-Players
Tom Peters famously said “True leaders don’t create followers. They create more leaders.” If you’re a leader, your whole purpose in business is to help others develop into the best person they can be and contribute meaningfully to an organization. This, of course, means identifying potential future leaders who can be groomed to move from high performing individual contributor to high performing leader. This shift doesn’t come easily, though. Over half of the individuals who are placed in formal high potential programs leave within the first five years. Because we are confident that past performance predicts future performance, we make … Read More