There are Transactional Leaders, Coaching Leaders, and Charismatic Leaders. Some leaders prefer a Command and Control style, where others prefer a more Laissez Fair approach. Many leaders motivate with a carrot, while others prefer to cast a vision bigger than the job itself. There are hundreds of different leadership styles, and no single style is always right all the time, but there is one that has no place in today’s workplace. Few leaders set out to be a Fear-Based Leader. Who would willingly fill the role of company villain? Most leaders envision themselves much more like Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos … Read More
Beware the Golden Handcuffs
Successful, profitable organizations are able to offer competitive pay, flexible hours, and attractive benefits. It is much easier for those organizations to attract, recruit, and secure top talent than it is for organizations that offer average or below average compensation packages. Naturally, organizations that offer competitive salaries are also able to retain their employees longer and experience lower turnover. But is that always a good thing? When it comes to compensation, too much of a good thing is possible.
Numbers Don’t Lie: Making the Case for Employee Development
Does this scenario sound familiar? You identify a common skills gap within your team and express your concerns to HR/Leadership. They agree and say they’ve seen a similar issue. You ask for support/funding to train your team. You know they need it, and HR knows they need it, but senior leadership is reluctant to allocate the necessary budget. After all, they just spent tens of thousands on an updated virtual video library for their LMS. Often, identifying the skills gap and the training/coaching solution is far easier than getting budget to fix the issue. Additionally, using a basic ROI equation … Read More
The One Unacceptable Uncertainty
“There is nothing certain, but the uncertain.” – Proverb The term VUCA has gone from a trendy corporate buzz word to a common expression of the unique challenges presented in the workplace today. VUCA is an acronym that stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous. In other words, “Buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride!” The term originated in the military sector and has been adapted to organizations faced with newly complex conditions including rapid global expansions, technological disruptions, shifting demographics, etc. In a VUCA world, the leaders who get it right aren’t the ones who are the … Read More
Seven Universal Soft Skills Everyone Should Master
A 256% net return on investment—it’s the holy grail of training outcomes and easier to achieve than you might think. A study conducted by Boston College, Harvard University, and the University of Michigan found that soft skills training does NOT create soft results. The study showed that even minimal time investments in each skill (5-12 hours) boosts productivity and retention 12 percent and those results last up to 9 months.
Seven Things Leaders Should Do Every Day
I’ve never heard a leader complain about having too much free time and not enough work to do. To a large extent, that’s the nature of the 21st century workplace (do more with less), however that’s also the nature of a leader’s personality. When there’s always work to be done, it’s often easier to focus on a revolving to-do list and answer the barrage of incoming requests than to take charge of the day. Here are seven things all leaders should do daily to keep the ship on course: