Leaders often lament about the lack of accountability in employees. We write about it on this blog often. After all, it's critical that employees take responsibility when they fail, rather than point fingers or place blame on others. But how about when you mess up and it hurts the team? Do you own your mistakes? Or immediately find a way to shift the blame to someone else? … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Improve Mental Health in Employees
This is a guest post from Marcus Clarke. The best step that leaders can take to improve an organization is to promote mental health among employees. Statistics have revealed that employees experience depression and anxiety each year, and these mental health issues affect employers and lead to huge losses. The nature of work and its expectations is often a leading source … [Read more...]
Do You Communicate Like You Rake? Little by Little or All at Once?
Fall foliage is beautiful, so if you are lucky enough to live in an area that experiences it, like me, I consider us very lucky. Still, while the trees are beautiful as their leaves turn from green to yellow, orange and red, they pose a problem too—if you're responsible for removing them after they've fallen. Most yards, parks, green areas and so on, contain different … [Read more...]
Analyze Yourself and Others. Just Don’t Forget This Critical Rule.
As leaders, sometimes we have to put ourselves under the microscope and analyze our behavior and qualities. Unfortunately, when most of us do that, we focus on the flaws, the things that we see that need improvement. Sometimes, it's superficial. We would like a smaller nose or less gray hair. Want to lose a few pounds or tighten up some wrinkles. What I am talking about … [Read more...]
To Continuing Climbing in Your Career, Start Here
Are you ready to advance in your career? The opportunity could be now. In fact, organizations are seriously concerned about the leadership gap. According to a LinkedIn report "Developing Employees Into Leaders," 85% of executives are not confident in their leadership pipeline, and 86% consider developing new leaders as either “urgent” or “important.” That bodes well for … [Read more...]
Friendship at Work? How to Make it a Benefit, Not a Problem
Eighty-two percent of people feel they have friends at work, but only 15 percent see those friendships as "real," says research conducted by Olivet Nazarene University. The survey of 3000 people across 21 industries sheds some light on how people perceive their coworkers. You can see more results here, but here are a few highlights: 71% don't consider any coworkers "best … [Read more...]
Avoid These 7 “Flowbreakers” That Are Killing Your Productivity
If you're concerned about your own or your employees' productivity, you may be dealing with one of the following flowbreakers, say James Manktelow and Julian Birkinshaw, coauthors of Mind Tools for Managers: 100 Ways to Be a Better Boss. Keep reading to learn their advice for managing distractions so that you all can be more productive: Personal technology Smartphones and now … [Read more...]
How to Make an Impact as a Manager
After 30 years of working, reading and studying the topic of manager’s development the quote above is still my favorite when it comes time to characterize how managers need “to be” as they perform their roles. The great Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu advised that the fundamental character of a “good manager” (He actually said leader but please allow me the poetic license!) is one … [Read more...]
9 Tips to Encourage a Group of Loners to Work Together
You are leading a team and some (maybe all) of the members see themselves as individual contributors, not necessarily members of a team. They state and show that they’d rather work alone, and prefer individual accomplishments and results over tying their fortunes to a team. You want a cohesive team. That is, a group collaborating freely and harnessing the synergy that comes … [Read more...]
Your Role as Mentor is Critically Important
Whether you’re an official mentor or not, the way you treat your employees can play a large part in shaping their careers. Are you building their confidence and helping them learn from their mistakes? Or are you doing the opposite? While this is probably most pertinent to your youngest workers, the way you respond to all employees can affect their future success or lack … [Read more...]