I attended the 2018 Minnesota ICF Awards honoring organizations and business that are integrating coaching into their culture. Each nominee spoke of the importance of focusing their development efforts on improving their organization’s culture in order to improve results. Aligning the right people with diverse strengths to problem solve and execute a plan is essential. […]
The Power of Humility in Authentic Leadership
In my work with leaders, our conversations often turn to the place of humility in effective, influential leadership. It’s in being humble where you can admit your failures, ask for help, and receive grace. A successful leader can lead with power and persuasion in one hand and humility in the other. It’s been my experience […]
Hitting the Mark with Your Public Relations Strategy
Managers, there’s some good news on the public relations front. The right public relations planning really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among your key outside audiences. Therefore, try to remember that your PR effort must demand more than special events, news releases and talk show tactics if you’re to receive the […]
Perfecting Your Employee Recognition Skills
While being positive comes as second nature to some people, complaining seems to be a much more developed skill than praising. Many people find it difficult to be only positive; it’s as if they can’t help themselves adding a crushing blow. Think back to the character Carolyn Burnham (Annette Bening) in “American Beauty” when she […]
6 Ways to Decrease Employee Stress and Increase Productivity
If you’d like your business to employ highly motivated and high-energy level employees, making an investment in the workplace atmosphere and facilities will help to reduce workplace stress significantly. Research confirms that if your employees are stressed, that will cost you even more money in missed workdays and increased on-the-job injuries over both the short […]
3 Steps to Make People Happy At Work
If you’re an employer or a manager then work place absence is costing you money, inconvenience, and upsetting your customers. As we all know, not all days taken off work are due to genuine sickness. Many employees take sick leave because their morale is low, and they just don’t like or can’t do their work. […]
Working for a Genius-Maker
Henry Kissinger, who served as Secretary of State under President Richard M. Nixon, was a master at extracting people’s best work. When his chief of staff once handed in a foreign-policy report, Kissinger asked, “Is this your best work?” His chief became worried and said he thought he could do better. Two weeks later, he […]
5 Ways Leaders Diminish Others
In the book Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter (HarperBusiness, 2010), authors Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown identify some typically ineffective bosses, as well as those who manage well. The authors divide leaders into two camps, based on the results they achieve: multipliers or diminishers. I talked about the differences in a previous […]
10 Ways to Stimulate Employee Motivation
Today’s fast-moving business environment demands that the effective manager be both a well-organized administrator and highly adept in understanding people’s basic needs and behavior in the workplace. Gaining commitment, nurturing talent, and ensuring employee motivation and productivity require open communication and trust between managers and staff. Below are 10 ways in which you can stimulate […]
5 Steps to Maximize Your Productivity
Do you know that you get 80% of your results from just 20% of your time and effort and consequently 80% of your time is virtually wasted on non-productive activities? Once you realize this, it’s easy to take advantage and either reduce the hours you work or significantly improve your productivity. The 80-20 rule was […]