Power is a goal that many strive to gain. In a workplace, people have different levels of power. Leaders may use their power in a variety of ways, and informal leaders in an organization may also exert power in other ways. But what exactly is power? What kind of impact does it leave, and how does it connect with opportunity and responsibility?
Read MoreWhen working with clients, I often get asked to break down the difference between Leadership, leadership, Leader, and leader. While it may seem on the surface to be mere capitalization or semantics, we learn and ascribe key differences to each of these terms that it’s important to unpack.
Read MoreLeadership is not about controlling or having more power than those below you in the corporate environment. In many cases, a leader who abuses their power over their team and organization will inevitably build a poor reputation within the industry. This can be demonstrated through high turnover, low retention, or difficulty filling open positions.
Read MoreWhen leading an organization or place of business, the leadership methods in place must be as effective as possible and work fluidly. To employees, compensation, being respected, and proper management are critical, and these factors should be handled with the appropriate leadership style. With the right models in place, effective leadership can ensure that employees are motivated and productive, leading to better results for the organization.
Read MoreI recently revisited the work of Kouzes and Posner and I’ve been considering the different meanings the simple title can take on. Is it the challenge (difficulty) of being a leader? Is it the challenge (opportunity) that we accept in becoming a leader? Is it the delicate balance of becoming, being, and evolving as a leader to the changing needs of our team, organization, and industry?
Read MoreWorking for a difficult boss can be frustrating, but it doesn't have to be untenable. Although your boss won't change their ways, there are steps you can take to manage the relationship and set yourself up for success on the job.
Read MoreWhether you're trying to make small changes to your routine, moving across the country, or starting a new career opportunity, varying levels of change will always come with their own set of challenges. Sometimes it comes unexpectedly, and in other cases, you are the one implementing the change into your own life. However, as we’ve seen in the past months, sometimes change is forced upon us.
Read MoreIn business, calculating the ROI, or return on investment, is a key indicator of the success of a product or service. What is the cost of delivering that product or service and what is the return on that investment in cost…
Read MoreWhen you think of leadership, how would you define a good leader? Many of us would use performative traits like: strong communication, excellent people skills, or being skilled in leading others toward and completing a common goal. While these are all things we hope to see on a leader’s resume, what would we want to see behind the scenes?
Read MoreWe are all well trained at problem solving. From an early age at school we are encouraged to use deductive reasoning, use critical thinking, and brainstorm new ideas to address problems that we encounter. This recurring and consistent training reinforces a deficient based mindset where we focus on what’s wrong, what’s missing, or what's bad.
Read MoreJohn Maxwell said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
Employees look to their leaders for inspiration and guidance to get things done. Leaders should be beacons who illuminate the path to triumph and success. That said, leaders can only perform their duties effectively if they possess good leadership skills.
Good communication is one of the most vital leadership skills that any boss can possess.
Read MoreOccasionally, I'll meet with an experienced professional who is hesitant about including some of their prior experience on their resume or talking about it in an interview. This could be experience from a prior career in a different industry, maybe something they did 5 to 10 years ago, or a small business that they run outside of their full-time career. I can appreciate the concern of including things that on the surface may not seem relevant to an employer. However, I firmly believe that your unique professional experience is what makes you stand out from the crowd.
Read MorePre-pandemic, most of our meetings were in person; however, once the pandemic arrived, this scenario flipped 180 degrees to where the majority of meetings were being held over applications like Zoom, Teams, and Webex overnight. While it may seem that only the modality of the meeting changed, we also lost something very important along the way: travel time.
Read MorePlease stop speed networking! It's not that I don't like meeting new people or the adrenaline rush of trying to do the impossible quickly. I love meeting new people and getting to know their story, their interests, and their hopeful destinations. I also enjoy experiences where I'm challenged to do difficult things in unusual ways. However, networking is not the time to be speedy.
Read MoreCurrently, 65% of American’s aged 45 and under rank organizational culture ahead of remuneration on their checklist for selecting employment opportunities. Personally, I favor a mixed culture approach – where there is a high degree of collaboration between employees – and where creativity and individuality are celebrated and encouraged.
Read MoreIf you took some of the world’s most successful leaders and dropped them all into completely new situations, some would be able to pivot while others simply wouldn’t (as the pandemic has readily shown us).
Successful leaders set up systems of accountability that apply to everyone, including themselves. They take responsibility for their actions and the consequences that occur as a result. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “to err is human.” It would be irrational for any leader to expect perfection from their staff or themselves personally. In my experience, successful leaders don’t dwell on mistakes. Instead, they focus on developing action plans to mitigate the consequences of their mistakes.
Read MoreWhen you hear the word “leader”, certain expectations come to mind. We look to our leaders for guidance and inspiration, which means they wield a great deal of influence. However, since not every leader is an effective leader and how do you spot ineffective leadership? And even if you’ve seen it, you may not immediately recognize what those traits are.
Read MoreConsistency is important for anyone in a leadership position. Where your values are concerned, you can’t be moving the goalposts back and forth. However, when you’re leading people in an individual or team setting, you have to be willing to adapt the way you lead in order to get the best out of your people.
Read MoreIf you're like most job seekers, your job search happens while you're already at work. It probably starts, or restarts, on a really bad day. Maybe that project you have is just not getting traction, or perhaps your boss or coworkers are not the nicest bunch to be around, or maybe you’ve realized (or re-realized) that your organization is crumbling at the seams.
Read MoreI recently shared a Harvard Business Review podcast titled Why Technical Leaders Make Great Managers and the response was notable. And I'm not surprised at all. When I speak with experienced professionals, one of their most common frustrations is that their managers have no idea what they actually do.
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