Applying Soft Skills for Hard Results
Emotional Intelligence feels like the newest buzz phrase within business organizations. I've heard this term thrown around with little context and little applicability. I've also heard people make a case for why emotional intelligence should be prioritized in the workplace and it is received with a scoff and a brush-off, as if it is a luxury that we don't have time to prioritize over other more realistic initiatives…
Change Fatigue: How to Recognize It and How to Fix It
Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, "If you aren't changing, you're finished." In today's fast-paced business world, it seems this is even more relevant than ever before. There are many case studies of companies failing because they aren't changing quickly enough to keep up with competition, or else making themselves irrelevant by not adapting. This continues to present the need for organizations to change and change quickly. Change is a positive thing. However…
The Seven Myths of Managing Change
We've all heard the dreaded statistic by now – most change researchers conclude that 75% of all change efforts fail. I'm sure you've been a part of a painful change effort in your own careers; a new system that is supposed to make things easier that only ends up confusing people and slowing down work, a merger where half your team quits due to new workload or negative culture, a new vision or mission initiative that turns out to be all talk and no application…
Managing Meetings: The Most Overlooked Leadership Skill
I heard Patrick Lencioni speak recently about his new book, "The Motive: Why So Many Leaders Abdicate Their Most Important Responsibilities" One specific point he made was that some leaders don't recognize the importance of running meetings effectively. He stated that if you wanted to know the worth of a quarterback, you'd watch them play a game…
Don't talk louder, listen more
Having a conversation with a friend, she started explaining how bad communication was in her workplace. When pressing further she said, "Well, administration shows up and talks TO us but they never truly talk WITH us. They don't hear what we're doing, what we need, or about our processes and plans. They simply fill us in on their agenda without asking or considering how it impacts our day to day." …
Purpose, People, Plans, and Progress – The Magical Formula to Successful Change
75% of change efforts fail. Though the research around the change failures is vast and the situations themselves can be very complicated, most of this failure can be boiled down to a couple main factors: misaligned expectations and underestimating the complexity of change. One study stated that fewer than 10% of the failures during change initiatives had to due with…
Change Management: The Art of Understanding Loss
When speaking at a conference recently, I asked the group how many of them enjoyed change. Out of 25 people, only 4 raised their hands. I then asked for a volunteer who was willing to go through a change; I had them come to the front of the room with me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a $20 bill and handed it to them…
How's Your Mood Today? Why Leaders Need to Take a Closer Look at Attitude
"I just feel numb at work" A friend told me over coffee one day "My boss does not understand how her actions impact the team. She is supportive one day then comes in berating us the next. I never know heading into the office if it will be a good day for her or a bad one. There is absolutely nothing in me that wants to engage at work even though this is the field I care deeply about…
