When was the last time a group of people let you know the difference you’ve made in their lives? Or showered you in praise while pointing out the particular contributions you’ve made to them? Most of us only experience that when leaving a job after a long time, and/or at our funeral when there’s noContinue reading “Fostering Workplace Appreciation: Tips for Team Growth”
Tag Archives: Leadership
Using Previous Work Cultures to Build a Better One
Have you ever shared an idea or a solution to a problem – maybe one you thought others would be excited by – only to have your suggestion summarily ignored? How did that feel? Have you ever noticed it happening to someone else? Sadly, this happens all too often, and for a multitude of reasons.Continue reading “Using Previous Work Cultures to Build a Better One”
Are Your Meetings Lectures, Show-and-Tells, or Labs?
How many meetings have you attended in the last few weeks? How many have you led? If you lead meetings, how did you learn to lead them? By emulating the meetings you’ve attended? Employees who are high performing often get promoted to management without any training in how to manage others – and, as aContinue reading “Are Your Meetings Lectures, Show-and-Tells, or Labs?”
Experiencing Some Distrust in Leadership?
Over the last few weeks I have had several conversations with people in different (for-profit and non-profit) fields with a similar theme: distrust in leadership. In some cases this has come out as targeted public complaints about a figurehead; in others as a move toward a strike; in others a community cry for more transparencyContinue reading “Experiencing Some Distrust in Leadership?”
“I Wonder…”
Photo credit: Brad Switzer / Unsplash How often have you been involved in a conversation where someone (perhaps you) moves quickly to problem-solving, and in doing so, they treat the presenting symptoms of the situation while missing the underlying cause of the problem? You might even find that in many cases you’re rewarded for comingContinue reading ““I Wonder…””
Leading People in a Time of Distraction
Photo credit: Mike Stewart/AP How often are you taking part in (or leading) a meeting but finding it hard to concentrate because of something happening in the wider world? How often have you noticed someone else in the meeting suddenly disappear – mentally, if not physically? With news feeling like drinking from a firehose theseContinue reading “Leading People in a Time of Distraction”
Mentoring Summer Interns, and Finding a New Mentor or Mentee for Yourself
As Summer quickly approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, your organization may be planning to bring on some interns for the season. Internships can provide incredible hands-on learning opportunities for young people looking to enter a field of work. Interns also bring value to the organization through their labor, their unique perspectives and lived experiences, andContinue reading “Mentoring Summer Interns, and Finding a New Mentor or Mentee for Yourself”
Is Your Constructive Feedback Developmental or Corrective?
Managers often give their direct reports constructive feedback. But in reality, constructive feedback takes two forms: Developmental feedback helps someone grow for the future. Corrective feedback lets them know something that needs to change. If you receive constructive feedback and it’s not clear whether it’s developmental or corrective, this can lead to longer-term problems. InContinue reading “Is Your Constructive Feedback Developmental or Corrective?”
Is a Banquet with 54 Speeches a Good Fit for Your Team?
Imagine attending a banquet, and learning when you arrive that there would be 54 speeches throughout the evening. Not three, not five… 54. How do you think you might feel at the end of the evening? Invigorated? Inspired? Uplifted? Surely not. But surprisingly, that was my exact experience last week. Our oldest child graduated highContinue reading “Is a Banquet with 54 Speeches a Good Fit for Your Team?”
Allowing the Right to Repair within Teams
Are you familiar with the “Right to Repair” movement? “They don’t make things like they used to” is an oft-repeated phrase, and there’s truth to it – with cheaper materials, planned obsolescence, and the proprietary nature of information and parts, it can sometimes seem impossible to fix something that’s broken. It can seem like theContinue reading “Allowing the Right to Repair within Teams”
Building Bridges Leadership 