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Are your programs suffering from Squeaky Hippos? Let’s find out. First of all, you’re likely wondering what a Squeaky Hippo is. It’s a combination of a squeaky wheel and the highest paid person’s opinion. The challenge with most training programs – and corporate development programs in general – is that all feedback and evidence that […]
A couple of years ago I was introduced to the distinction between complex and complicated—one of the most useful and liberating distinctions I have ever learned. In a nutshell, complicated is predictable and knowable, even if there are a lot of steps, whereas complex is unknowable in advance. Embracing complexity allows us to let go […]
Innovation is a juggling act for most leaders, as they have to balance operational excellence with responding to mandates to explore new territory.
I have observed that for some managers, Employee Appreciation Day is the beginning, middle, and end of their employee appreciation strategy.
If employees believe they are no more than a number to the organization, then they treat the organization primarily as a means to an income.
Let go of the idea of leader as hero, and model the kind of behavior you want to see from your team—you’ll all be happier, healthier, and more productive.
Curiosity is both an attribute of high-performing teams and a personal habit. We are born with it—and we need to cultivate it.
Why are so many of us not getting enough sleep? And why do we not only ignore sleep as a health issue but often reward exhaustion?
Great bosses who are honest and transparent give their team permission to do the same, which fosters an environment of candor and camaraderie.
Whether you hire a coach or not, there is benefit to a coaching mindset. Embracing coaching principles can help make your future bigger than your past.
The most powerful moments at work combine pride and connection, and are often the smallest and least difficult to engineer. They are moments of recognition.
Our ability to manage the polarity of being and doing can be the difference between managing complexity—and leading adaptive change—and failing to do so.
We can grow our capacity to see ourselves clearly, to appreciate multiple perspectives, and to become authors of our own lives through vertical development.
This article presents leaders with two aspects of inner work they should not neglect. It starts by examining purpose, and then moves to mind-body harmony.
My conclusion is that it is often the leaders themselves who need the repair job, and who could most benefit from self-reflection.
Use these approaches to inspire innovative thinking with your team, and to stay ahead of the rapid shifts occurring in the business landscape.
In my book Being Human, I challenge the notion that technical competence and a Robotic approach to Human Management still has a place in a Humanistic world.
We believe strongly that there is lots of work leaders can do in rethinking how to develop the agile, collaborative teams their business needs.
If your team is struggling with engagement, try one of these techniques to encourage a healthy work environment.
You must develop a presence with your team first—truly being present on a day-to-day basis to understand them and their needs, and work with them to deliver high levels of performance.
What seems like a lack of accountability is a lack of clarity. Clarity is established largely through language—and most of us are quite imprecise in our language.
From my front-line vantage point, here is my advice for team leaders to avoid being horrible. Even after following this advice, you’ll likely still have a long way to go.
We asked the consultants in our Actionable Conversations LinkedIn Community for advice they would give to someone taking on a leadership role for the first time, and here’s what they had to say…
As your team gears up for a productive new year, take the time to think about the best way to support them. Here are three of our favorite recent episodes of The 21st Century Workplace for helping team leaders improve engagement and culture.
Listening intently and with full presence enables a leader to fully understand, to make sense of what is around them, and move forward with wisdom.
Innovative, agile thinking is a critical element that managers want from their teams, and for good reason. When teams are aligned and thinking at a high-level, magic can happen.
Effective communication strategies are crucial, but I’d also urge you to think deeply about what effective communication looks like for your team. Every group will have different ideas and goals.
By necessity, great teams don’t gloss over difference, or assume that each team member brings the same experience. Exciting insights can come from fresh eyes and diverse perspectives.
When we make statements, they are primarily either assertions or assessments. Assertions can be proven to be true or false. Assessments are not absolutely true or false, but are a contextual or relative statement—or an opinion.
Given that millennials will make up 50% of the workforce by 2020, it’s no surprise that organizations are making millennial retention a priority.
These three summaries will give you the framework you need to create a learning, creative culture in your organization, and build an engaged team that is capable of navigating new challenges.
To avoid complacency and create engaged employees, it is crucial to step back and examine the purpose and processes (the why and the how) that inform outcomes.
When we talk about complex, there is more than one solution or maybe none at all. How are we going to grow? Stay innovative? Maintain an engaged workforce? These questions require complex solutions.
This webinar talks about how adopting a Coaching Mindset will help you work less hard and achieve more impact.