Did you know that companies with effective levels of employer engagement experience doubled annual net profits, 18% higher productivity, 2.5 times greater revenue growth, and 40% lower employee turnover? Those statistics come from research conducted by Pure as shown in the infographic at the end of this article. But that's not all! Management holds the cards when it comes … [Read more...]
What Reading “The 5 Love Languages” Taught Me About Leading A Team
"The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman is an excellent book about love and relationships, but little did I know what it would teach me about leading a team of employees. Initially, when I read the book, I read it to find out about my communication style in relationships, but it taught me a tremendous amount about my communication style in my business, too. There is a lot to … [Read more...]
You Cannot Baby Anyone into Being Successful
Sometimes, I speak to people who have dabbled at entrepreneurship and when you ask them why they did not succeed, they start to tell me about all the reasons why someone else is responsible for their failure and I listen in quietly. On the other hand, some days I speak to business owners who are building a team and trying to accelerate the growth of that team and they are … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Deal with Negative Employees
A typical work environment doesn’t always bring out the best in people. An angry boss, spiteful colleagues, stubborn subordinates---these characters create the everyday drama at work. The thought of it is pretty exhausting but it’s a reality for most people, especially managers. Destructive employee behavior, intentional or otherwise, can leave anyone reeling or demotivated. … [Read more...]
Handling Conflict on Your Team
It is inevitable that discord among team members will arise from time to time, and stepping in to tackle and resolve conflict ranks pretty low on most managers’ list of enjoyable activities. But unhandled friction erodes morale and productivity, and can turn even top performers into stressed out B-team players. When disharmony is affecting your group, you may be tempted to … [Read more...]
Does Your Board Have a Bell-Jar Ecosystem?
The progressive boardroom moves the needle away from operating in a vacuum with targeted board recruitment for the 21st century. While turbulence is not new, its nature and degree present an ever-increasing need for executive-level acumen to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate risks in the ever-more-sophisticated business environment. According to Spencer Stuart, … [Read more...]
Leadership Redemption
So, you screwed up. Royally. You might have let down a team member, missed a major deadline, dropped an important meeting, or lost a critical sale. You feel helpless, hopeless and confused. You just don’t know what to do, though your mind is giving you a lot of conflicting guidance. The panicked side of you wants to overreact. It’s telling you to express your emotions and … [Read more...]
Board Evaluations – Getting It Right
The progressive board looks for the time and resources spent on board evaluation to align with their philosophy of continuous improvement and reflective intelligence. The Focus of a Board Evaluation At the very least, a board evaluation will focus on key functions of the board, provide a “gap” analysis that draws weak areas to the surface, provide disbursement of responses, … [Read more...]
Establishing a Leadership Brand Within Your Organization
The term, leadership brand, was first used by David Ulrich and Norm Smallwood in 2007. Not only were these university professors describing---in their book with the same name---a way to assess the competencies that individual leaders must possess, but also to address the importance of leadership within the organization. In other words a company needs both individual leaders to … [Read more...]
10 Ways LinkedIn Can Help You Get a Board of Directors Seat
Everyone understands the potential for LinkedIn, but how much visibility can a board candidate expect to produce? How can LinkedIn help you get a board of directors seat? Despite the bad rap social media gets from time to time, LinkedIn simply cannot be ignored. It is the go-to network for professionals looking to advance their careers. Here are a few facts: 1. Inspiration … [Read more...]