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Breaking the Mold: The True Essence of Effective Leadership

Redefining Leadership Embracing Your Authentic Self: Leadership isn’t a rigid mold that we must each fit into, rather it is a fluid reflection of our deepest values and truths. Rather than look and act a certain way, we need to know and share our authentic self with others. The most effective leaders are those who continually reflect on their actions, decisions, and the impact they have on others. Awareness is every leader’s Superpower. The Essence of Self-Discovery: My own leadership journey began not in boardrooms or seminars, but through years of reflection. I pondered over questions like, “Who am I…

How to Fund Your Leadership Journey: Tapping into (Hidden) Company-Sponsored Training Budgets

Emerging leaders know the importance of investing in themselves to stay competitive. They’re looking to learn, grow, and discover who they are professionally and make their mark. But they sometimes hit some misconceptions and perceived roadblocks. Separating Fact from Fiction to Seize the Opportunity to Level Up As someone who has served as a Chief People Officer and Chief of Staff, I can tell you the absolute truth: Organizations, both large and small, allocate budgets for employee development. These funds are intended to nurture talent, increase employee retention, prepare future leaders, and enhance the skills of existing ones. Here’s where…

Navigating Layoffs and Difficult Conversations

The Crucial Role of Leadership Development Layoffs are among the most challenging aspects of leadership, demanding empathy, clarity, and resilience. These situations not only impact those leaving the organization, but also deeply affect the team members left behind. Effective leadership development is the key to managing such scenarios with compassion, transparency, and skill. As organizations strive to excel in managing these transitions, it’s crucial to invest in preparing leaders to lead through layoffs, ensuring both departing employees and the remaining team receive the support they need to move forward. Caring for the Human Side of the Employee Being Laid Off:…

Stop Micromanaging and Start Empowering: Embracing a Two-Way Street for Success

The concept of micromanagement has lost its effectiveness. Instead, a paradigm shift is underway towards empowering employees and nurturing a culture of autonomy, accountability, and creativity. The transformation from micromanagement to empowerment is not just a one-sided endeavor; it is a two-way street where leaders and team members play integral roles in achieving success.

FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY: Empowerment is not about loosening the reins without any oversight; rather, it’s about providing a sense of freedom that is balanced by individual responsibility. When employees are granted the autonomy to make decisions and explore innovative solutions, they become more engaged, motivated,…

The Art of Leadership Balance

Trust is the North Star of strong and high-performing teams, guiding them through the darkest challenges and keeping them on course. It's like the foundation of a sturdy building, built brick by brick with unwavering faith in each other's reliability, truth, ability, and strength. However, trust doesn't come pre-packaged; it's not something leaders can order up like fast food. Instead, it's an ongoing investment that requires consistent effort to earn and protect. Effective leadership takes the role of a skilled architect, constructing trust through intentional, transparent, and impactful communication, ensuring the team stands tall against any storm that comes its…

Fostering Mental Health Awareness in Your Team

As we observe Mental Health Awareness Month in May, it is an excellent reminder for leaders to recognize their crucial role in caring for their teams and helping them avoid burnout. Employee burnout is a real concern, and according to the World Health Organization is a syndrome that can be characterized by 3 dimensions: exhaustion or energy depletion, decreased engagement at work, feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and reduced productivity or efficacy. To ensure delivery of results for the organization, leaders must take responsibility for setting up their teams for success. Understanding the Reasons for Burnout…

3 Critical Questions to Ask Before Accepting Your Next Job

( … to avoid a toxic manager and workplace) Interviewing for a new job is a two-way street. Not only are employers looking for a candidate with the right fit for the position, but prospective employees are looking for a company where they feel valued and know they can grow, thrive, and achieve their career goals. As an employee or employer, it is critical to stop and consider what drives engagement in the workplace. If 67% of employees are either not engaged or actively disengaged, what elements are required at the individual, team, and company level to ensure workers are…

Who OWNS Leadership Development?

It's Not Optional! When people tell me they hire strong leaders who are self-directed and they don’t need a formal leadership development program, I call BS. According to a 2022 Gallup article, nearly 7 in 10 employees worldwide are either not engaged or are actively disengaged in their job. They lack passion for their roles and don’t care to innovate, create, or put anything more into their jobs than the bare minimum. Leaders bear the responsibility to change that statistic. However, as reported by CareerBuilder, 58% of managers have never received formal leadership training. That means nearly 2/3 of your…

Gratitude

Gratitude is the positive emotion of being thankful. It includes the capacity to appreciate what we have and thank others for their contributions. This E3 Emotional Quality is such a powerful leadership capability. The rewards of mastering this are exponential – gratitude boosts morale, enhances well-being, and improves productivity within a team. It’s so simple to act upon, but easily forgotten in practice. We all want to express gratitude and know it is the right thing to do, but if it isn’t second nature, an unconscious competency in your leadership toolkit, it will too often fall to the bottom of the priority list.    Unconscious Competence  As leaders,…

How prepared is your leadership team to weather the storm?

The uncertainty of the market, the lingering effects of the Great Resignation, the recent trend of “quiet quitting,” and the increasing rate of change is creating a higher-than-ever level of uncertainty in the workforce. This uncertainty lowers morale, kills productivity and growth and can lead to people looking for safer waters. Leaders find themselves distracted by current conditions instead of focusing on the real work of supporting and developing their people. And most companies don’t have the infrastructure to ensure their leaders are well equipped to deal with this situation. Addressing these gaps through Leadership Development as a Service (LDaaS)…