If you haven't watched Parks and Recreation (ever or recently), it might be time to binge-watch the show (it's on Netflix!). As Fundera points out in this infographic, we all stand a lot to learn from the shows wacky, but utterly devoted, lead character, Leslie Knope. Check out these 10 leadership lessons she teaches us all. … [Read more...]
Are You Assertive or Aggressive? The Difference Matters
No matter how great a manager you are, bad things will happen at work: not every day, but occasionally. It’s how you handle those incidents—the ones that fill you with frustration, anger and dread—that determine what kind of leader you are. If you respond to those occasions aggressively (outwardly or passively), you’ll undermine your team, spread fear and start the rumor mill. … [Read more...]
Is Your Workplace Hostile? Here Are 5 Indicators It Is
This is a guest post from Chris Dyer performance expert, speaker, consultant, and author of The Power of Company Culture. When office relations go south, the boss is often the last one to know. Gossips and bullies act from the shadows. Employees might hold back their gripes for fear of losing favor. And trouble with customers may be shielded so it doesn’t reflect poorly on … [Read more...]
Become a Strong Delegator (And Take Back Your Time)
Delegation is something that every leader has feelings about. Some feel they do it well. Some don’t even know where to start. Some have seen a good example of it. Some feel like every time someone has “delegated” to them, it felt like they’d just been dumped on. Some think it is something they should do. Some resist it. Regardless of your feelings and experiences, there … [Read more...]
5 Steps to Become a Much Better Listener
How much we actually retain when we listen to people speak is up for debate. I've seen research that suggest it is as low as 17%. I don't know if I believe it's quite that low for most of us, but I do believe many of us have lost the art of listening. We're too distracted to offer our full attention to one person. We multi-task, constantly deal with the ding of our phones, … [Read more...]