When you're a new supervisor, it can be hard to give feedback to a team member (particularly one that used to be a "bud) without them taking it personally. To help improve this process and decrease the stress and frustration for all, it helps to start at the beginning. Here's what I mean... https://youtu.be/PyBQRwTEFn4?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0 Tweet it out: People … [Read more...]
Is Your Attention Polluted? I Bet it Is
Earth Day is this week, April 22 to be exact, and all week schools, charity organizations, businesses and more are taking a closer look at what we can do to protect the environment, reduce our carbon footprint and prevent pollution. No doubt the havoc we're wreaking on our environment with pollution is a major problem, and we should all be doing a little more to protect … [Read more...]
3 Lessons You Can Learn From Your Non-Stick Pans
PTFE or polytetrafluoroethylene was discovered on April 6, 1938 by Dr. Roy Plunkett at the DuPont research laboratories, and it was patented in February of 1941. You know PTFE as Teflon, the non-stick coating used on pans, griddles, grills and the like. The chemical has a growing list of uses, and it has made DuPont a lot of money. That is all well and good, but what does … [Read more...]
Valuing the Success of Others
In a culture that often sees the world as one giant competition, it can be difficult to convince others of the importance in valuing the success of others. But all great leaders know that helping others succeed, can be our greatest success. And the answer to this situation is PERSPECTIVE. Check out what I mean in the video … [Read more...]
What Bad Habits Are Hurting Your Career?
Habits are a powerful part of our life. Without habits, we likely couldn’t cope with the complexity of our lives, yet, not all of our habits serve us well. As you grow as a leader, it is ideal that you think about your habits, so that you can replace bad habits with ones that will help you both professionally and personally. This exercise can help you to understand which … [Read more...]
6 Ways Leaders Can Help Others Measure Success
One of earliest tools I learned how to use growing up on a farm was a tape measure. There are several reasons for that. It is often used, using it won’t hurt you (think hammer, saw or torch!), and my Dad carried a small one in his pocket. As a boy, emulating Dad was always a good idea. I don’t use a tape measure every day now, and you may not either, but the idea of … [Read more...]
Building Instant Rapport
As a leader, building rapport and trust with a new team is absolutely essential to your success. Here are four steps to help speed this process along and build the relationships as quickly as possible. https://youtu.be/RtThJTfIGDY?rel=0&showinfo=0 Tweet it out: We build rapport by putting our focus on the other person, not ourselves. @KevinEikenberry … [Read more...]
Your Words Are Powerful
In order to be a highly effective leader, you must be able to successfully influence and persuade others. While we all know how powerful our actions are in influencing others, we cannot lose sight of how powerful our words are as well. Ralph Waldo Emerson noted this power, for both good and bad, with these words: “No man has a prosperity so high or firm, but that two or … [Read more...]
Leading When You Haven’t Done Their Job
As leaders, we will eventually have to earn the respect and credibility of people whose shoes we've never been in and whose jobs we've never held. Check out today's video for tips to smoothly handle this leadership challenge. https://youtu.be/puI9pau7Q3g?rel=0&showinfo=0 Tweet it out: As a coach, bring the expertise you do have, and worry less on the experience you don't … [Read more...]
It’s Not Easy Being Green: 5 Steps to Teaching Employees New Skills
You are new to leadership, but you have likely mastered many skills on your way up the ladder. In fact, you've probably reached expert status in several areas. At some point, you will need to share that knowledge with your employees. You'll need to teach them new skills and coach them to better performance. Learning a new skill and being a beginner at something is hard, but … [Read more...]