by Kevin Eikenberry Ok, you've all heard about the importance of engaging your employees. In fact, you've probably heard it directly from me or Guy if you've been hanging around here very long. Here’s some data to “prove” it though. Here's what a survey from Maclean and Company recently found: A disengaged employee costs an organization approximately $3,400 for every … [Read more...]
What Leaders Can Learn from Spiders
by Kevin Eikenberry It's that time of year when we celebrate ghosts and witches and all things Halloween-y. Most of those things we consider "scary" aren't real, so they don't really make us all that fearful. Spiders, on the other hand... Scary or a work of art? If you aren't too afraid of spiders, the next time you have a chance, stop and examine a spider web. What you … [Read more...]
Getting Clear on Your Relationship Building Expectations
by Guy Harris In 20 years of working to help leaders grow their skills, I have yet to meet a leader who did not understand the need to be clear about their expectations with their team. I am not saying that I have never met a leader who had challenges in this area. I am saying that all of the leaders I have worked with were at least aware of the need to set clear … [Read more...]
How to Determine Engagement When Your Team is Remote
by Kevin Eikenberry Of all the things a new or frontline leader must think about and attend to, employee engagement might not be at the top of this list. We could talk about why it is important, but suffice it to say, it needs to be on our radar. While getting a handle on that might have seemed hard in the past, now that you may not be able to even see your people at work, … [Read more...]
Picking Alternatives to Email
by Wayne Turmel New leaders rely on the skills we had as teammates and the habits that made us successful. But what if there’s one thing you did that wasn’t as productive as you thought it was, and now is a great time to change? We’re talking about the over use and abuse of email. As team members, there’s a pretty good chance we were “that person.” You know, the one who … [Read more...]
Transitioning to Your Leadership Role with a Hybrid Team
by Guy Harris The transition from individual contributor to leader calls for changes in at least three areas of your work life: your relationships, your skills, and your mindset. Managing these three transitions simultaneously is almost always a challenge, and the challenge is made even more difficult when you work with a "hybrid" work in the office/work from home … [Read more...]
Take the WIRED Approach to Improve Communication
When we talk about burnout from a leadership perspective, it's often in terms of how to recognize and treat it, both of which are highly important. However, what we want to focus on today takes a more proactive approach to prevent burnout. Especially in times of stress, whether that stress is associated with a work intiative that requires extreme focus and long days for a … [Read more...]
Set Expectations That Employees Fully Understand
"What do you expect?" People say that all the time in an earnest or quizzical way, or sometimes with outright exasperation. However, more often than not, people simply think it without ever taking the extra step to clarify what is expected of them. That leads to mistakes, conflict, shoddy work and productivity losses, because your employees and coworkers ask or think of … [Read more...]
What Do I Do When People Don’t Want to Change?
Joni showed up at her boss Bob’s office more frustrated than he’d ever seen her. Joni was a relatively new supervisor and had been developing well, but on this day, she seemed different. When Bob asked what was wrong, her frustration came out immediately. “What do you do when people don’t want to change,” she asked. Bob smiled and asked her to explain. “You know the new … [Read more...]
Respond Assertively, Not Aggressively
The basic difference between being assertive and being aggressive is how our words and behavior affect the rights and well being of others. - Sharon Anthony Bower 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 … [Read more...]