Michael Hyatt builds a pretty compelling case for why leaders should be voracious readers in his post 5 Ways Reading Makes You a Better Leader, and he is not the only one touting the benefits. Many experts believe that reading is a major key to your success as a leader, and I agree. Reading improves your knowledge and skills, sharpens your mind, helps you to decompress and … [Read more...]
Turn to Employees’ Hobbies to Understand What Motivates Them
As a new leader, it can be tough to figure out how to motivate your employees to perform at a higher level at work. Surprisingly, a good place to start doesn't have much to do with work at all. You can actually look at employees' hobbies and interests to find clues about what motivates them and apply that insight as you assign and delegate tasks. A bit of background first: … [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...]
Stepping In, Stepping Up: How You Can Lead Successful Change
By Lisa Hillenbrand and Ellen R. Auster, authors of STRAGILITY: Excelling at Strategic Changes Change we must, but how? Perhaps you are in a new position. Perhaps your organization is in a state of flux, and you’ve been asked to turn things around. Or maybe you are taking over a new project or leading a new team. So how should you go about leading strategic change and making … [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...]
8 Phrases You Must Stop Using Today
By Jaimy Ford, business writer and editor As we discussed in our recent post "Your Words Are Powerful," you have so much influence over employees' morale, productivity and even happiness. That's why, as a leader, you have to be ultra-careful when you speak to employees. Even seemingly innocent phrases can leave a lasting, negative impression, so do your best to avoid … [Read more...]
Small Innovations Can Be Just as Powerful as Big Ones
By Jaimy Ford, business writer and editor When you step into a new leadership role, you may be determined to leave your mark, and that may drive you to rush and make big—even revolutionary—changes. However, you don't need to make drastic changes to make an impact. "It's easy to be intimidated if you believe you must constantly come up with big, market-disrupting … [Read more...]
FAQ Series: Helping New Leaders Be Successful
Making the transition from co-worker to supervisor is challenging. And whether it's you making the transition or you have new supervisors who are making the transition, I have 4 tips to help anyone navigate this situation more successfully and less stressfully. Check it out in the video below. https://youtu.be/Mc-VeJXt48Q?rel=0&showinfo=0 Tweet it out: One of the best … [Read more...]
FAQ Series: Getting People to Recognize You as the Leader
How do you deal with members of your team that don't recognize you as the new leader? Check out today's video for tips on getting your team on-board with your new role. http://kevineikenberry.wistia.com/medias/xabyiv4vwc?embedType=iframe&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640 Listen to the audio for this episode here: audio If you want people to recognize you as the leader, … [Read more...]