And minimize present-day danger within the organization
We often hear company executives talk about the kind of culture they offer their employees. Apple says it has a culture of innovation, Gamestop’s culture revolves around creativity and agility, and GE is known for its results-oriented culture. And, while the above descriptions are focused strictly on performance, there’s an alternative type of culture that’s getting a lot of buzz these days; the learning culture.
According to the Society for HR Management (SHRM), A learning culture “consists of a community of workers instilled with a ‘growth mindset.’ …
As many as 65% of startups fail because of “people problems”
It’s no secret that our leaders make or break our experience at work. Gallup reports that the leader alone accounts for 70% of the variance in global employee engagement. And we know that high engagement leads to more positive outcomes, fewer negative outcomes, and better business results.
This fact alone demonstrates the ROI of teaching managers how to be visionary leaders. And while every company can benefit from an investment in leadership development, doing so is perhaps even more critical for startups.
According to Noam Wasserman, author and professor at Harvard Business School, 65% of startups fail because of “people…
When we have more information, we make better decisions
I have one particular client, a husband and wife team, who often call me when they’re at odds over a business decision and need me to act as a tie-breaker or objective third party before moving forward.
The conversation usually begins with something like, “We’re having a disagreement, and you’re on speaker.”
Oh, good! What could go wrong?
It wasn’t until I read Adam Grant’s most recent book, Think Again, that I realized I was a part of their informal challenge network.
Grant begins the book by defining two different types of conflict; relationship conflict and task conflict. …
And inspire confidence in your potential to achieve great things
I remember the knot in my stomach like it was yesterday. An executive passed me in the hallway on his way to another meeting. “Have you heard about the email your trainee sent to the man in the corner office?” he asked with a smirk.
My heart started racing as my mind slowly began to connect the dots. I had no idea what email he was referring to, but there were two things I did know. First, the man in the corner office was our CEO. …
There’s no such thing.
I facilitated a discussion on workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion a few months back when the topic turned to recruitment. A leader on the call expressed that while she agreed that the organization needed to focus on increasing the employee population’s diversity, she didn’t want to make hiring decisions based solely on race.
Instead, she wanted to hire the “most qualified candidate.”
I paused for a moment, thinking about the implicit biases that dictate the decisions we make each day and how they were sure to infiltrate our individual evaluations of what makes someone the “most qualified candidate.”
“But, how…
You need to find someone — or something — who will.
By most traditional definitions of ‘success,’ I’ve had a pretty successful career since graduating from college. Four years into my first full-time job, I got promoted to Manager, and two years after that, I got promoted again to Director. So, what’s my secret?
I’d be lying to you if I told you that this trajectory was because I was somehow exceptional compared to my peers. The truth is that my ‘success’ was probably due to a combination of hard work and luck.
And when I say ‘luck,’ I mean that I won the best boss lottery.
She made all the…
But it cannot lead them.
Humans have debated the differences between management and leadership for years now. Are they the same? Is one better than the other? And, if so, which do I want to strive to become?
As a talent management consultant, I have had a front-row seat to the impact a team leader can have on his or her team. I’m a big believer that we should all be striving for leadership over management, and the more I learn about predictions for the future of work, the more strongly my conviction to this belief grows.
So, what’s the difference between a manager and…
Is it an issue of skill or a will?
I still remember the first time I hired an employee on my team who wasn’t performing. The temptation to ignore the situation and hope it went away was very real. At the time, it felt so personal as if this employee was doing something to me by failing to meet expectations. Frankly, I remember it feeling a lot like a kick in the gut.
I also remember the choice that my boss gave me in dealing with it.
She told me that I could choose to ignore it, compensate for it, work around it, and accept the toll it will…
