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...]
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...]
4 Ways to Improve Your Communication
If you want to become more effective as a leader, more successful in meetings, or more confident while resolving conflicts, become a better communicator. On the high end of the communication skill spectrum, you find that great leaders — like Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King, Jr — are often great communicators. On the low-end, research indicates that … [Read more...]
New Managers Almost Always Make This Mistake
This article has been submitted by the team at Grapevine Evaluations. Becoming a manager is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication. It’s your time to prove why you deserve this promotion. You’re in the spotlight, and it’s a great deal of pressure. There are many opportunities for you to succeed, although there are just as many chances to fail. You can avoid … [Read more...]
9 Bad Habits to Avoid at Work in 2016
On this blog, we often talk about what you can do to improve employees' negative behaviors. However, today, we're going to make you the focus. Even the best leaders possess work habits that irritate their employees and coworkers, while making them less effective at both their jobs and their ability to lead others. What bad habits are holding you back? "Achieving success … [Read more...]
Important Innovation … or Lipstick on a Pig? 3 Questions to Ask to Decide Which Ideas to Keep and Which to Toss
All organizations want to foster innovation. After all, it's how we grow, improve, delight our customers, and—yes—keep getting paid. In today's rapidly changing global landscape, our ability to come up with new ideas is what keeps us relevant. Yet, all innovations are not created equal. So, how to separate the "WOW!" from the "Eh, not now"? This is a question that … [Read more...]
4 Reasons You Should Stop Setting Goals
We are more than halfway through the year. That means a large percentage of you who set goals for this year have either fallen behind, given up on them, or got distracted and forgot about them. And if you didn't set any goals this year, you're likely no further on your way toward achieving anything either. Today, I'd like to offer a different perspective on goal setting: … [Read more...]
6 Ways to Stay Calm When the Storm of Change Hits
By Jaimy Ford, business writer Change is inevitable. That's for sure. As a new leader, you can expect your fair share of change (upheaval even), and how you handle the turmoil early on can set the tone for the months, or years, ahead. Beverley Jones, MBA, JD, PCC, author of THINK LIKE AN ENTREPRENEUR, ACT LIKE A CEO: 50 Indispensable Tips to Help You Stay Afloat, Bounce … [Read more...]
New Leaders: 5 Misconceptions that Undermine Your Success
By Keith Rollag, author of What to Do When You’re New: How to Be Comfortable, Confident and Successful in New Situations So you’ve been promoted and suddenly find yourself leading your friends, teammates and peers. How should you approach your new role? Over the past 20 years I’ve been studying the new leader experience, trying to understand what leads to new leader … [Read more...]
The 5 Rules of Giving Gifts to Employees
By Jaimy Ford, business writer and editor Are you wanting to take advantage of all the cyber deals and retail sales this week to purchase gifts for people at work? If so, do you fully understand gift-giving etiquette for the workplace? Many first time leaders don't know what is and isn't acceptable when it comes to buying and giving presents to employees. While offering … [Read more...]