Organizational Structure. Is yours still working for you?

How effective is your current organizational structure? If you haven’t considered that question in a few years, now might be a good time to assess it.  Your organizational structure should assure maximum efficiency and effectiveness, while supporting the accomplishment of big picture strategies and goals. Is it? Three of our clients are revisiting their organizational…

Want to be a great leader? Start here

Have you ever had a boss you considered to be a great leader?  I have, twice.  Over the years I’ve spent time considering what made them great, as compared to others who ranged from ‘absolutely horrible, have no business having authority over other people” to solidly “good”. Of course, there are several characteristics that differentiate great…

Memorial Day: Give Thanks and Have Empathy

It’s Memorial Day, 2016.  Today many will visit gravesites and attend services to honor our service men and women who served and gave it all, as well as those still with us and even serving today.  I hope our veterans and service men and women feel honored today.  I hope they feel appreciated by the…

Joy or Anxiety? Tips for Navigating Change

  I found myself pondering the impact of change  yesterday, while heading home from the last graduation party of the season. I reflected on conversations with graduates, parents, friends and colleagues, about big and small changes, and how they felt as they navigated them. Sometimes strong feelings are fleeting; sometimes they last a lifetime. I…

Rage Building? These 5 Steps Will Calm You Down

Have you ever gotten angry at home? Me too! Rage Builds from time to time – even in conflict resolution specialists. Although I rarely experience external conflict, I am human and I have my moments! Here’s a recent example from my world: I’ve been ready to get rid of the circa 2000, bigger than two…

Results focused or People focused leadership: Which is best?

Over the years, I have noticed leaders – whether just stepping into their roles or seasoned veterans- tend to identify themselves as results focused or people focused. However, what I have learned, witnessed, and experienced, is that to be a great leader one must possess a balance of both results focused and people focused leadership skills….

One Leadership Challenge: Is it skill or will?

Leadership challenge? Nah, It’s great to be a leader – easy in fact! Presiding over your kingdom, all your peeps utilizing their strengths effectively; everyone getting along and collaborating for the best possible outcomes; goals being met ahead of schedule; creative ideas flowing; and all the key stakeholders as happy as they can be. Yep,…

Healthy Work Environment Tip of the Week

Last week we posted about how using nonviolent communication in the workplace can help create a healthy work environment. One tip we offered was to ditch your judgments and focus on objectively observing the instant situation. In other words, be present for what really is.  But how do we do that? Before we give you the…

Creating Synergy at Work

Having trouble creating synergy at your workplace? I hate to break this to you, but it might just be YOU. Many of us don’t take the time to consider how we communicate when conflict arises. Unfortunately, most of us have been trained to speak a language that encourages us to alienate ourselves, through our communication…

Leveraging Resistance

Resistance has the power to derail the best of plans, but acknowledging it with empathy and compassion might just engage the leverage you need to achieve your goals. Like most things in life, resistance has a spectrum. On one end, it shows up as avoidance or maybe a little passive aggressive.  One the opposite end,…

It’s A Great Day to Celebrate!

Great leaders understand organizational success requires commitment to core values and goals; authentic and timely communication; collaboration to identify the best possible action plans, timelines, and solutions; and, they know how and when to celebrate! Indeed, great leaders celebrate! They celebrate the big wins of course, but more importantly, they seek opportunities to celebrate the…

Success Requires Communication

Twenty years ago as a new manager in the insurance industry, I remember being told by a corporate leadership trainer “the key to being a successful manager is Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!” I also remember looking skeptically into the eyes of that trainer and thinking “Really? You are getting paid to tell me I need to…