Do You Have Direct Reports? You Lead Teams
All leaders, managers, anyone that has someone that reports to them, leads teams which in turn creates team leaders. I say that as a way to reframe how leaders think of themselves. When you think of yourself as a team leader this allows for a completely different lens to view your direct reports. Yes, they…
Read MoreStrategies for Managing Up
Managing up sometimes gets a bad rap. You’re not in elementary school anymore where you might have been made fun of, called a “suck up” or the “Teacher’s Pet.” This is a critical skill set in the corporate world and important to your career and job satisfaction. Whether you have the best manager in the…
Read MoreSummer Brain – How to Shake It Off
Unofficially, when we pass the Labor Day holiday, summer is in the rear-view mirror and fall is ahead. During these COVID-19 times, the workload seems to only get bigger and the days longer. Yet, our attitude shifts a little during summer. We are outdoors more enjoying the weather, vacations/stay-vacations happen, if you have kids, they’re…
Read MoreReady to Get Promoted? Tips to Help
Ready to get promoted? You have decided you want a promotion and are ready for a change and more responsibly. How do you go about getting promoted? Some questions to ask yourself first. Do you think you want to manage people? Are you more of a contributor and don’t want to manage people? Really think…
Read MoreEmployee Recognition During the Pandemic Isn’t Working Anymore
We are 5 plus months into this pandemic and I’m hearing from more and more managers and leaders that the employee engagement/recognition activities originally designed to help keep individuals engaged at the beginning of this pandemic because of working from home are not working anymore. This even applies to those employees that are going into…
Read MoreYou Are Your Own Competition
It always has been you against yourself in this world. In fact, you hold yourself to such a high standard, that you may become exhausted trying to live up to this ideal. We think we can guess what others are thinking or worse worry about what they are thinking, setting us up with assumptions and…
Read More4 Easy Ways to Improve Your Leadership Skills
Whether you are officially a leader in an organization or not, we all use leadership skills in our everyday lives. Here are 4 easy ways to improve your leadership skills no matter your official role. Listen. If you are not asking people questions, you aren’t listening. It is critical as a leader to hear what…
Read MoreHelping Others Succeed is Part of Leading
Helping others succeed is an integral part of leading. Without it, you ultimately don’t succeed. Supporting individuals comes in many forms. An important one is helping them advance in their careers. Some people are very motivated in their advancement, while others are not. Use these suggestions in helping others succeed as part of leading and…
Read MoreHow to Be A Mindful Leader
Let’s start with defining mindful. Merriam-Webster defines mindful as: bearing in mind: aware or inclined to be aware. Another way to think of mindful is showing compassion, being able to see the other’s point of view all while reducing your stress and theirs. When you show up as a stressed leader, that has an effect…
Read MoreTop 10 Characteristics of Highly Effective Leaders
As a leader, you are always on the path of learning and growing, or at least hopefully you are. Adding new skills, fine-tuning ones you know work, and getting rid of those that aren’t working. Leadership characteristics or skills are important parts of your foundation as a leader. Take a look at these top ten…
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