I remember the first time I lost my cool as a leader. I actually raised my voice out of frustration to a team member. Was a new leader with tremendous responsibility and managing several critical business issues through my team. Pressure from my leadership and external customers felt overwhelming. My team was having conflict internally and with our customer. When I lost control and actually had an out of body experience seeing myself out of control, I immediately realized it was all avoidable. I had not been prepared or even took on accountability to prepare myself for conflict as a new leader. I had coached others on this topic, but did not internalize it myself. Let me help you not make my mistake.

Strained relationships between employees and executives cause up to 80% of workplace conflict, according to a study by the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management. As a leader, you play a major role in helping your team to work smoothly together.

Teams usually bring together ind...

Are you about ready to scream at the top of your lungs about team members that are wonderful "push backers"? But it has gotten out of hand. Lets talk.

Unless you’re a low-key despot, chances are that you don’t enjoy telling others what to do or reprimanding them. You probably don’t like being called out yourself and you might even question your right to tell anyone else what they’re doing wrong.

Kudos to you if you feel that way! You have what it takes to be a good leader! It’s the power-mad despots that make for terrible leaders and who eventually tend to come unglued.

But while it’s not a good thing to take pleasure in enforcing your will, it’s also not useful to bury your head and pretend that everyone can just get along nicely. That’s not how the world works, unfortunately.

The truth of the matter is that authority invites challenge. When you place yourself in a position of authority, others will be naturally encouraged to challenge that authority. 

And that means:

• Sometime...

Feedback is one of the most valuable things a business leader can give. To underestimate the impact of a leader's process or ability to give feedback is a weakness. Continuous feedback is a minimum expectation in most cultures today. We train and coach on this right up front for Sr Executives and new leaders. Everyone's ability to give feedback can always be improved.

Constructive feedback in the workplace helps us to understand what we’re doing right and where we need to improve. When feedback is positive, it acts as a source of inspiration and motivation.

We get the reassurance of knowing that we’re taking the right steps towards success.

When feedback is negative, it can be worrisome initially, but it’s also a fantastic opportunity for growth. Negative feedback, when given effectively, shows us the things that we need to work on in a supportive, and insightful way. It means we can become better at what we do in the long-term.

Learn more about why you might want to give more feed...

We all have that manager or leader that just stinks at giving negative feedback or waits until the yearly performance review to give it all at once. We train leaders to be giving constant feedback as a habit and culture within their team and company. The more it is given it just becomes feedback and not negative or positive as a label. With that in mind, there is still a way to posture and communicate well negative feedback. 

Negative feedback – it’s never something you look forward to giving as a leader.
However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it. Although it’s difficult to say negative things about your employees’ work, it’s worth remembering that your staff can only thrive if you give them direction.

Negative feedback is a method of giving your team members the tools they need to improve and get better at their jobs.

According to one study, 83% of employees say they appreciate both positive and negative feedback.

So, how do you give criticism in a way that’s positive and b...

Yes motivation is your job as a leader. Many leaders I have coached, trained, and lead struggle with motivation. We become so focused on getting the work done, we fail to zoom out to see how we are doing the work that is getting done. Is the work sustainable and bringing out the best in the team? 

As a manager, your job will be easier if you know how to motivate your team. Employees who care about their work will be more resilient, innovative, and productive.

However, you may have a long way to go. According to the latest Gallup report, 51% of employees are disengaged in the workplace and 13% are actively disengaged.

The challenge may be even greater when you add in the new demands of remote and hybrid teams. The Harvard Business Review cites a study that found motivation dropped 17% when employees had no choice in shifting to working at home.

What can you do to inspire more positivity, and keep discouragement from spreading?

Try this proven formula for boosting your team’s motiva...

Before we go further. Number one rule I use with my leaders when it comes to humor. If you have to ask if it is appropriate, you have your answer. OK, now that we have that established, we can continue.

What qualities do you look for in a leader? You’d probably expect them to be powerful, charismatic, and decisive. However, you might overlook the value of being funny.

Research shows that humor has many benefits in the workplace, including drawing team members closer together, reducing stress, and increasing productivity.

The truth is most employees need a little cheering up. While the average four-year-old laughs about 300 times a day, they're down to three chuckles by the time they turn 40.

On the other hand, there are limits. You know you’ve gone too far if you make someone cry or you choose Michael Scott for your role model.

Effective leaders know how to use humor to their advantage. Join their ranks by studying these tips for remaining professional while you tap into your funn...

 These days, you may encounter many rejections during your job search. Regardless of the number of openings being promoted and in the media it takes time to find the next role. Every opportunity you have gotten in the past was through a path of many "Nos"...many rejections. The key is to take each rejection and put it back into your process of moving forward.

Thought it was a good time to share some insights we have on rejection in the job search process.

First...Take care of your personal wellbeing and keep your hunt on track by following these tips.

Steps to Take for Your Personal Wellbeing

1. Face your feelings. Getting turned down may trigger difficult emotions such as anger or anxiety. Figure out what troubles you most. It might be mainly economic pressures or doubts about your abilities. This will guide you to the individual solutions you need.
2. Seek support. Talk to other jobseekers. You may wind up exchanging valuable leads while you help each other feel better. Let family a...

In my 26 years of experience, I have had leaders that inspired and others that simply direct (boss). There’s a big difference between being a boss and being a leader. Anyone can be a boss, responsible for guiding their team and assigning tasks to different members of staff. But it takes something special to be a true leader.

A genuine leader inspires their team and motivates them to accomplish amazing things.

Effective leaders get to know their employees, so they can understand their strengths and weaknesses. This allows for effective delegation and increases the chances of each employee achieving personal and professional goals with the assistance of that leader.

If you’re working to become a more effective leader for your team, the key to success begins with inspiration. Here are some ways that you can motivate and inspire your people.

1. Set Clear Targets

Employees need to know what they’re working towards to ensure that they’re on the right path. As a leader in your organizati...

Leadership begins in the mirror as the saying goes. In all our training and coaching of leaders, we start with self awareness and reflection work. 

As a leader, it is important to have a strong self-image. You need to know who you are and what you stand for and be authentic in your interactions with others. It is also essential to have a good work ethic and be relentless in pursuing goals. These are just some things that will help you cultivate a better self-image as a leader.

Here are some of the ways you can cultivate a better self-image as a leader:

1. Understand your brand and what makes you unique. When you understand your brand as a leader, it helps you create a strong and unique identity.

● Here are some of the reasons understanding your brand as a leader is important: It helps you to be authentic in everything you do.

● When you know who you are and what you stand for, it’s easier to be real in your dealings with people. It allows you to develop a steadfast work ethic. It ...

No matter if you are in a leader position of individual contributor, you will and have dealt with self sabotage;. From my experience working with top executives. middle management, new leaders, and teams individuals for years, sabotage has to do with a general fear of failing. It may sound counter, but we self sabotage because we are afraid of failing. Yes we set ourselves up for failure even though that is not the outcome we want. Why? Because we would rather be our own demise. Be in control of our failure. 

Self-sabotaging beliefs are insidious thoughts that tell you that you’re not good enough, can’t do it, or are not worthy of success. They can manifest themselves in various ways, such as procrastination, self-doubt, and perfectionism.

In this article, we’ll explore what self-sabotaging beliefs are, how to identify them in yourself, and how to deal with them when they pop up. We’ll also look at some prevention techniques so that these beliefs don’t sabotage your life and preve...