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3 Dysfunctional Thoughts That Are Signs It Will Not End Well with Your Employer
All it takes is one dysfunctional thought to create an unhealthy relationship between leaders and the organizations they serve. Here are 3 dysfunctional thoughts we have seen show up in a variety of contexts, leading to poor outcomes every time. Are any of these present in your thinking?
The Power of Rewards: How Whipped Cream & Other Incentives Can Shape Performance
How can you get an 85-pound, strong willed, powerful dog to listen? All you need is a spritz of whipped cream. Rewards can both enhance and change performance in us humans as well. Here are five ways to unleash the power of rewards in your team.
![CX Part 1: How to Create a Customer Experience Strategy [VIDEO]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/571fc0ea1d07c0fd6d72c167/1622728748462-2UWGDUFDPRPHZU7TGDH3/Customer+Experience+Strategy+Blog.png)
CX Part 1: How to Create a Customer Experience Strategy [VIDEO]
“How likely are you to recommend this to a friend?” If you aren’t asking this question, you are missing out on valuable information about your customer’s experience. Here are four simple steps that will help you create a customer experience strategy with a lasting impact.
What Is Your Purpose? Leadership Lessons from a Seasoned Executive
“What do you do for a living?” This is one of the first questions asked when meeting someone new. We live in a society where our position and purpose matter, but knowing our purpose is not always clear. Here are two lessons from one of our senior consultants, Mark Salyer, MBA, CPA, as he searched for his purpose in his life and work during his 40-year career journey.
Energy Thieves! Protecting Yourself from Those Who Steal Your Energy & Joy
Working with or for someone who is stealing your emotional energy is draining. Here are six suggestions to protect yourself from them.
Energy Thieves! 8 Warning Signs That People Are Stealing Your Emotional Energy
Growing up in my town, we were often on the lookout for thieves who would take your bike, grill, tires, or just about anything. But we need to be aware of a different type of thief in our lives and organizations, the energy thief. Here are eight signs that you may have someone tapping into your emotional energy and zapping your joy - without your permission.
![Meetings: 10 Ways to Make Your Leadership Meetings More Impactful [VIDEO]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/571fc0ea1d07c0fd6d72c167/1620137912197-5MCI31XOQFNX46EHMLLQ/Meetings+Blog.png)
Meetings: 10 Ways to Make Your Leadership Meetings More Impactful [VIDEO]
Meetings can often be timewasters. Here are 10 tips that will save you and your leadership team hours in meetings by improving your productivity and helping you reach decisions faster.
Looking to Hire “Good People”? You May Want to Re-Think Your Expectations
One of the most common phrases we hear is “I can’t find anyone to hire!” Everyone wants “the best,” but there are only so many “bests” to go around. Here's why most employers can't find what they are looking for and three things they should keep in mind during the hiring process.
Want to Influence Others? Touch the Heart. Here’s How.
Jack Hanna, the “animal guy,” has been known for the phrase: “You have to touch the heart to teach the mind.” And this is also true for leadership. If you want to influence those around you, you have to make deep personal connections. Here are 7 ways to do so.
![Leading with a “Clear Head” [VIDEO]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/571fc0ea1d07c0fd6d72c167/1618331335021-W1CWJ9Z9T368TIR7A2O1/Leading+Clear+Head+Blog.png)
Leading with a “Clear Head” [VIDEO]
We all have our own doubts, fears, past experiences, and potential conflicts that have a way of staying in our memories and clouding our minds and decisions. As leaders, we need to clear our heads to be able to lead our team well. Here’s how.
The Leader Who Travels Without A Trusted Guide… Gets Lost: 3 Things to Look for When Choosing a Guide
People use guides for many reasons: hunting, traveling, rafting, etc. But leaders are on a journey too, and it can be worth having a guide assist you in reaching your greatest accomplishments. Here are 3 things to look for when choosing a guide, coach, or consultant.
8 Ways to Move from Brokenness to Resilience
We are living at a time when it feels like most things in the world are broken and difficult to cope with. Here are 8 ways we can help ourselves and those around us to move from the label of “broken” towards greater resiliency.
5 Reasons I Don’t Listen & What to Do About It
“I promise to listen to you if you promise to stop talking!” These words are probably truer than we would like to admit. Listening is HARD. Here are five of the reasons listening is so difficult and what we can do to get better at it.
How to Invest in the Next Generation of Leaders
“It’s the beginning of the end if we do not reach young people.” Today, young people age 10 to 24 make up close to one quarter of the world’s population and will shape the future in dynamic ways. Here are five practical ways to invest in the young people in your life.
![Candor: How to Balance Truth with Care [VIDEO]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/571fc0ea1d07c0fd6d72c167/1614873005027-GPKI4PXCBMWMI0UVEOCX/Candor+Blog.png)
Candor: How to Balance Truth with Care [VIDEO]
Speaking with candor is easier said than done. People can either speak so directly that they forget how it will affect the other person, or they are so compassionate that the meaning of the feedback is lost. Here are helpful tips for balancing both care and confrontation when giving candor and how to receive it well.
50% of All Employees Will Need to Be Re-Skilled by 2025 - What Is Your Plan?
The skills needed for employees to succeed are changing due to disruptions in our culture. One report states that 50% of all employees will need to be retrained in the next five years in specific areas. Here’s what they are.
The Power of Planning: Why a Lack of Planning Results in Pain & What Leaders Can Do About It
“Why do I need to have a plan?” Here are three good reasons: the pandemic, the march on Capitol Hill, and the deep freeze in Texas. There were many contributing factors that produced these crises, but first and foremost was the LACK OF PLANNING. Here are six steps that will help you capture the power of planning for your organization.
![Succession Planning: How to Prepare for Leaders Leaving [VIDEO]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/571fc0ea1d07c0fd6d72c167/1613080225606-SAD95VTUVYXZ3NV8NI8D/Succession+Blog.png)
Succession Planning: How to Prepare for Leaders Leaving [VIDEO]
We are told to prepare for getting hit by the proverbial "bus." But in reality, something far more common may cause a gap in leadership and put our organizations at risk - illness, accident, quitting, or retirement. Here are four steps to help you prepare for succession when a key leader leaves.
Dis-ability or Different-ability? 6 Leadership Lessons from Those Who Are Different
There are about 40 million people in the U.S. living with some type of disability. People with disabilities have extraordinary abilities, or what I call “different-abilities.” Here are six lessons from them that we can apply to our life and leadership.
Building Loyalty: How to Avoid the "25th Amendment" in Your Team
What would happen if our businesses, churches, and nonprofit organizations had the authority to remove their leader? Like on Survivor, would your team vote you off the island? If the answer might be yes, here are seven actions to earn and retain your team’s loyalty.