Communication Skills
Changing Behaviors
Adopting a new skill or habit is hard. It takes committed, deliberate intentionality, and accountability to keep you on track as you move toward your goal.
Receiving Feedback
What is your response when someone tells you you could have done something better?
Do You Listen Well?
Have you ever been guilty of listening with the intent to reply?
Demonstrate Active Listening
How do you know when someone is really listening to you and valuing what you say?
Creating a Personal Connection
How likely are you to listen to someone if you do not think that person cares much about you?
Building Positive Behaviors
Forming habits, such as building positive behaviors, takes effort, energy, and time. Different people need different amounts of time to develop a new habit.
Confidence vs. Arrogance
To deliver a successful, credible message, confidence is key. The ability to communicate with confidence rather than arrogance builds credibility.
The Importance of Making Sense
What good is a message if no one can understand it?
Platform of Credibility
Credibility gives you, the speaker, an understood platform from which to communicate your ideas.
The Power of Perception
Perception can distort our intended message.
Words, Tone, Body Language
We often assume the words we say are what the listener uses to glean the meaning of our message. However, we often forget the listener uses the tone and body…
Art of Persuasion
The essence of communication is the art of persuading or convincing another person or group of people.
Conflict Resolution
Conflict as a Personal Growth Opportunity
The more you prioritize learning from the experience, the more influential you will be when handling future conflicts and difficult conversations.
Victim vs. Victor Mentality
Do you assume a victor or victim mentality in conflict situations?
Right Time and Place for a Difficult Conversation
There is no perfect time to have a difficult conversation, but there are certainly times that are better than others.
Concluding the Conversation
The conclusion of a difficult conversation does not always mean each person fully agrees with the other party’s position in the argument, but it does have to end productively.
To Speak or Not to Speak…
There are times when a conversation is not the best course of action, at that particular time.
How to See Anger for What It Really Is
When someone reacts in anger, it is difficult not to take the offense personally; but your ability to recognize anger for what it really is will increase your influence as…
Identifying Conflict Triggers
People can definitely act difficult but that does not mean they are difficult 100% of the time to everyone with whom they interact.
Detecting Potential Conflict
As a leader, you should make it priority to know those with whom you work, recognize conflict, and deal with it purposefully.
How to Mediate Conflict
It can be challenging to help people navigate through a difficult conversation, to make sure both people feel heard, and to push them towards resolution.
Responding to Conflict
When you respond to a conflict, keep in mind there are two sides to every story.
Preparing for Difficult Conversations
The more you prepare for difficult conversations the more effective you can be.
Tools for Resolving Conflict
“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”
The Truth About Conflict
Conflict is costly if not handled effectively. It has the ability to wreak havoc on those personally involved, on entire organizations, and even on the clients those organizations serve.
Effective Leadership
Time Management – Energy Focus
Are you conscious of a certain time during the day you find it hard to focus?
Time Management – Planning and Scheduling
Your ability to effectively manage time influences your entire team. Properly utilizing time strengthens productivity as well as performance.
The OODA Loop: A Proven Decision-Making Strategy
The OODA Loop focuses on filtering available information and data, putting it into context, and making appropriate decisions, all while acknowledging decisions are dynamic and may need adjusting as additional…
Problem Solving Skills
When people work in close proximity with each other, problems are inevitable. Leaders must know how to manage problem situations and resolve them quickly and effectively.
Meeting Facilitation
Have you ever attended a boring meeting? Don’t let your meetings be like those.
Meeting Preparation
To communicate the value of your team’s time and the meeting itself, carefully consider these essential points in your planning process.
Delegation – Strategy
Use delegation to your advantage to utilize your resources and increase productivity for your entire team.
Delegation – Resistance
Awareness of potential delegation barriers allows one to resist the temptation to underutilize delegation
Delegation – Why and What
Successful delegation requires choosing to appropriately delegate those tasks that support the overall productivity of your team – for individuals as well as the collective team.
Action Centered Leadership
As leaders, our concentrated attention on tasks often obscures our attending to the needs of individuals as well as the overall team.
Situational Leadership
Maintaining a psychologically safe atmosphere that encourages team members to ask questions or for clarification at any point is key.
The Meaning of Leadership
Effective leaders cultivate trust, accountability, communication, and loyalty to build psychologically safe atmospheres for their teams.
Effective Management
Motivating and Inspiring Your Team
Valuing People Part 3 – Creating an Inclusive Environment
No one wants to be excluded. Cultivating an environment where all team members feel affirmed and appreciated for who they are and what they have to contribute builds unified, invested…
Valuing People Part 2 – Psychological Safety
Dynamics play a vital role in the beneficial functioning of any team. Teams with the ability to work well together accomplish significantly more than teams too easily sidetracked by differences.
Valuing People Part 1 – Respect
All people - regardless of who they are, what they do, or where they come from - value respect. Genuine respect can be given freely with practiced intentionally.
Talent Mining
Talent-mining is the process of analyzing the interests, skills, and aptitudes of an individual in order to discover patterns and other information.
EXCEL Coaching Model
Let’s walk through a coaching model based on the acronym, “EXCEL.”
Coaching Tips
Coaching is essential to leading effective teams. Knowing how to best coach each of your team members is foundational in developing optimal performance.
Establishing Rapport
Rapport is “a close and harmonious relationship in which people understand each other’s feelings and ideas and communicate well.”
Psychological Safety
As a leader, it is your job to promote an environment in which your team has the ability to function in this way: psychologically safe.
Working With Everyone – The Question of Trust
There will always be varying levels of trust within a team and building trust takes time and dedication.
Working with Different Generations
What may matter greatly to someone of one generation may be of no concern to someone of another generation.
Being Authentic
People are drawn to authenticity and relatability.
Value of Accountability
Accountability is one of the most powerful tools for unifying teams and keeping them on track towards the intended goal.
Inspiring Excellence
Success is “peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did the best of which you are capable.” - John Wooden
Inspiring Motivation
Lack of motivation is usually not due to lack of potential but to the wrong types of motivators.
Creating a Positive Workplace Culture
Promoting a psychologically safe workplace culture that enriches internal cohesion by prioritizing inclusion should be of utmost importance to you and your entire team.
Team Building
Shifting the Culture 3 – Team Civility
Unity, nurtured by intentional civility, characterizes the most effective, productive teams.
Shifting the Culture 2 – Fact vs. Fiction
No single group in society is ever completely right or wrong. The truth usually lies somewhere in-between extreme opinions. Finding the truth requires individuals to do their own research and…
Shifting the Culture 1 – Culture of Civility
According to a recent 2019 study, 93% of Americans claimed workplace civility is a problem in America. Sixty-eight percent claimed it to be a major problem.
Project Aristotle
Google’s Project Aristotle found that psychological safety is one of the leading, if not most influential, characteristics of successful teams.
Performance vs. Production
Are you mistaking high-production as high-performance?
Stage 4: Performing
When a team reaches the performing stage, they still need an invested leader.
Stage 3: Norming
As a team committed to a problem-solving mentality begins to work together compatibly, it moves from the storming stage into the norming stage.
Stage 2: Storming
In the storming stage, team members seek to prove their worth, or value, to the team.
Stage 1: Forming
In the forming stage, the team is coming together and becoming familiar with the way each member of the team works.
Stages of Team Development
Do you know how to take your team from where they are now to a level of high performance?
Instilling Confidence
Confident leaders seek opportunities to build the confidence of those they lead.
Building Team Trust
Trust is essential for building teams who stand with each other, regardless of inconvenience or difficulty
Building Team Loyalty
The better team members communicate the more value they convey to each other.
Building Team Communication
Effective communication can be more difficult than one would assume. It has to be proactive and intentional.
Building Team Accountability
Building team accountability is important. Accountability is the means by which a team stays “on track” and strengthens relationships.
Characteristics of a Team Player
Different people with different personalities and strengths are what empower teams.
Working Remotely
Guidelines: Tips for Online Meetings – Part 2
It is important to adequately prepare before a meeting as well as follow these guidelines / tips for online meetings.
Preparation: Tips for Online Meetings – Part 1
In the ever-expanding world of technology, meeting remotely has never been easier. In order to conduct effective online meetings, here are a few preparation tips for online meetings and webinars.
Coming Back from COVID: Disinfecting Your Work Facility
In anticipation of Shelter-in-Place orders lifting soon, plans to slowly reopen businesses are underway. Consequently, an important part of this is disinfecting your work facility.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Prevention
With the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), we must use preventive measures, proactively, in order to avoid the illness.
Coping with Quarantine
In this unprecedented time, when life as we knew it has completely shifted, coping with quarantine is a critical life skill.
Working Remotely – Part 3
Knowing how to use breaks productively as well as anticipate distractions will enhance your ability to work successfully from home.
Working Remotely – Part 2
Both communication and collaboration are a top priorities for the office, and even more important when working remotely.
Working Remotely – Part 1
Working from home can be a great alternative to the office setting, as long as you have a strategy and implement a plan.