Leadership/LifeSkills Categories

Communication Skills

Art of Persuasion

The essence of communication is the art of persuading or convincing another person or group of people.

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…

The Power of Perception

Perception can distort our intended message.

Platform of Credibility

Credibility gives you, the speaker, an understood platform from which to communicate your ideas.

The Importance of Making Sense

What good is a message if no one can understand it?

Confidence vs. Arrogance

To deliver a successful, credible message, confidence is key. The ability to communicate with confidence rather than arrogance builds credibility.

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.

Creating a Personal Connection

How likely are you to listen to someone if you do not think that person cares much about you?

Demonstrate Active Listening

How do you know when someone is really listening to you and valuing what you say?

Do You Listen Well?

Have you ever been guilty of listening with the intent to reply?

Receiving Feedback

What is your response when someone tells you you could have done something better?

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.

Conflict Resolution

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.

Tools for Resolving Conflict

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”

Preparing for Difficult Conversations

The more you prepare for difficult conversations the more effective you can be.

Responding to Conflict

When you respond to a conflict, keep in mind there are two sides to every story.

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.

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.

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.

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…

To Speak or Not to Speak…

There are times when a conversation is not the best course of action, at that particular time.

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.

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.

Victim vs. Victor Mentality

Do you assume a victor or victim mentality in conflict situations?

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.

DEI: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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.

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 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…

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.

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 3 – Team Civility

Unity, nurtured by intentional civility, characterizes the most effective, productive teams.

Effective Leadership

The Meaning of Leadership

Effective leaders cultivate trust, accountability, communication, and loyalty to build psychologically safe atmospheres for their teams.

Situational Leadership

Maintaining a psychologically safe atmosphere that encourages team members to ask questions or for clarification at any point is key.

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.

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.

Delegation – Resistance

Awareness of potential delegation barriers allows one to resist the temptation to underutilize delegation

Delegation – Strategy

Use delegation to your advantage to utilize your resources and increase productivity for your entire team.

Meeting Preparation

To communicate the value of your team’s time and the meeting itself, carefully consider these essential points in your planning process.

Meeting Facilitation

Have you ever attended a boring meeting? Don’t let your meetings be like those.

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.

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…

Time Management – Planning and Scheduling

Your ability to effectively manage time influences your entire team. Properly utilizing time strengthens productivity as well as performance.

Time Management – Energy Focus

Are you conscious of a certain time during the day you find it hard to focus?

Effective Management

Motivating and Inspiring Your Team

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.

Inspiring Motivation

Lack of motivation is usually not due to lack of potential but to the wrong types of motivators.

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

Value of Accountability

Accountability is one of the most powerful tools for unifying teams and keeping them on track towards the intended goal.

Being Authentic

People are drawn to authenticity and relatability.

Working with Different Generations

What may matter greatly to someone of one generation may be of no concern to someone of another generation.

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.

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.

Establishing Rapport

Rapport is “a close and harmonious relationship in which people understand each other’s feelings and ideas and communicate well.”

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.

EXCEL Coaching Model

Let’s walk through a coaching model based on the acronym, “EXCEL.”

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.

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.

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 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…

Team Building

Characteristics of a Team Player

Different people with different personalities and strengths are what empower teams.

Building Team Accountability

Building team accountability is important. Accountability is the means by which a team stays “on track” and strengthens relationships.

Building Team Communication

Effective communication can be more difficult than one would assume. It has to be proactive and intentional.

Building Team Loyalty

The better team members communicate the more value they convey to each other.

Building Team Trust

Trust is essential for building teams who stand with each other, regardless of inconvenience or difficulty

Instilling Confidence

Confident leaders seek opportunities to build the confidence of those they lead.

Stages of Team Development

Do you know how to take your team from where they are now to a level of high performance?

Stage 1: Forming

In the forming stage, the team is coming together and becoming familiar with the way each member of the team works.

Stage 2: Storming

In the storming stage, team members seek to prove their worth, or value, to the team.

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 4: Performing

When a team reaches the performing stage, they still need an invested leader.

Performance vs. Production

Are you mistaking high-production as high-performance?

Project Aristotle

Google’s Project Aristotle found that psychological safety is one of the leading, if not most influential, characteristics of successful teams.