Our real job is not to chart our own potential, but it’s finding it in others around us. This article is one of a series of stories about ordinary people who have overcome adversity to do great things. Reading or witnessing them do remarkable things can inspire us to bend our potential arc, and others. Today, we will explore the ultimate explorer, Irishman Ernest Shackleton and lessons from his epic voyage to Antartic. […]
Instilling purpose in your employees takes more than motivational talks, lofty speeches, or mission statements. In fact, if overblown or insincere, those methods can backfire, triggering cynicism rather than commitment. To engage, inspire and motivate your employees, keep these two things in mind. Think about ways to show people the impact of their jobs. Perhaps […]
Many Gen Z employees are struggling to be engaged at work. As a manager, how can you earn their engagement? It’s all about creating a team dynamic of collaboration, commitment, and sustained motivation. Helping Gen Z Employees Find Their Place at Work Harvard Business Review […]
One of your core responsibilities as a manager is to develop the next generation of leaders. How can you help your superstar employees fulfill their potential? Here are three strategies. How to Help Superstar Employees Fulfill Their Potential Harvard Business Review […]
We’d all love to work in a vibrant and caring environment in which we are valued as whole people. But how can you, as an individual, contribute to this kind of workplace? Here are some ideas: 4 Ways Every Employee Can Contribute to Company Culture Harvard Business Review […]
In this ‘great resignation” era we all need to work hard to engage and retain the top talent on our teams. One way to motivate employees is to remind them how their job helps others. Employees desperately want to feel engaged. Nine out of 10 people would take lower compensation to do more meaningful work. […]
When undergraduate students connect their life purpose with their career aspirations, they are more engaged in their academic studies. They are also less likely to undervalue their schoolwork, suffer imposter syndrome in their studies and dropout. […]
In hospitals, every study proves that patient care gets better as teamwork gets better. The same goes for the timely precision in an Irish dancing performance, as well as the impact of successful corporate teams. Teamwork isn’t a corporate platitude … it’s a under-valued and under-served necessity! Why is this? Because teams that know how […]
Don’t wait until an employee is already halfway out the door to find out what might’ve convinced them to stay. Instead, regularly check in to make sure your current employees are having a good experience. Here’s how to have these “pro-tension” or stay conversations. First, avoid distractions. To demonstrate how seriously you take the conversation, […]
A challenge for today’s leaders is how to balance employees’ desire for flexibility while ensuring the team remains productive. The good news is that you don’t have to accept a tradeoff between the two if you think differently about when people work together, who works together, and how to share information. First, consider when employees […]
As a manager giving feedback is one of your biggest and most challenging responsibilities — and if you’re working remotely, it’s even harder. How can you update your approach to giving feedback in a WFH world? Here are some key steps to keep in mind :: 1. Start by asking questions. You need to understand […]
Everyone is talking about the “great resignation” era and the threat of losing our top talent. If you’re worried that your employees are eyeing the door, if you haven’t already …. it’s time to start having some important, career-defining conversations with the,. Here are five key questions to ask your direct reports at your next […]
If you work in a place where pandemic restrictions are easing up, and you’re headed back to the office, it may be tempting to get back to “business as usual.” But this is the perfect opportunity to reflect on how you want your team to operate differently going forward. Which new practices do you want […]
Hybrid work is presenting teams — and managers — with a major problem :: The dissolution of work-life balance. As a boss, how can you help your team mitigate the downsides of hybrid, asynchronous work? Here are a few strategies to consider. Rethink daily schedules. Build in breaks between meetings, or during extended ones, so […]
Many teams suffer from “active inertia” — the tendency to seek comfort in the old ways of doing things, even when the world around you is changing. To help your employees meet the moment, there are two techniques you might try. “Persuading Your Team to Embrace Change“ Harvard Business Review […]
Unlocking your team’s creativity can sometimes be a challenge for managers. Here are three common fallacies that might be getting in the way — and how to avoid them. The productivity fallacy: There’s a misperception that equates innovation with decision-making speed. Sometimes, the best ideas require long incubation periods. Resisting the temptation to come to […]
As a hiring manager, there’s one key question you should ask every job candidate: “How do you learn?” Of course, you want to bring in employees with impressive achievements and qualifications, but a person’s future performance will largely be determined by how intentionally and systematically they develop their skills. So spend some time digging into […]
Chances are, most leaders are too focused on having all the answers — and not focused enough on asking the right questions. It’s time to recalibrate. Despite what you might think, expressing vulnerability and asking for help, clarification, or input can be a sign of strength and confidence, not weakness. The right questions are signals […]
The pandemic has shown us how crisis can lead to rapid innovation. Just look at all of the companies that quickly pivoted to curbside pickup or adapted their services to new health regulations. How can a leader help their team retain this agility and sense of urgency even when there’s no crisis? Here are three […]
You can tell what people priorities are by what they allow on their calendars. You can tell a lot by breaking down what fills peoples workdays. Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator, breaks them down into one of two categories :: makers or managers. There are folks who spend most of their day managing either […]