Enjoy our collection of blog posts, articles, and resources!
Blog Posts
Effective communication stands as the cornerstone of successful leadership, especially for senior executives who are responsible for guiding organizations towards their vision. It is a dynamic skill that enables leaders to articulate a clear vision, inspire and motivate their teams, and build strong relationships with stakeholders.
It’s hard to find a one-trait-fits-all for leadership. None are always effective, and no one trait works the same in every situation. In the right hands, most approaches or skills can be highly impactful for a leader who truly understands their potential and can modify their approach to the situation at hand. However, when traits are misinterpreted or used incorrectly, they can have unintended consequences to the team and organization's detriment.
When working with clients, I often get asked to break down the difference between Leadership, leadership, Leader, and leader. While it may seem on the surface to be mere capitalization or semantics, we learn and ascribe key differences to each of these terms that it’s important to unpack.
Leadership is not about controlling or having more power than those below you in the corporate environment. In many cases, a leader who abuses their power over their team and organization will inevitably build a poor reputation within the industry. This can be demonstrated through high turnover, low retention, or difficulty filling open positions.
When leading an organization or place of business, the leadership methods in place must be as effective as possible and work fluidly. To employees, compensation, being respected, and proper management are critical, and these factors should be handled with the appropriate leadership style. With the right models in place, effective leadership can ensure that employees are motivated and productive, leading to better results for the organization.
Organizational knowledge is a powerful tool that can be used to reach professional goals without having to rely on formal power. It is the collective wisdom and understanding of the organization, including its people, processes, and procedures. By understanding organizational knowledge, individuals can identify areas for improvement, find solutions to challenges, and facilitate successful change initiatives that can help teams reach their goals.
It isn't uncommon for a business to use collected data to make vital business decisions, hopefully propelling the company forward. Upper management generally makes these decisions, but if they aren't educated on how the frontline operates, they may not be fully equipped to analyze the data correctly. This can lead to a misstep in decision-making, which can hurt the business in the long run.
I recently revisited the work of Kouzes and Posner and I’ve been considering the different meanings the simple title can take on. Is it the challenge (difficulty) of being a leader? Is it the challenge (opportunity) that we accept in becoming a leader? Is it the delicate balance of becoming, being, and evolving as a leader to the changing needs of our team, organization, and industry?
Working for a difficult boss can be frustrating, but it doesn't have to be untenable. Although your boss won't change their ways, there are steps you can take to manage the relationship and set yourself up for success on the job.
Whether you're trying to make small changes to your routine, moving across the country, or starting a new career opportunity, varying levels of change will always come with their own set of challenges. Sometimes it comes unexpectedly, and in other cases, you are the one implementing the change into your own life. However, as we’ve seen in the past months, sometimes change is forced upon us.
In business, calculating the ROI, or return on investment, is a key indicator of the success of a product or service. What is the cost of delivering that product or service and what is the return on that investment in cost…
Lately I’ve been working with a lot of organizations across multiple industries and the question is the same. Can you help us with our teams? Something isn’t working and we think that you can help…
When you think of leadership, how would you define a good leader? Many of us would use performative traits like: strong communication, excellent people skills, or being skilled in leading others toward and completing a common goal. While these are all things we hope to see on a leader’s resume, what would we want to see behind the scenes?
As a leader, one of the hardest things is having to stand behind an organizational decision that you disagree with. Perhaps it's having a different opinion about a big step forward or the frustration of always being five steps behind the competition. Over the pandemic I have frequently been hearing from leaders who are disappointed and even frustrated with their senior leadership.
We are all well trained at problem solving. From an early age at school we are encouraged to use deductive reasoning, use critical thinking, and brainstorm new ideas to address problems that we encounter. This recurring and consistent training reinforces a deficient based mindset where we focus on what’s wrong, what’s missing, or what's bad.
John Maxwell said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
Employees look to their leaders for inspiration and guidance to get things done. Leaders should be beacons who illuminate the path to triumph and success. That said, leaders can only perform their duties effectively if they possess good leadership skills.
Good communication is one of the most vital leadership skills that any boss can possess.
Occasionally, I'll meet with an experienced professional who is hesitant about including some of their prior experience on their resume or talking about it in an interview. This could be experience from a prior career in a different industry, maybe something they did 5 to 10 years ago, or a small business that they run outside of their full-time career. I can appreciate the concern of including things that on the surface may not seem relevant to an employer. However, I firmly believe that your unique professional experience is what makes you stand out from the crowd.
Pre-pandemic, most of our meetings were in person; however, once the pandemic arrived, this scenario flipped 180 degrees to where the majority of meetings were being held over applications like Zoom, Teams, and Webex overnight. While it may seem that only the modality of the meeting changed, we also lost something very important along the way: travel time.
Please stop speed networking! It's not that I don't like meeting new people or the adrenaline rush of trying to do the impossible quickly. I love meeting new people and getting to know their story, their interests, and their hopeful destinations. I also enjoy experiences where I'm challenged to do difficult things in unusual ways. However, networking is not the time to be speedy.
Currently, 65% of American’s aged 45 and under rank organizational culture ahead of remuneration on their checklist for selecting employment opportunities. Personally, I favor a mixed culture approach – where there is a high degree of collaboration between employees – and where creativity and individuality are celebrated and encouraged.
If you took some of the world’s most successful leaders and dropped them all into completely new situations, some would be able to pivot while others simply wouldn’t (as the pandemic has readily shown us).
Successful leaders set up systems of accountability that apply to everyone, including themselves. They take responsibility for their actions and the consequences that occur as a result. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “to err is human.” It would be irrational for any leader to expect perfection from their staff or themselves personally. In my experience, successful leaders don’t dwell on mistakes. Instead, they focus on developing action plans to mitigate the consequences of their mistakes.
Organizational culture is the personality of your organization. Culture is made up of the attitudes and core values that the organization holds dear and stands firm to. It trickles from the top down and is often reinforced through company policies and ethos. Organizational culture plays a large part in establishing the working environment your people operate within, so it has a direct impact on the well-being and productivity of employees.
When you hear the word “leader”, certain expectations come to mind. We look to our leaders for guidance and inspiration, which means they wield a great deal of influence. However, since not every leader is an effective leader and how do you spot ineffective leadership? And even if you’ve seen it, you may not immediately recognize what those traits are.
Consistency is important for anyone in a leadership position. Where your values are concerned, you can’t be moving the goalposts back and forth. However, when you’re leading people in an individual or team setting, you have to be willing to adapt the way you lead in order to get the best out of your people.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Money often costs too much.” In today’s world, it takes a lot more than a periodic pay rise to keep employees happy and motivated at work. It seems like many employees have taken Emerson’s words to heart. More than ever before, they’re leaving high paying jobs in search of more fulfilling work. Organizations everyday run the risk of losing skilled labor to their competitors if they don’t offer the right motivation to their employees.
If you're like most job seekers, your job search happens while you're already at work. It probably starts, or restarts, on a really bad day. Maybe that project you have is just not getting traction, or perhaps your boss or coworkers are not the nicest bunch to be around, or maybe you’ve realized (or re-realized) that your organization is crumbling at the seams.
I recently shared a Harvard Business Review podcast titled Why Technical Leaders Make Great Managers and the response was notable. And I'm not surprised at all. When I speak with experienced professionals, one of their most common frustrations is that their managers have no idea what they actually do.
We recently re-watched Hamilton in my house and it got me thinking about mentorship and sponsorship in organizations. There is no shortage of business literature sharing the benefits of having mentoring relationships throughout your career.
Recently I attended a Women in Leadership Roundtable and one of the presenters had an insightful perspective. She shared how sometimes as women we feel like we need to justify why we belong at the table that we've been invited to. Instead we should be focusing on what is the value we provide now that we're there.
Podcast Episodes
This week on the podcast, Sara discusses Strength Based Assessments. This is an assessment tool that measures what a person is already doing well. Keeping in mind their unique strengths and capacities. The idea is to use these benefits of what people already do well to be able to enable them to do more. Not only as individuals but as a part of teams.
In this special consultant episode of the podcast, Sara brings on Kristen, founder of KM Career Coaching and Consulting. Listen to their conversation surrounding the potential impact of career coaching across the spectrum of employment. They discuss some misconceptions and benefits to career coaching. The unique opportunity of having a coaching experience helps professionals move forward no matter where they are in their careers.
This week Sara provides some recent leadership research provided by O.C. Tanner to understand if managers actually knew what employees were interested in. 79% of leaders reported they had a good sense of understanding of what their employees want, while less than half of employees identified with that. What does this mean for people that sit in a leadership position in an organization? How does one best support their team while still getting essential tasks done?
This week Sara brings on Jaclyn, a customer success manager at an open source software company. They discuss how feedback should be paired with empathy and curiosity while also having the best intentions. It’s easier to have constructive or corrective conversations when establishing credibility and building a relationship first.
This week Sara gives us a Business Bite on Gantt Charts and Project Timelines. Project timelines help us think about dates that are critical. A Gantt chart is typically a horizontal representation of a project with line items and overlapping bars, showing how long each task is going to take. It’s important to know how much work and dependencies need to be done in which order. By using a Gantt chart, effort and duration can be reflected.
This week we are joined by Sarah Eppink, principal and founder of Aisling Group. Sara and Sarah dive into the practice areas of leadership, talent development, and coaching. They discuss how the boundary lines have shifted since COVID and how many leaders are adapting to the challenges.
This week Sara gives a special feature episode of Research Revealed! This is where she provides the latest research on team effectiveness, leadership development, and organizational behavior. In this new episode, Sara reveals leadership research from O.C. Tanner on shifts in current responsibility since the pandemic. How do these results affect operations?
This week Sara talks with Liz, professor of environmental history. Hear their approach to conversations surrounding meaningful feedback, that is encouraging and promoting growth. They discuss the distinctions of gauging the type of feedback that needs to be given in different situations. What works for someone may look different with another person.
This week, Sara shares a business bite with us on Emotional Intelligence Assessments. A unique component that demonstrates how well an individual regulates emotions effectively. She shares the depths of Self Assessments, 180 Assessments and the 360 Degree Assessments. These can effectively develop tools to improve competency overtime.
This week Sara gives a special Consultant Insights episode you’ll hear from another coach and consultant, who specializes in leadership development and communication strategy. In this episode Sara welcomes, founder and CEO of Minerva’s Legacy , Dani! They dive into the complexities of working with a range of clients as well as the importance of developing a communications strategy with teams. Listen to the full conversation and learn more about developing leaders on your team.
This week Sara presents a special feature called Research Revealed! Providing you with the latest research on team effectiveness, leadership development, and organizational behavior. In this brand new episode, hear research findings on how trust is shown in organizations. How can leaders improve the way employees perceive trustworthiness?
In this episode of “Can I Offer You Some Feedback?” Sara brings on Pat, an Operations Director and Life Coach! They talk about remaining open to receiving an observation from someone and in doing so, making the other person feel comfortable to provide the feedback.
This week Sara gives a Business Bite on the DECIDE Model. Originally coined in the healthcare space, this business model is an acronym for activities needed in the decision making process. The DECIDE Model is simple yet designed to help us think about solution creation and executing the solution in mind.
This week Sara talks with Kerry, head of HR at a Social Services Agency. They discuss the importance of providing and responding to feedback that moves the conversation forward. Rooting feedback in curiosity and understanding, while also being specific. Having the necessary conversations with vulnerability and bravery. Want more feedback conversations?
This week Sara shares a decision making tool called, Fist to Five. This technique is a way to get consensus or quickly gain feedback from others in a meeting or a group setting. Using hands and fingers to show a level of agreement or disagreement to a statement. This is easy to implement, while giving the opportunity for clarity on what needs to be resolved.
This week Sara welcomes Rita who is a digital fabrication education consultant. They talk about providing feedback organizationally and in the education system. When taking the time to break down how to approach feedback alongside someone and not from above them. It’s a process that we might not get right the first time, but are in this together.
This week Sara shares a Business Bite with us on Interpreting Organizational Language. When thinking about learning a new language, there is a structure behind it. The same is true when going into a new organization. When trying to understand the concepts and rules, the context and word choice matters. It’s important to seek out understanding to make sure all parties are on the same page and using the same words.
This week Sara welcomes Amanda, she’s an executive director of an LGBT chamber of commerce. They talk about being open to a conversation of feedback that comes with uncertainty. Debriefing, decompressing and thinking of the language around getting to what needs to be said. How can we approach feedback? What skills are put into place to reach that space of meaningful feedback?
This week Sara gives a Business Bite on Cost of Difficult Behavior or conflict in the workplace. On the surface level, of course there are short term effects of not dealing with challenging behavior. It can be consequential for an organization to ignore this. It’s important to consider the implications that could manifest in the short, medium and long term, as a result of leaving conflict ignored.
This week Sara welcomes Registered Dietitian and Health Coach Divya to the conversation! They talk about distilling the most important information in reacting to receiving feedback. While the feedback should be providing assistance and support for professional development and growth. It’s imperative to understand the why behind the improvement and provide guidance to make important changes, by using examples and recommendations.
This week Sara provides another Business Bite on Influencing Others. She shares three different ways to influence or make appeals: logical appeals, emotional appeals, and co-operative appeals. Each speaks to a different part of us such as our head, heart and hands. Consider each of these perspectives when engaging with the other party to make an appeal that is most effective for them.
This week Sara is joined by Khaliah who is a Director of Policy at a Health System and a Professor of Nursing. They talk about the preparation of providing feedback to others to level set a crucial or critical conversation. Being upfront, candid and very clear so feedback is not a journey of surprise.
This week Sara provides a Business Bite with us on Intent vs. Impact when it comes to leaders. It’s important to think about the intentionality around leaders, but it is also essential to consider the impact of the decisions being made. The difference comes down to feedback, and getting information from others to gauge how one is actually doing.
This week Sara brings on Adrianne who is an Associate Dean of Equity and Belonging. They talk about resonating feedback with a cord that already exists within yourself. Rather critical or encouraging feedback, it’s like putting a mirror right in front of you and having those “aha!” moments.
This week Sara shares a Business Bite with us about De Escalation. She describes a 5 stage process for understanding where someone lies along the lines of escalating behavior. Confusion, Frustration, Blame, Anger and Hostility. Usually no one intends to escalate someone's behavior. It’s important at the moment to look at each stage and the appropriate steps to take, to best support that person going forward.
In this episode of Can I Offer You Some Feedback Sara brings on Jeff! As the President of an Independent Marketing Strategy Firm, he shares how the shifts of feedback in different leadership roles. Juggling the changing nature of feedback and figuring out what works for success when either providing individual or team feedback.
This week Sara delivers a bite about Project Management constraints. Scope, Cost and Schedule. The idea is that all three triple constraints can not co-exist when trying to have a successful project. It’s important to make choices about what elements are most important. Sara introduces additional options to consider like risks, resources and quality.
This week Sara is joined by Director of Advancement, Kayla! She has a tiny cocktail brewing of perfectionism and excitement around feedback. They discuss the unknowns of feedback delivered and how to understand your audience and tailor the message coming across.
This week Sara talks about Rational Detachment, a clinical term, but one she uses often when talking about de-escalating situations or trying to stay calm. Using this skill helps to separate our emotions from an event. She talks about the ability to use this in a leadership context.
This week Sara brings on Rene, Founder of a product innovation firm with extensive training and experience in industrial design. They discuss the joys and challenges of giving and receiving feedback. It can be challenging not to look at feedback with an anxious eye. It’s important to have context and do the information gathering to make feedback impactful.
Power is a goal that many strive to gain. In a workplace, people have different levels of power. Leaders may use their power in a variety of ways, and informal leaders in an organization may also exert power in other ways. But what exactly is power? What kind of impact does it leave, and how does it connect with opportunity and responsibility?