In this week’s Business Bite, Sara discusses the PDSA cycle – a powerful method for continuous improvement and problem-solving. Discover how this framework, developed by Dr. Walter Schuhart, can transform your business processes.
Read More
In this episode, Sara interviews Carrie Aguilar, a coach and consultant specializing in tech startup sales strategy. Carrie shares her background in tech sales and her experience in managing and training sales teams. They discuss the challenges of remote work and the importance of trust but verify in managing sales teams. Carrie emphasizes the need for a sales strategy in startups and the importance of understanding the problem the product solves. They also discuss the importance of delivering honest feedback and the impact of having a deliberate sales strategy in a startup environment.
Read More
In this episode, Sara discusses the importance of leaders being able to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty in today's rapidly evolving business world. She shares three steps to foster this ability in organizations: developing agility and adaptability, fostering a culture of innovation and learning, and enhancing communication and transparency. Sara also provides questions for self-assessment and strategies to help teams navigate change and remain productive. By focusing on these steps, leaders can enhance their teams' capability to thrive in uncertain conditions and guide organizations through complexity.
Read More
In this new episode of Can I Offer You Some Feedback, Sara brings on Courtney, a program development manager at a nonprofit. They discuss their initial reactions to feedback, preferences for giving and receiving feedback, and the importance of empathy and meaningful feedback. Courtney shares examples of receiving feedback in a remote work setting and emphasizes the need to check biases when giving feedback. They also discuss the importance of leading by example and creating a culture of feedback within teams.
Read More
This week Sara gives us a new Business Bite on mind mapping. A visual diagramming technique used to represent different words, ideas, tasks, and concepts branching out from a central idea. It was first popularized by Tony Buzan in the 1960s as a way to enhance memory and creativity. Mind mapping can be used for project planning, brainstorming, and problem-solving. Two key considerations when starting with mind mapping are identifying the central idea and using colors and images to enhance visualization. Mind mapping can help organize information, make connections more apparent, and stimulate creative thinking.
Read More
In this episode, Sara interviews Ginny Nemchick, a principal consultant of people operations, about the challenges and changes in HR and people operations in the past four years. They discuss the impact of COVID-19 on workplaces, the importance of values alignment, and the need for clear policies and practices. Ginny shares examples of clients who are successfully implementing positive changes and offers insights on delivering hard-to-hear feedback. They also discuss the value of investing in people operations and the role of external consultants in providing a fresh perspective.
Read More
In this episode of Research Revealed, Sara discusses the importance of developing human-centric skills in leaders. The shift towards valuing skills such as empathy and emotional intelligence highlights a trend towards more collaborative and inclusive organizational cultures. Embracing these skills is crucial for effective leadership and managing change.
Read More
In this new episode of Can I Offer You Some Feedback, Sara talks to an HR manager Jenn. They discuss feedback as a tool for personal improvement. Preferring to be the receiver of feedback, Jenn emphasizes the importance of timely and impactful feedback. She believes that creating a culture of feedback and modeling it at the highest levels is crucial.
Read More
Kaizen is a Japanese word coming back to the meaning of improvement. As a management philosophy, it refers to a set of practices aimed at continuously improving processes, products, and services by making small, incremental changes. Essentially, it's what are the small steps we can take over time instead of large, big sweeping changes all at once.
Read More
In this Consultant episode, Sara talks with George, a consultant and coach specializing in HR and DEI consulting. They discuss DEI practices, the importance of mental health in the workplace, and the role of feedback in leadership development. George shares his approach to coaching and training, emphasizing the need for leaders to create a safe and inclusive environment for their employees. They also discuss the power of networking and building relationships in the HR and DEI space.
Read More
This week, Sara shares some research on the challenge of employee turnover and provides three steps that leaders can take to address it. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the reasons behind turnover and tailoring strategies to address them. Learn to measure the effectiveness of these strategies and focus on tactics that make a difference. The goal is to create a more committed workforce and retain valuable talent.
Read More
Discover how to make feedback a positive experience in the latest episode of “Can I Offer You Some Feedback?”! Featuring the insightful Otto, a fundraising and development officer for a large nonprofit and a former real estate broker owner. Otto introduces a refreshing take on delivering constructive criticism with kindness and intention. Timing is everything! Sara and guest, emphasize the importance of allowing feedback to breathe. Learn how to balance immediacy with thoughtful reflection in your feedback conversations.
Read More
Sara shares a brand new Business Bites on Decision Matrix Analysis: a systematic approach to making complex business decisions. It involves scoring options against predefined criteria and creating a weighted total to determine the best choice.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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?
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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?
Read More