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.

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.

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 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 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.

A Growth Mindset allows us to see challenges as an opportunity to develop further. Dr. Carol Dweck developed the growth and fixed mindset framework. A growth mindset is the idea that intelligence can be developed and is something that you don’t know yet. This difference in framing can have a powerful impact on success.

SMART Goals is a helpful guide to goal setting with clear objectives. This method encourages businesses to plan for the future for the likelihood of achieving success. Developed in 1981, SMART is an acronym that corresponds with the following: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound. These five criteria provide organizations starting or growing their business, a framework to measure goals.

Appreciative Inquiry encourages us to think about the positive and what is working right. This approach, better known as AI, was first founded in the 80’s. This begins with us starting from a positive core and understanding the best outcome for a situation. The 4 different parts that make up this ideal around appreciative inquiry are discovery, dream, design and destiny. When we tie these together it helps us do more and is a key to success.

This week we are talking about the GROW Model which is a tool used for goal setting and problem solving. The acronym GROW, representing each different component, stands for Goal, Reality, Options and Will. This four-step model is one way that leaders can be able to address situations in their personal or professional lives.

This week we are talking about After Action Review. We can use this as a tool to analyze situations when they have already occurred and conduct a structured review or a debrief of that situation. In facilitating this method, there are a series of 6 types of questions that should be asked during an After Action Review.