One of the best ways to increase employee engagement is with 1:1 Check-ins. However, 1:1 Check-ins are one of the most dreaded and least thought about tools in the engagement toolbox. Let's talk about making check-ins more effective, efficient, and valuable.
Read MoreWhen hearing empathy discussed, it is mostly in terms of meeting someone where they are at when they are experiencing distress. But I find positive empathy even more intriguing because of the benefits to both parties. Researchers suggest that people who practice positive empathy build stronger bonds with those around them and are more open to engaging and connecting in positive ways.
Read MoreIf you and those around you aren’t clear on where you’re going, how can you possibly get there? Follow my top tips to help you make your 2023 goal setting easier, and clear enough so you can take action. These strategies work for both individual goals and for organizational goals.
Read MoreWhen you are intentional about learning tools and strategies to become predictable, it’s a gift to those around you and yourself. There’s no more drama and chaos, and less shame and guilt, that unhealthy predictability can create. And you are showing those around you another pathway to deal with life and work pressures.
Read MoreManagement tools and worker engagement strategies that have been used in the past are just no longer effective. Yet most of my clients continue to try and deploy them. Change is hard, I get that. Still, change is critical. My forward-thinking client recognizes this for the crisis that it is.
Read MoreThe NCD mantras are the principles of Navigating Challenging Dialogue®. Each mantra is a simple saying that acts as a reminder to let the NCD Process guide you. The more you practice the mantras, the more they will be integrated into how you show up as a communicator who listens, is empathetic, and holds space for others to be fully seen and heard.
Read MoreI was having a conversation recently with a leader of a large institution who was wondering what changes must be made to lead and develop people who are newly entering the workforce. Do younger generations who are potential or emerging leaders need more consistent and direct feedback than ever before? Or have we all always needed more consistent and direct feedback, but it wasn’t a part of what leadership considered important?
Read MoreEven if you aren’t in a leadership position, you have a leadership presence. You get to choose what that leadership presence is. So why not choose a presence that instills confidence?
Read MoreLeadership presence is your ability to command a room, communicate with charisma, and engage others to follow you. It is the brand that you are known for as a leader. It is what others say about you and think of you when you are not in the room. When you are someone who has authority or power over others, your presence extends far further than the physical space you occupy.
Read MoreIf you haven’t heard of Quiet Quitting by now, you will soon. I’m all for this! 100%. But I don’t love the term quiet. I believe this movement needs to be loud. Both employers and employees need to have difficult, messy, loud, healthy dialogue. Even healthy conflict perhaps. Because that’s how change happens.
Read MoreChronic complainers are exhausting. They deplete the energy of everyone around them. The challenge is that they often don’t see themselves as complainers. But nevertheless, a chronic complainer must be dealt with before they bring down an entire team. Chronic complainers are not looking for advice or alternative suggestions. Anything you offer that contradicts their powerlessness, or recognition of their hardship, will be rejected.
Read MoreGossip is something we face everyday. It is alive in nearly every workplace, friendship, and family. How we deal with gossip is a key driver in creating the kind of culture we desire in these complex systems and relationships. If you are someone who wishes work culture was more positive and valuing, and you aren’t setting strong boundaries around gossip, you are part of the problem.
Read MoreGossip is an attempt to pacify or quiet a feeling of discomfort or vulnerability that rises up in me. My brain then adds all kinds of stories (fears, assumptions, judgments, expectations, values) to the data and makes the story bigger. Because what my brain is creating, I falsely believe sharing will bring me relief.
Read MoreThere is a movement of previously highly ambitious, committed workers who are making the choice to stop going above and beyond. They are no longer stretching the work day into the evening, weekends, and paid time off. You must help them know that they are seen and heard, even if you don’t agree or aren’t able to fix what they are wanting to be different. Here are my quick and easy steps to begin.
Read MoreTrue and authentic communication is necessary. Without it, how do people come to truly know you? How does the reciprocity of trust develop in relationships? You must speak your truth. But how can you do that in a way that sets the stage for the best possible outcome? Simple. By turning the conversation around. Turning a conversation around involves these 4 elements.
Read MoreThe NCD mantras serve as reminders to question the beliefs that may make you hesitant to initiate tough but necessary conversations. When asked which of the mantras most resonate, the majority of people pick The only person you can manage is yourself. Through hundreds of discussions, what I’ve found is that the people who pick this particular mantra are people who say, “I don’t like to make other people unhappy.” Sound familiar?
Read MoreTrust is such an integral part of the success of any organization, team or group. Yet, we rarely ever take a deep dive look into what trust really is and the many ways trust either does or does not show up in our relationships. The following is an excerpt from my newest book, Turn This Conversation Around.
Read MoreA recent participant in NCD Essentials was reflecting on what the NCD Process taught her. I was so inspired by the insights she had after just two sessions of NCD Essentials, that I am altering my definition of gossip.
Read MoreA client request got me thinking about the gap that exists when we use phrases like “managing up” and what happens when we assume that others understand exactly what that means to us. If you are a leader who keeps using the term “manage up” as a directive to your staff and yet you aren’t getting the results you want, the problem is likely not in your employee’s performance but in how you are making that ask. I’ve written up a 4-step process you can follow to develop a managing-up relationship, and I'm sharing it with you.
Read MoreNow more than ever, the world needs a pathway to connection through dialogue. A survey done in 2021 showed that close to 84 million Americans have parted ways with one or more significant people in their lives due to conflicts over values and political differences. For some it is the neighbor who helps you out from time to time. For others it is the coworker with whom you bantered at the water cooler. And for others it might be the aunt or uncle who you’ve known since childhood and saw every holiday. Many of us are grieving these losses.
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