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By now you’ve probably heard the term “quiet quitting.” It describes an employee who’s just putting in the time and doing the bare minimum.
It’s not a new concept, though. I’ve known many disengaged employees (or volunteers or partners) over the course of my career. So I’m not sure if the number has increased.
Or maybe we just created a term for it.
Read the rest of this entry »It’s taken me many years to develop my ability to empathize with other people. I tend to think of myself as analytical and goal driven, and relating to people isn’t my natural strength.
Taking my first management job, and later increasing my scope, caused me to realize that results are achieved only through the team I lead. After my corporate job I focused on coaching, helping my clients to develop deeper skills of leadership, influence, and driving results.
I’ve learned that the core skill of leading people is simply empathy. It seems a bit weird because it’s not me driving someone else, the way we usually think about leadership.
Read the rest of this entry »When we’re faced with a huge challenge, it’s time for everyone to get busy and help out. We know we have hard work to do, but doing it together makes things go easier.
There’s a very special energy in aligning as a group!
And it works best when everybody jumps in, from the boss to the bottle washer. It’s a very democratic endeavor that way.
Read the rest of this entry »The world has become a rather depressing place in the last decade. That has resulted in a whole lot of people who are disconnected, disenfranchised, and uninspired.
This might be you some days, or your employees, or friends. But you can become the ray of hope for others.
It’s not about ignoring reality and the challenges we face. The question is more what we do, and how we think, about the situation.
Read the rest of this entry »We’re creating more and more innovative team structures. Some people are at home, some in the office, some in a remote office, ….
It’s truly exciting as we discover how much work is independent of location.
But the challenge is that not everyone is on an equal footing.
Rebuilding your work environment post-pandemic is going to be a big challenge! Sure, you have to work around government regulations and community rules. You’ll put cleaning regimens in place and spacing requirements.
But that’s the easy part. People are always much harder.
The problem is that each person has their own requirements, unique comfort levels, and new work patterns developed over the course of a year.
Read the rest of this entry »One of the key frustrations that employees have identified with returning to the office is that they haven’t heard what the plans are.
I get that. As a leader, you want to have a plan that’s solid, one that’s been checked out and can be committed to your folks. Otherwise you might look flaky.
But you have to fight that urge. Your people deserve more respect and need to know what’s in the works before it’s totally solid. And you need their feedback.
Last week I talked about asking for and getting help when you really need it. And right now, a lot of people need help.
So it’s also a time of giving – which may feel silly when you yourself are struggling. But there are some solid reasons why this can be so powerful.
You may not notice, but everything you do as a leader is affecting your people. If you’re having a lousy day, your folks pick that up and will reflect it by being brittle and tense.
Which then affects customers and everybody else.
But you also don’t want to live life behind a mask, right? Just put on the “inspiring, confident leader” face 24/7?
Read the rest of this entry »
Photo by Anthony Easton, flickr
FOLLOW YOUR PASSION.
We’ve been telling our kids this for decades now, and there’s some powerful truth behind it.
But it’s a limited view of the world.
If we have everyone just seeking personal fulfillment, there’s no guarantee that we’ll actually have a stable and functioning society. Yet we hold up this great American ideal that we’re all independent, self-sufficient, and self-fulfilling.
The Values-Based Business 