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It’s the new year and many of us are focused on 2021 goals. As a leader, what is your plan to ensure you achieve them this year?  Here are three things you can do to make sure you reach them.  #1 is to create clarity around your goals.  Too many goals are never reached simply because people don’t know about them or they don’t understand them.  Making sure goals are very clear in the minds of your team by explaining and repeating them often is a critical first step to achieving them.   #2 is to consistently track progress toward reaching [...]

“Why” is the most important word for 2021. The reason is because now more than ever, people want to contribute to a cause and make a difference. People want a clear purpose for doing what they are doing. They want to be inspired. Establishing a clear “why” is one of the most important steps to accomplishing New Year’s resolutions and other goals.  Without a clearly understood “why”, it is easy to lose motivation or get distracted. Those who do not focus on “why” this year will lose momentum and will find it harder and harder to sustain their results. On [...]

I love this time of year when so many of us are focused on giving to others. Giving is a wonderful thing. It softens hearts, changes behavior, and strengthens relationships. Giving has a positive impact on both the receiver and the giver. Meaningful giving can even change lives. As a business leader, what do you plan to give to those you lead this year? Will it be a year-end bonus, a company logoed facemask, or another nice gift? Will it be a heart-felt Christmas card with some extra praise, appreciation, and recognition? All of these would be fine gifts.  However, [...]

If you could change one thing about your workplace culture, what would it be?   Sometimes the idea of changing a company’s culture can seem overwhelming. It can feel like you're trying to eat an entire elephant in one bite.  And the larger the organization, the bigger the elephant!  Rather than trying to eat the elephant whole, consider selecting one aspect of your culture you’d like to change or improve and focus on that first.  Once this one area has improved, then take on another and another.  Suddenly, slowly bite by bite, you transform your culture. One reason I love this [...]

The holiday season is a time of belief. During it, we are invited to believe in a lot of different things. I’d like to add one to the list. As a leader, I’d like to invite you to believe in your team. 2020 has been a challenging year.  Many have lost jobs, health, businesses, confidence, wealth, loved ones, security, and even hope. As a leader, you are in a unique position to lift the spirits of those you lead. And you can do that by believing in your people more than they believe in themselves. I’ve found that when I [...]

If you’re deciding whether to join an organization or not, it’s important to remember that your happiness at work will be influenced heavily by the workplace culture. Though it might be difficult to detect before you begin work, there are several clues you can look for that indicate the strength of a company’s culture. #1 Long-Tenured Employees One strong indicator of company culture is the employee turnover rate. Simply put, happy and engaged employees stay with their employer for a long time. So ask, ‘how long have you been at the company?’, to as many people as you possibly can.  [...]

Grateful leaders are often successful leaders. Here are two thoughts on gratitude for leaders this Thanksgiving week:  1. “Not what we say about our blessing, but how we use them is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”  W.T. Purkiser Many times we claim to be thankful but often our actions demonstrate otherwise. For example, if I’m thankful for my job, I will work hard at it and not spend my time complaining or just doing the minimum to get by.  If I’m truly thankful for my team, I will spend time with them, listen to them, and strive to always [...]

Few things are more discouraging than a high-quality employee leaving your company. And too often leaders shrug their shoulders and say it must be because they were offered more money or better benefits elsewhere.  Here are five big reasons why people are likely leaving your organization. #1 A Purpose Wasn’t Clear Too often people aren’t sure what the purpose is behind all of the work. Sure, they get a paycheck and they like a few of their co-workers; but this isn’t enough to convince them to stay.  We all want to contribute to something bigger than ourselves and leave our [...]