Many people hesitate to speak up in team meetings because they worry about being judged, lack confidence, or feel unsure of how their contributions will be received. Sometimes, it's a fear of disagreement, or maybe they feel overshadowed by more dominant voices or find the group dynamic unwelcoming. Cultural factors, like different communication styles or even language barriers, can add to the challenge. Other times, people stay quiet simply because they don’t feel connected to the topic or aren’t clear on their role in the discussion. Whatever the reason, these factors can all contribute to an environment where only a few voices are heard. In today’s post, we’ll explore some practical tips to help you build confidence and find your voice in meetings, so you can start sharing your ideas with ease.
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Over the years, I have heard the same story from leaders I’m coaching or training. They have a person on their team who is a “high achiever”, but who just gets into trouble when they're communicating with others or dealing with sticky emotional situations. They spend their time as leaders patching things up and apologizing for them, often finding themselves at a loss for taking their high performers to the next level. “That’s just Chris being Chris.” Sound familiar?
So, you’ve been tasked with the not-so-simple job of proving the ROI of your training programs to the C-suite. You've seen the eye rolls when you mention "soft skills" and felt the pressure to justify every dollar spent on development. But fear not! With a structured approach and some savvy data collection, you can make a compelling case for the value of your training initiatives. Let’s dive into the steps you need to showcase your program’s success.
Hello, training leaders! Recently, I bumped into a nursing leader who remembered me from programs I conducted for her client many years ago. It was heartwarming to hear that she insisted her front-line managers experience the program because she's a "super fan"! Knowing that she still uses the tools and techniques we taught her as a new manager made my day. It's moments like these that remind me why we're so passionate about this career—making a real impact in people’s lives.
We all know that delivering effective training is just half the battle. The real challenge lies in making sure that the knowledge sticks with your learners long after the training session ends. If you worry that your programs don't have that stickability factor, don't worry—we've got you covered!
It's no secret that leadership is like walking a tightrope. It requires balance, focus, resilience — and let’s be real here — a whole lot of courage. You’re leaders are constantly caught between mapping out strategies and managing the emotions that come with them.
Allow me to introduce a coaching client whose name has been changed to protect the . . .ok maybe not innocent, exactly. Alex is a leader who could give a computer a run for its money with his analytical thinking. His decision-making process? Always rational, always precise. Emotional considerations? Not so much. Over time, his team started to feel as though they were just cogs in a machine, not valued contributors with ideas, feelings, and ambitions of their own. As a result, his "think-first, feel-later" approach led to mounting frustration and disengaged employees, so his director asked him to get some help from a coach.
In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to get caught up in a constant cycle of reactivity and back-to-back meetings, leaving little room for personal growth and reflection. But it doesn't have to be this way. By taking intentional steps to carve out dedicated time for ourselves, we can break free from the chaos and make space for what's truly important. In this blog post, we will delve into various strategies to reclaim your time, including deep dives, sprints, creating a "not to do" list, and setting meaningful goals for the future. So, let's embark on this journey together and discover how to prioritize our time and create a life that aligns with our deepest values and aspirations. Now, let's dive in and explore these transformative strategies for reclaiming your time and living a more intentional life.
We all know that feeling – you're in a team meeting, and suddenly, passionate opinions start flying back and forth. While it can feel overwhelming, diverse perspectives can actually lead to fantastic innovation and problem-solving. It's those disagreements that, if managed well, can bring about the best decision-making. To help you navigate these situations, we've put together a guide for both team leaders and team members on how to disagree constructively. Grab a cup of coffee, and let's dive in.
We’reat the beginning of rolling out a global leadership development curriculum for a Financial Services client and the senior leaders astutely asked how I thought they could best support their leaders as they go through this process in the coming months. It occurred to me that capturing the list of recommendations might be helpful for some of our partners in organizational development and learning. In response, I compiled this list and I hope you’ll add your thoughts in the comments if you feel I missed something. Feel free to share this with your leaders at the beginning of your next training rollout.
Today we're diving headfirst into a competency that can be a game-changer in the work life of a leader, Emotional Agility. he skills required to be emotionally agile are very similar to those we prescribe for teams that want to be more agile: discover, recognize and take action. Rinse, repeat. To build stronger teams and thrive in our roles as leaders and managers, we need to bring these skills into our daily consciousness. How does your mindset impact how you show up? And how do you recognize when you should shift your mindset and when you should not? And even when you know you should, how do you fight your instincts?
Well, we just finished teaching a bunch of Working Sm@rt + Teams classes over the last four months, and while I'm a little tired of explaining the difference between Teams, a team, a chat, and a channel (really Microsoft???), I'm more jazzed than ever about this tool and the potential productivity gains when people use it well!
As more and more of us are working from home or a hybrid model, keeping in touch and working together as a team has become a top priority. Enter Microsoft Teams - a tool that makes it super easy to stay connected, organized, and on top of your game. Let's dive into some of the amazing benefits MS Teams has to offer for all your project work needs.