Empathy can be defined as showing people that you understand them and care how they feel. That sounds simple enough. But why is showing empathy—especially in the workplace—so hard? Everyone in the workplace values empathy and recognizes empathy as key to driving performance outcomes. The top four perceived benefits of being an empathetic organization are: Yet, for … Read more
“Plan your Work and Work Your Plan”. Napoleon Hill “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Mike Tyson Louis, a Director at a financial services company, is having a hard time adjusting to work from home. Work was demanding back at the office. Now, it’s exhausting. Louis said, “By 1 … Read more
Photo by Viktor Talashuk on Unsplash In my eighth grade science class, we took a test where we had to look at circles and try to read numbers inside the circle. The first few were easy. But, as it went on, I couldn’t see any more numbers. My classmates laughed at me. They were shocked … Read more
At its core, leadership is a relationship. It’s no secret that connection is a key leadership skill. If you can’t connect well, you can’t lead well. There are many practices to strengthen connection with those you lead. However, the most powerful is the keystone habit of empathy. Empathy–showing people that you understand them and that … Read more
Leadership isn’t about you shining; it’s about helping those you lead to shine. After all, if your success is based on the success of those you lead, it’s in everyone’s best interest for you to do whatever you can to help them excel. One of the most important roles we play as leaders is that … Read more
Do you have the humility to see where your approach to leadership is failing? Do you have the courage to give that approach a total makeover? If so, you could learn a thing or two from David Laude. In 2012, Laude, a chemistry professor at the University of Texas, was at a conference in New … Read more
Multitasking. Just the very word has a glow of productivity about it. After all, if you can get one thing done, why not get three or four? What could be more efficient? Plenty, it turns out. Multitasking doesn’t really exist. Maybe it wouldn’t have such a glow if we called it what it really is: … Read more
Ken has a problem. Ken’s a finance control manager within a global finance organization. Like of the leaders I coach, Ken’s very smart. In fact, when it comes to his business specialty, he’s a subject matter expert. Ken knows the work of his team inside and out. So what’s Ken’s achilles heel? Communicating clearly. He … Read more
Have a look at the image above. It’s a picture of a Ferris Wheel. Does it look like it’s moving to you? For many people the answer is a resounding YES. Now, take a look at the image below, currently making the viral rounds on the internet. What do you see? Many see a beach, … Read more
Have you made a mistake at work? I’ve asked that question to numerous groups of leaders. Every hand in the room goes up. We all make mistakes. Yet why are they hard to admit? Because admitting them causes us pain. Psychologists call it cognitive dissonance: the stress caused from holding two ore more contradictory beliefs … Read more
