How Much Can You Delegate?

As a manager, it is impossible for you to do it all (successfully). In order to succeed, one of the most critical skills that every manager needs to learn is delegation. But delegation is scary, especially for new managers. Will my team complete the task on time? Will they make me look bad? How can I trust them? Not every employee is ready for the same level of responsibility. Understanding the four phases of delegation and leadership can help you decide what level of responsibility is right for your team members. These phases are based [...]

The Key to Achieving Our Goals

I often work with clients who have been passed over for a promotion, not because they didn't have the skills or experience, but because they don’t walk into the room like they do. If we don’t believe we are capable, we won't assert ourselves when it matters. I once worked with a CEO who was very intelligent and capable, yet at home his wife belittled him. This impacted him negatively when he was under high-stress situations presenting to his Board of Directors, and caused him to come across as unsure and uncomfortable. He actually believed [...]

Is Your Organization Designed for Success?

When I work with an organization, I look at a lot of things. Over the years, however, I’ve come to believe the fundamental design of the organization is the key to its success or failure. This is a little different than Organizational Development, or OD, as it’s known. OD is a deliberately planned, organization-wide effort to increase an organization’s effectiveness or efficiency. Design is how the organization is set up. Yes, it involves the organizational chart, but it’s how it’s put together that allows a company to thrive or wither. Think of it like StrengthsFinders 2.0, the [...]

The Best Way to Grow Your Business

A New York Times article discussed the various ways companies can grow. The list included: Get new customers Do business faster Sell more things Hire a team Do you see what’s missing from this plan? Aside from the last item of hiring a team, there is nothing that recommends growing your people. Arguably, the author may have been focusing on very small businesses but those need to grow their people, even more, to grow with the business. The best growth strategies will fall flat without the involvement of those people who can actually help implement them. Conversely, the worst [...]

Nurturing in the Workplace

Do you remember the first time you fell and skinned your knee? There's moment when all time slows down and you're not sure if you're supposed to laugh or cry. Do you recall the reaction of the people around you? That moment can impact a child's mindset forever. I remember the first time my baby fell and scraped her knee. Having a child is like reaching into your chest, ripping out your heart and watching it walk around the room. From that perspective, the very heart of nurturing might suggest that if she were to [...]

Five Tips for Effective Q & A

You know the feeling: Your heart races, your palms sweat, and your mind goes blank. The audience looks at you in anticipation. No, I'm not talking about pre-presentation jitters--I'm talking about the Q & A session after! Audience questions can be unpredictable, and there's no way to guarantee you'll know the right answer every time. So how can you level up your Q & A session to make a stronger connection with your audience and further drive home your message? Here in this post, I'm sharing my five best tips for a confident, genuine Q [...]