Conflict: Taking the Temperature
As a leader, it’s your job to identify conflicts and help resolve them, but sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start. According to Mark Gerzon, president of the Mediators Foundation, knowing if a conflict is hot or cold is the first step to resolving it. Gerzon explains what makes an issue hot or cold and how leaders can work to make conflict productive and reach innovative...
Master These Leadership Techniques in 2017
In 2015, millennials surpassed Gen X as America’s largest generation in the workforce. Now, many millennials are becoming managers – they currently hold 20% of management jobs, and 40% of millennials say they want leadership roles. No matter your generation, becoming a better communicator and leader will help you compete for those management jobs. A recent Forbes article has suggestions on how...
What Are You Feeling?
Do you really know what you’re feeling? We often use general emotions like stress or anger to label our feelings, but we should be digging a bit deeper. Having a more nuanced understanding of our emotions can help us to better address them. Gaining “emotional agility” can be the key to successful interactions with yourself and others. Susan David, faculty member at Harvard and author of...
Diversity and Inclusion Aren’t the Same Thing
“Diversity” and “inclusion” are often thought to be the same thing, but they’re actually different concepts. Diversity advocate Verna Myers explains the difference between the two terms well: “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” An organization can easily hire employees with different backgrounds, but making sure these employees feel included can be...
Can Respect Solve Employee Engagement Issues?
Victor Lipman, head of Howling Wolf Management Training, describes respect as a lubricant that keeps organizations running smoothly. In the Forbes article “Why Respect Is Key To Employee Engagement,” he explains how respect and employee engagement go hand in hand. Respect makes people feel included. If you respect your employees and let them know that their skills and efforts are appreciated,...
What’s Your Leadership Style?
Bill Taylor is the cofounder of Fast Company and author of the new book Simply Brilliant: How Great Organizations Do Ordinary Things in Extraordinary Ways. After 30+ years of experience working with leaders, Taylor has identified four styles of leadership. He outlines them in the Harvard Business Review article “The 4 Leadership Styles, and How to Identify Yours.” Which one are you? The...
Respect Your Elders
A good friend – a middle aged man – recently took a job at a local Starbucks to bring in some extra cash. He’s twice the age of everyone else who works there, which doesn’t seem to bother him or them at all. But, when a young colleague – someone most would consider a “millennial” – tried to coach him on using the point of sale system, she got frustrated with his slowness and...
Bad Behavior, People Problems & Sticky Situations | Revised Edition
Back in the 90’s, my clients kept saying things like “We get a lot out of your training programs. How come all your stuff isn’t in a book?” Good question. So, in 2002 I wrote Bad Behavior, People Problems & Sticky Situations: A Toolbook for Managers and Team Leaders. I designed it to be a quick and handy reference guide for managers, who can just flip to the index, look up their problem...
Gregg Ward Group | The Spark to Possibility
Most of us have been treated with respect at some point in our careers. But sadly, many of us have been disrespected at work – sometimes over and over – by customers, colleagues, bosses, and even by the very processes, procedures and cultures put in place by our employers. Today, more and more organizations are finding that a respectful culture is the foundation upon which...