Inspired Work
A teacher walks into a classroom and sets a glass jar on the table. He silently places 2-inch rocks in the jar until no more can fit. He asks the class if the jar is full and they agree it is. He says, “Really,” and pulls out a pile of small pebbles, adding them to
We all know people at work who are filled with so much ego that they take great pains to hide any hint of failure or weakness. No matter what happens, they always have the last word. Their strategy is the belief that any hint of vulnerability would cause others to see them as weak. According
As part of my career journey, I have had so many people say to me…I want to be a VP or a CEO. It’s important to remember that leaders are not just the ones with formal titles such as VP, EVP or CEO. In fact, many leaders that have inspired me have not been formal
As Brene Brown so eloquently states, “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage.” When you ask someone to describe what is courage, they usually describe someone who is vulnerable. Vulnerability and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness. It’s our vulnerabilities and courage that make us who we are and drive our passions.
If we put smart people together as a team, they will perform. They will innovate. They will create breakthrough ideas. Unfortunately, this is not the case. As our experience and academic research tell us, teams consistently underperform, despite the many resources they are given. Human nature challenges such as power struggles, competition, coordination, and differing
As we approach performance review cycles, the question for leaders to consider is “have you been a good listener?” Have you truly listened to what your employees needed? Have you, as their leader, considered both what they were saying, how they said it, and what they meant? To effectively provide feedback, it’s paramount that you
Have you ever worked on a team where things just did not feel quite right? Each time you spoke up, someone glared at you or dismissed what you said. There is a concept called psychological safety which impacts team innovation. I have blogged about it fairly frequently. Today, I want to talk about practical ways
Do you ever have an encounter with a co-worker or leader where you walk away just feeling horrible? You are not sure why but you just don’t feel good after the conversation. Why does this happen? What makes you feel this way after a discussion with a co-worker? There is a relatively simple model that,
We have all been there. We work on a project for years, roll it out, and there are significant problems. In fact, I was once on a project where we had to go ‘dark’ for six months and pull the product from the market. This week, we heard about Samsung pulling their mobile phone from
Over the last week, I have two colleagues that decided to make a major leap in their career to soar. When I spoke to both of them, they expressed similar feelings. Excitement, exhilaration, sadness for what they are leaving behind, and energy for the unknown in front of them. As a coach, I have worked
Arena Consulting 