Leadership Blog
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What’s in it for me – your shortcut to empathy!
If someone asks me, “What’s in it for me?” in a conversation, I tend to have a negative reaction. It sounds self-centered. It sounds quid pro quo. For as long as I’ve been around Humanergy, we’ve...
Delegation: Check-Ins
We define delegation as the transfer of ownership of a task or responsibility from one person to another. Humanergy co-founder David Wheatley teed up the six steps of our Delegation Framework...
Quality Over Quantity
Have you ever thought about your speaking-to-listening ratio? What is it? What would others say it was? What should it be in your role? A number of years ago I asked these questions in a coaching...
TELL, SHOW and EXPERIENCE
"If a picture is worth a 1000 words, then an experience is worth a 1000 pictures." - John Barrett The gold standard of leadership is to "win people's hearts and minds." How do we do it? Imagine you...
Influence
Leadership is the ability to influence others. So, how are people influenced? Here's six common ways people are influenced: • Fear-based: The thought of or the application of negative...
Good Messaging for Q4 Crunchtime
During a recent coaching session, a long-time business owner and I reflected on his company's inevitable Q4 crunchtime and its impact on his people. He talked about the importance of checking in...
Think Like a College Coach
Recently, in many of my coaching sessions, I have been encouraging leaders to think of themselves like college coaches. The current trends and generational differences mean people aren't staying in...
Why you should journal
I'll admit that a daily practice of journaling is difficult for me. I have failed miserably at regular journaling, and I'm not giving up. (I am 2.5 years into my monthly gratitude spreadsheet, and...
Their feedback is because they’re biased!
You may have heard this before. Or you may have wondered, "Is this really true, or is this person operating on bias?" Getting tough feedback is challenging. It can be more so if you fall into the...
You’re one of the ones that stayed on the job
The organization has gone through massive downsizing. Or there have been lots of resignations. Or vacant positions just have not been filled. What do you do when you're facing huge overload and...
Staying calm in crisis: Tips from nurses
I can't think of anyone more well-versed in the art and science of remaining collected under pressure than nurses - those too-often unsung heroes working in a variety of medical settings. What can...
Conquering confidence
For some of my recent clients, confidence has been an issue. Often these talented humans excel at work, and still remain unsure of their abilities and potential. Having confidence at work does not...
What is your impact?
We are believers in the power of leadership development. That's our reason for getting out of bed in the morning. And we have also seen in our two-decades-plus of working with people that it's...
What is your North Star?
Organizations can be prone to misalignment and loss of focus toward what really matters. This happens when people - even with the best of intentions - concentrate on differing objectives. It is hard...
Monkey management: Effective delegation
Back in 1974, Oncken and Wass wrote a Harvard Business Review article called, "Who's Got the Monkey?" It used monkeys as metaphors for tasks or projects. It was well-received nearly 50 years ago,...
Holiday greetings
Wishing you warmth, peace and joy, now and always. From your friends at Humanergy. Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Accountability, authority and responsibility
The ABC Project is in trouble. Carmen is the leader of the area, and her direct reports are doing the heavy lifting to get the project off the ground. Carmen is frustrated that her boss, Celia,...
Change leadership: Effective influence
A major change initiative has been launched with a comprehensive communication plan. Key people have been involved in and informed of the change strategies and the execution schedule. The CEO feels...
7 tips for virtual feedback conversations
Delivering constructive feedback is not easy to do, even when you have opportunities to be face-to-face. Working virtually means few, if any in-person interactions, but that does not mean you're off...
Three habits of trusted people
Stephen R. Covey wrote in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that...
Need to ask more powerful questions?
Asking powerful questions is one of the key skills of a great leader and team member. In my client work, I see many reasons why this doesn't happen. Often the barriers to asking questions (versus...