Build Trust in 2024: Respect the Great Renegotiation

Let’s dive deeper into trust by adapting to workplace changes. In 2024, over half of leaders reported a lack of full trust in their superiors. This reflects the seismic shifts we’ve experienced—from remote to hybrid work and the ongoing debates about returning to the office. The essence of this discussion? The “great renegotiation” of our … Read more

The Psychology of Change: Does it hold up?

In 2016, I wrote this piece about the way to apply the Kübler-Ross stages of grief to organizational change, and made the case that a person’s needs change depending on their stage. The “dos and don’ts” definitely hold up. It’s interesting to revisit this post-Covid. I thought maybe the complexity of the responses to the … Read more

Leaders Never Let Up On Engagement

Engagement matters. Gallup quantified this issue by studying employee engagement for 40-plus years. Some of their recent findings include: This article summarizes some recent changes in employee engagement over the last ten years. Gallup has two bits of advice. Sound interesting? If so, I highly recommend you read the article. In it, you’ll recognize both … Read more

Leaders Know the World of Work is Changing (Part 2)

There is no shortage of information about how work is changing. Many sources support these two points: “Insight #2” on Principal’s 2021 Quarter 3 Retirement Security Survey provides the following information: Retention strategies need to be a priority for leaders. From the leadership standpoint, according Principal’s survey: So what seems to be working to keep … Read more

Leaders Ask, “What Can You Control?”

“What can you control?” is a coaching question so basic, I sometimes move past it too hastily. The pandemic has reminded us of its importance. Since March, I have been engaging in as many informal conversations as I can with clients and others to simply ask, “How is it going?” The answer to this question … Read more

Book Review: The Inner Game of Work

In the late 1980’s, studying music in under-grad, many of us were disciples of The Inner Game as espoused in the books The Inner Game of Music and/or its predecessor The Inner Game of Tennis. Two of my favorite concepts from those works still impact me today: The equation p=P-iProduct (or performance) = Potential minus … Read more

The Complexity of Change, Uncertainty, and Anxiety

Human beings don’t like uncertainty. Uncertainty brings with it a higher possibility of change, which humanity also doesn’t like. “The way it has always been” is a source of security and comfort; it quells our natural anxiety and makes life predictable. Change is difficult, because we unconsciously believe longevity equals good or best. The opposite … Read more

The Best Leaders Persist

What do you get when you plant tulip bulbs? Tulips. What do you get you plant marigold seeds? Marigolds. What do you get when you plant nothing? Nothing. Right?Wrong. You get weeds. Right now, the weeds are coming in, and they’re coming in strong. You can’t pull all the weeds one day, then sit back, … Read more

Leaders Encourage Through Crisis

We’re all still in pandemic mode, and uncertainty continues to be the dark cloud looming over us. Many are working from home, some for the first time. Companies who never had remote working options available for employees were suddenly forced to adapt. Others faced tough decisions to furlough employees. The list goes on and on … Read more

Blog Posts Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

You may have noticed a lack of weekly emails letting you know about a new blog post. Don’t worry; we’re still doing blogs. However, in light of recent events, instead of our normal posts, we thought it would beneficial to go through our Psychology of Change series. This series walks through the Change Curve and … Read more