Leaders Know Their People

This week, I want to touch on a big role of leaders, which is the importance of getting to know their people. When I was getting my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, one of the required classes was Career Counseling. I had worked at Group Dynamic for three years when I took this … Read more

The “Rules” We Live By

Last week, I gave one of my couples “homework” to complete by their appointment this week. I handed them a piece of paper with a list of fifty or so open-ended questions, and I said, “Ask each other these questions this week and discuss your answers together.” I gave no other instructions. They came to … Read more

Be Mindful of Your Feelings; They Betray You.

Star Wars nerds everywhere are scrolling to the bottom of this post to let me know I got the quote wrong. But, if you give me a few minutes, I will explain. Yes, the quote is wrong in the sense that Obi Wan actually said: However, I’d like to make a case that Obi Wan … Read more

Leaders Take Courageous Action to Address Bias

There are three steps to understanding and addressing Unconscious Bias: Two weeks ago, we started an exercise on the first step, identifying bias. Last week, we focused on cultivating additional connection. Today we will dive into the final step. Step Three: Choose Courage Stick with me, because the language may be a touch out of … Read more

The Gratitude Attitude

While it may be cliché to write a blog post about gratitude the week of Thanksgiving, it’s also a good reminder as we move into the holiday season. For many, November and December bring additional stress, frustration, and hardship. The last two years have been difficult. It’s human to dwell on our struggles. In fact, … Read more

Leaders Say Something

“If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” If you are alive, someone has probably said this to you, and if you have kids or have worked with kids, it is probable that you have said this to one or more of them. As a parent of four kids, I … Read more

More Lessons Learned From Another Year On Zoom

About a year ago, I shared some best practices based on research and experience for long online, sessions. Now, a year later, we’ve discovered a few more best practices that don’t seem to be common practice yet. The video best practices. Keeping your video on is still a good idea. We need to see each … Read more

Thoughts on the Traditional Exit Interview

Last week I shared information on Stay Interviews, and DeAnne offered additional thoughts. Today, let’s talk about the traditional exit interview. I still think they can be valuable, but you have to be thoughtful. Two big concepts to keep in mind:1) Exiting employees might like to cite salary as a reason for departure. Dig past … Read more

Leaders Consider “Stay” Interviews

At a recent HR conference, I heard former Disney Institute trainer Sherri Merbach share ideas on the value of replacing exit interviews with stay interviews. Merbach made the case that exit interviews are too late and employees aren’t honest during them. Therefore, exit interviews are close to a waste of time. While I disagree with … Read more

Leaders Know the Role of Context and Memory

Picture this: A man nervously fumbles through his wallet. He’s about to buy a large coffee, which costs $3.19. “Oh, oh, oh,” he started nervously, looking around and shoving his hand into a deep pocket. “Looks like I don’t have enough money.” He laughs in an unusual way. What’s going on? We can all look … Read more