Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, which once again causes me to evoke the late, great Leonard Cohen’s lyrics, “who knows where the time goes?” And, for those of us who live in (so-called) sunny southern California, the normal gray May, has slipped into June gloom, in preparation, no doubt, for another record-breaking hot, hot, hot summer.
This month’s Carnival highlights a number of thought-leaders, all of whom add unique, insightful reflections on the workplace and life. Join me in thanking Weaving Influence, and Becky Robinson for making this monthly treat possible.
Diana
Meeting Management: Less is More – Three “Must Adopt” Solutions
Diana Peterson-More
Too many meetings – in-person or virtual? Research shows found that 70% of meetings keep employees from doing their work. The same study revealed that cutting back meetings by 40% increased productivity by 70%, with a corresponding increase in employee satisfaction by 52%. WOW. Read on to learn why this has happened, and, more importantly, how to solve this growing problem of employee disengagement. There are pragmatic, easy-to-adopt solutions. Connect with Diana on Twitter @DianaPMAuthor.
Managing Your Triggers
Priscilla Archangel – Archangel & Associates
Learning to manage your triggers means being responsible to ensure that every action and reaction is as appropriate as possible for the moment. This may seem like a huge charge, an impossible task, but that’s the duty of a leader. No one is perfect at it, but the goal is to continually improve, and to be the best possible leader for your team. Connect with Priscilla on Twitter @PrisArchangel.
Four Words That Can Transform Your Conversations
Marcia Reynolds – Covisioning Transformational Leadership
These four words will strengthen your relationships and coaching conversations as you explore the meaning and value of what is said together. Connect with Marcia on Twitter @marciareynolds.
Don’t Assume You’re Trusted – 3 False Beliefs That Get Leaders in Trouble
Randy Conley – Leading with Trust
Many leaders take trust for granted. They assume people trust them by virtue of their title or position, when the reality is they aren’t as trusted as they think they are. In this post, Randy Conley shares three mistaken beliefs that cause leaders to overestimate how much they are trusted. Connect with Randy on Twitter @RandyConley.
Can You Hear Me Now?
Ken Byler – Higher Ground Consulting Group
In the context of leadership, “Can you hear me now” illustrates an important disconnect between what we say and how others hear our message. Connect with Ken on LinkedIn.
What’s Relationshipping, and How Do I Do It?
Jillian Miles Massey
Next time you find yourself stuck in a networking event, find the one person that is just standing out to you and start a conversation; not strictly focused on work, but about their life, their journey, and what the future holds for them, personally and professionally. I guarantee, you’ll begin to build a relationship with someone and might be excited about what it turns into; might even be your next business partner! Connect with Jillian on Twitter @jillian_miles.
How to Deal with a Chronic Complainer
Karin Hurt and David Dye
A chronic complainer can suck the life out of you and your team and make everyone want to quit. But your complainer can also have valuable insights and likely doesn’t feel heard. When you lead them out of their complaint spiral, they’ll be more effective and the team will benefit from their insights. Connect with them on Twitter @letsgrowleaders.
Stuck in Leadership-How to get unstuck?
Brenda Yoho – Be the Solution Daily
So much of life revolves around setting goals or making plans, and then working gradually toward what we want. But sometimes we don’t know what we want — or how to get it. It’s normal to experience moments of feeling lost or directionless; whether we’ve just reached a longtime goal or had a big upheaval dropped into our laps, there are plenty of reasons we might not know our next move. Connect with Brenda on Twitter @BrendaYoho.
When confronted by Hate and Violence…
Eileen McDargh
What we choose to emphasize in this complex time will determine our lives. Help your employees focus on the best parts of life to create a world with hope. Connect with Eileen on Twitter @macdarling.
Sustaining Imagination is Hard
Braden Kelley
Recently I stumbled across a new Royal Institute video of Martin Reeves, a managing director and senior partner in BCG’s San Francisco office. Martin leads the BCG Henderson Institute, BCG’s vehicle for exploring ideas from beyond the world of business, which have implications for business strategy management. Connect with Eileen on Twitter @innovate.
99 Ways to Be More Selfless
Frank Sonnenberg
Here are 99 ways to be more selfless. As you read through the list, think about how you give of yourself — and if you can give more. Connect with Frank on Twitter @FSonnenberg.
The Death of The Manager Role Is Predicted Yet Again. What’s Really Needed
Art Petty
Like clockwork, bad news in the economy coupled with some scary new technology brings out the pundits offering exaggerated predictions for something or another. This time, the mass layoffs in techdom and a few other sectors, coupled with the excitement (positive and negative) generated by ChatGPT and AI, have a few individuals predicting the demise of the manager role. Find out what is really needed. Connect with Art on Twitter @artpetty.
How Respectful is Your Work Culture?
Chris Edmonds – The Purposeful Culture Group
In too many companies, toxic behaviors occur daily. Who is responsible for toxic workplaces? Forty-four percent of respondents blamed organizational leadership. Forty percent blamed their direct boss. How can senior leaders understand what it’s like to work in their company? One effective way to stay in tune with how employees are treated is through regular surveys. Connect with Chris on Twitter @scedmonds.
Three Ways to Grow Your Business
Jon Verbeck
When it comes to ways to grow your business, it may not be that you lack time but that you need to do some prioritizing. It’s important to constantly evaluate your growth and progress. With the year already well underway, it’s time to take a closer look at how your business is doing. Is it multiplying? Are revenues increasing? If not, here are three ways to grow your business. Connect with Jon on Twitter @jonverbeck1.
Help Employees Get Back in the Driver’s Seat of Their Career Development
Julie Winkle Giulioni
It’s time to help employees get back into the driver’s seat of their career development. Use these keys and a complimentary self-assessment. Connect with Julie on Twitter @Julie_WG.
Ready for exponential change and transitions?
Marcella Bremer – Positive Culture
How well prepared is your organization’s culture for grassroots, exponential change in transitions? Let’s see how change works as a social movement with crisis as an opportunity. If you don’t change in time you might encounter “civil resistance”. Connect with Marcella on Twitter @MarcellaBremer.
Five key reasons you must learn to trust yourself
Lisa Kohn – Chatsworth Consulting
In the post, Five key reasons you must learn to trust yourself, Lisa Kohn from The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog shares that while it may seem difficult to trust yourself or it may seem too grandiose, it is also essential to stand tall and strong with your conviction and faith in yourself. Connect with Lisa on Twitter @ThoughtfulLdrs.
Changing Organizational Culture: A How-To Guide for Leaders (And Why It Really Matters)
David Grossman
Every leader who has attempted organizational change knows how tough change can be to implement. At the same time, leaders know change is critical for companies to compete and respond to the ever-evolving needs of customers, investors and stakeholders. Great cultures help all team members know what their individual role is in achieving the company’s success. Connect with David on Twitter @ThoughtPartner.
Healing Our Workplaces through Cultures of Connection
Michael Lee Stallard
The U.S. Surgeon General’s office recently published a historic advisory on the importance of building cultures of connection. Michael Lee Stallard and Katharine P. Stallard provide a synopsis of the advisory and key action items for leaders. Connect with Michael on Twitter @michaelstallard.
Leading on the Tightrope: Striking the Ultimate Balance Between Performance and Employee Satisfaction
Sara Canaday
The post discusses the delicate balance leaders face between prioritizing performance and employee satisfaction. I offer several tips for achieving this balance, such as sharing business realities with employees, setting clear expectations and boundaries, listening to and respectfully managing untenable requests, empowering employees to take ownership of how their work gets done, and remembering that businesses are not democracies. While I recognize that this is a tall order, I do believe it is possible to strive for both organizational success and a positive work environment. Connect with Sara on Twitter @saracanaday.
Fast Thinking or Slow Thinking
Neal Burgis – Successful Solutions
Are you someone who thinks fast, or do you think slow and are still considered a smart person? One is no more important than another and both are necessary. Connect with Neal on Twitter @exec_solutions.
Mastering the 5 Common Causes of Workplace STRESS with Solutions that Build Team Resilience and Productivity
Sean Glaze – Great Results Team Building
Most negative effects of stress can be attributed to “A BOSS.” Okay… that’s actually just a clever acronym. It stands for the five main factors that lead to workplace stress. you want to improve your health and team productivity, you will want to consider ways to create more Autonomy, Boundaries, Opportunities, Systems, and Support. Those five things (A BOSS) are responsible for most of the stress-related issues that have decreased productivity and negatively impacted employee health over recent years… Connect with Sean on Twitter @leadyourteam.
Leadership: A Caring Community
Wally Bock – Three Star Leadership
The best leaders are part of a community they help create, where people care for each other. Connect with Wally on Twitter @WallyBock.
Creating Safety
Bill Treasurer – Giant Leap Consulting
In order to lead effectively, you must create a safe environment for your team. When leaders prioritize psychological safety by fostering trust, open communication, and vulnerability within their teams, employees feel safe to take risks. Connect with Bill on Twitter @btreasurer.
