How to Encourage and Empower Your Employees

If a company is to be truly effective, the organizational chart should be upside down with the leader on the bottom.  His or her role should really be to encourage, empower, and energize their team to perform at their best. In addition, they need to provide their staff with the proper resources, training, and coaching. … Read more

Follow the Leader

The news has covered many stories about CEOs and other members of the senior management team misbehaving in terms of lavish parties, exorbitant salaries, etc.  When the economy tanked, other issues of exploiting executive privileges came to light as well. There were also a few executives who seemed to be unaware that bad practices were … Read more

Leaders are Catalysts for Change

Most definitions for catalyst describe a chemical reaction, but it also means “a person or thing that precipitates an event or change.”  A leader not only has to suggest changes to move an organization forward, but also has to have a solid plan to not only execute these changes, but to communicate them effectively so … Read more

Self Awareness is an Essential Element of EQ for Leaders

Before one can become a leader, it is imperative to be aware of one’s own self.  Too many leaders are not aware of how they behave and then are surprised when their interactions and relationships with others are not as fruitful as they can be. In addition, the way these leaders perceive themselves under normal … Read more

How Do You Validate the Work You Do?

When you were younger and did well on a test or a school project, you may have gotten a letter or numerical grade.  If it was really good, the teacher may have also written “good job”, “excellent”, or some other complimentary words. If your work was not as good as it could be or there … Read more

Three’s A Crowd

As I end my A, B, C and 1, 2, 3 effective leadership for women blog series, I want to discuss my biggest pet peeves when I attend conferences.  I realize women seem to always go to the ladies room in pairs, but why do they have to cluster and stay glued to each other’s … Read more

ABC’s of Team Building – Z is for Comfort Zone

How often do you get out of your comfort zone?  For many people, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable can cause a great deal of anxiety.  However, the more you push yourself to get out of your comfort zone, the easier it becomes to do it.  The end result is being able to take on new … Read more

ABC's of Team Building – Q is for Quality and Qualified

I think most would agree that they want to work for a quality organization, alongside those who have the skills, emotional intelligence, etc. to get their jobs done well.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case.  Usually teams are put together based off of other factors including seniority, politics, and technical ability.  This causes major … Read more

ABC’s of Team Building – K is for Killer Words

Can’t, won’t, don’t, and never are words that we may not realize but when used improperly in a team setting can really bring down the morale of the group.  It is easy to see things negatively because it has actually been proven that as humans we gravitate to bad news or actions versus the positive.  … Read more