One day on vacation in Playa del Carmen, Mexico my husband and I were sitting outside the house we were staying at when another couple walked by and asked us a question in German. Despite 3 years of high school
Bias Against SWM’s (single working mom’s)
Every now and then I’ll see a headline or hear someone (a favorite talking point during election cycles) using the term ‘single working mom’ with the unmistakable tone that every single working mom is struggling to make ends meet. The
Shining the Light on Unconscious Bias
Don’t judge a book by its cover. We’ve all heard it. We’ve all done it. We make first impressions of other people based on what we see. First impressions last and first impressions are usually made within the first few
How to Recognize and Respond to Your Manager’s Motivation Needs
Understanding motivation is a critical trait of good managers. Most leadership training focuses on the manager of the team recognizing and responding to employee’s motivational needs. That’s good, in fact creating an environment that is motivating is critical for developing
3 Common Mistakes Managers Make (even experienced ones)
At a recent management skills workshop, one participant who has been a manager for over 20 years was so relieved that he was finally getting some leadership training. He made a point of letting me know how grateful he was
The Case of the Black Friday Surprise
Every organization has an event that occurs every year, if not more frequently, that is out of the normal scope of daily business. Yet somehow managers are taken by surprise, even though it happens every year at the same time.
Leadership Qualities (Part One)
Can leadership qualities be developed? If not, most people would be excluded from leadership roles. I recently pulled an old John Maxwell book, ‘Becoming a Person of Influence’, off my bookshelf and as I was flipping through it I was
What Leaders Can Learn From Captain Sully
Last week, my blog post described preactive leadership. This week, read about someone who practiced preactive leadership… airline pilot Captain Chesley Sullenberger, aka Captain Sully, and what you can learn from him. You may recall the event that made Captain
Preactive Leadership: The New Way to Lead
Preactive leadership goes beyond seeing a need and acting upon it. Proactive leaders see a need that is already there and act on it, which is good but preactive leaders take it a step further. Practicing preactive leadership means anticipating
Performance Feedback: The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Performance is the gift that keeps on giving. Leaders who learn the skill of giving quality performance feedback see higher productivity, fewer mistakes, and increased efficiencies. Whether I’m teaching leadership skills to first-time managers at a sand and gravel operation