Listening

Is Listening to Someone Else Really That Important?

Have you ever been in a conversation and the other person is looking at their phone, looking around and focusing on anything but you? How did that make you feel? Frustrated, irritated and unimportant might be some words that you would use to describe the feeling. Listening to someone can make or break a relationship. When I was in college and one of my roommates had an issue they would come to me to talk it through. They always said…
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What Is the Best Thing For Leaders to Do During Times of Change?

As discussed in yesterday’s post, there were many things to consider for the person who is impacted by a major organizational change. Going through this change can be an emotional rollercoaster. Will they be impacted by the change? Is there a way to try to look at it in a positive way and not see it as personal? Have they started to prepare for this situation in advance of this occurring? Using some of the ideas in yesterday’s post can…
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Are you ready to improve your communication?

How many times have you had a conversation with someone and you walked away feeling like everything was understood? Then you find out later, that you and the other person came away with two completely different understandings. It seems so impossible, but it happens every single day. This recently happened to me. I had to re-analyze the conversation to figure out what may have caused this misunderstanding. Think about the number of conversations that you are having every single day…
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Being Present for the Thanksgiving Holiday

The Thanksgiving Holiday is fast approaching this week in the U.S. It is the time of year that people are thinking about what they are grateful for and spending time with their families. It is one of the holidays that so many people travel to be together looking forward to having all of those traditional foods and desserts to celebrate the day. In a lot of cases, you will be seeing family members and friends that you don’t see very…
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Mastering the Art of Personal Branding: Building an Authentic Image

Many of your peers have great experiences, skills and knowledge that might be similar to yours, so what makes you different? How do you add value? What makes you unique? Everyone has to figure out this answer for themselves. Being able to articulate your brand through conversations and actions can make a big difference with people who can have an influence on your career. What is your personal brand? I love to ask clients to describe their personal brand at…
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Managerial Alignment Makes All The Difference For Your Success

I have had several conversations this week on the importance of aligning with managers and stakeholders. It seems like common sense, but in the day to day of getting stuff done, it is something that may be forgotten. When I ask them about it, they usually think that their manager “probably” knows what they are doing, but they aren’t sure. It is important to always consider whether you have done it or need to do it. This is a type…
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Making a Big Impact on Your Team

Have you stopped to consider what type of impact you are making as a leader? There may be big things that you have done to support a team member or on a project, but most of the time it is how you show up in the little moments that count. These are the moments that team members remember forever. Here are some ways that leaders show up that make a difference: There are hundreds of examples that I could have…
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