Eighty percent of CEOs say they had mentors in their careers, and studies show that good mentoring leads to greater career success. If you’re not part of an organization that encourages mentor/mentee relationships, ask someone you admire to be your mentor. Your mentor will benefit from the relationship too, and the impact they have on your career is invaluable.
Listening seems like a simple-enough skill, but why is it so difficult to master? The short answer: your brain gets in the way! Your brain is wired to quickly process information based on your past experiences so that you can make a judgement or decision. This is incredibly useful in some scenarios, but conversations are not one of them. Processing…
You know what an entrepreneur is, but how much do you know about intrapreneurs? Intrapreneurs innovate and solve problems just like entrepreneurs do, but for someone else’s business rather than their own. All organizations need intrapreneurs to stay competitive, but it can be a challenge for many organizations to cultivate relationships with intrapreneurs the right way. These tips can help…
Repairing a professional relationship isn’t easy, no matter how trivial the issue seems. However, ignoring the issue or letting feelings fester can be damaging to the relationship. What’s more, not resolving the conflict affects productivity by distracting you and preventing you from being able to work successfully with the other person. While addressing the conflict head-on may sound intimidating, try…
Many business leaders believe that strong, authentic relationships are key to succeeding. However, most business development and sales reps’ success is measured by the number or the value of deals they close. This drives them to take a transactional approach to building relationships, which diminishes the authenticity of the relationships. While your business may experience success in the short-term, in…
We asked our clients for input on what skills and topics they wished they had been taught in school, and what overlooked subjects would help today’s students enter the workforce. We heard a lot of great ideas and hope educational administrators take note! If you are a young person, here are the top skills executives we spoke to believe students…
The recent domestic terrorist attack on the US Capitol reminded me of how I felt as a young supervisor during the 9/11 incident. Given the chaos that ensued after the attacks in NY and DC, my employees were seeking direction and someone to talk to, and I myself was looking for advice and counsel from my management. Unfortunately there was silence from…
Odds are, you have probably been terminated, downsized, fired, laid-off, furloughed, or managed out of the business at some point in your career. If you haven’t experienced this, consider yourself lucky. When you are released, many times you can look back and notice that signals were being provided to you. You just have to be cognizant of the signals. If you have received…
There is an enlightening question I like to ask my clients’ executives: “If I gave you $10M to start your own company, who from your current team would you take with you?” If their answer isn’t “every single one of them” that illuminates a likely need to upgrade. Even when things are going well and the team is humming, it…
I was just recently reminded of an invaluable anecdote that I read. The story goes like this: Several airport workers were painting new lines on the tarmac. At one point, an employee knocked over a can of red paint. To cover up his mistake he painted the spilled paint into a nice smooth circle. Nobody was the wiser. Year after year when…
