Need to look at your personal accountability to help you stay on track, and push  you toward your goals?  Need  to keep things real, and diffuse those situations that don’t provide for a positive focus in your life?

Todays TIP of the week comes from Collin Williams.  Collin is the Founder and Chairman of New Era ADR. In his article Personal Accountability Will Push You Forward and Help You Grow in Business and in Life — Here’s How to Practice It he gives readers his honest perspective on how to  “diffuse situations”.  Diffusion, something we can all use at different points in our lives.

Collin discusses his early years,  and how the mistakes he made along the way  would ultimately provide him with growth and opportunity in later life.  During those years, he identified a couple key concepts, or truism, that helped him gain insight, an empathic nature, and develop more positive relationships with others. Those key concepts include:

Saying you’re sorry is hard, necessary … and important

“There are simply very limited angry responses to someone who genuinely and reflectively says “I’m sorry.”

& Trying to explain will only exacerbate the problem

“It requires you to look at yourself critically. It requires you to stare failures in the face and ask yourself how and why they happened.”.

He follows up with a set of simple ways to practice personal accountability. He talks about each one, so  It is well worth the read to review each of the ways.

• In everything you do, take pride and put in effort
• Ask for feedback and embrace the negative
• Look critically at your work
• Never blame others
• Trust others and be a good person
• Learn from those around you who are personally accountable and ignore those who aren’t

He cautions others to not become dismissive and hide your mistakes, noting:

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my career, and I can say, unequivocally, it is only because I’ve failed that I have succeeded”.

It’s a good read for those looking to embrace a culture where everyone is treated with respect and integrity. For those looking to improve on their own personal accountability. Pass it along to your Executives and Team Managers.

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As a CEO do you authentically exhibit kindness toward all of your employes? Is kindness a crucial role in your businesses over all success?

In order to keep your business sustainable and thriving, writer William Arruda discusses in his article How Kindness Drives Employee Engagement And Business Growth. He is 100% right. William Arruda is a decades long writer for Forbes, covering personal branding, leadership, and careers.

A great reminder!

Arruda offers his thoughts and advice on engaging in the well being of your employees and how you can learn to foster an environment that boost kindness. He encourages leadership to help keep employee engaged and increase morale company wide.

Keep reminding yourself to show kindness daily, both you and your employees will benefit from it.

Arruda provides some insightful statistics on how kindness increases employee morale and its effect on profitability. In today’s modern workplace, CEO’s are looking for areas of improvement to help their employees stay engaged. Everyone wants to feel valued and appreciated. What better way to show that appreciation than with kindness. It’s a win – win for both your company and your employees. It also helps attracts top talent, notes Arruda.

The beauty of kindness is that it’s free. Like a gift that keeps giving. A culture of positive feedback and kindness helps to encourages collaboration and teamwork. We all know how important these are today, and being able to “adapt quickly can be a key competitive advantage”.

“Being able to adapt quickly can be a key competitive advantage”

A short to the point read, worth every penny. I highly suggest it to your executives and managers.  We all need that simple reminder, to be kind to one another.

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How do you transform business challenges into opportunities for growth and success? Nancy Solari CEO of Living Full Out, TV and radio host, addresses that question  In her article How Being a More Generous Leader Drove My Company’s Success.   She discusses ways to minimize disruptions and navigate business setbacks. When it comes to winning, sometimes, all you can do is stay in the game, states Solari.  She provides readers with insight into the game of business.  Providing five key ways to meet some of the biggest challenges leaders can face

“Sometimes, all you can do is ”stay in the game”

Solaris guides the reader through five rules for winning when faced with tough business challenges. Challenges that can help you become a more generous leader, include:

1.      Be resourceful

2.      Be proactive

3.      Look for what is not visible

4.      Learn to let go

5.      Let others make you better

Solari explains that winning is about strategy,  and how learning to flip the game (the game of business) can help leaders meet hardship or difficulties head-on. She recommends moving with intention and staying on the offense.  Particularly her suggestions to look for situations that are not instantly noticeable – ones that could put you at risk are key reminders that we’re still in the game, and we need to plan for the inevitable.

“Plan for the inevitable”

It’s a great read and hits on some of the barriers we often place around ourselves.  For instance, people barriers, surrounding ourselves with others who always agree with us.  Better to seek out those who won’t tell us everything we want to hear.  How many on your team speak up with different ideas or perspectives?  How well can you relate to them?

This article is for the CEO, and leadership, the ones who need to find patience throughout a crisis. Not just the beginning and the end – but the whole crisis.  Through patience and consistency, you learn to nurture your product, brand, or service.    As Solair states, you have to learn to “transform business challenges into opportunities for growth and success”.

Being a generous leader is more than just money. It’s listening when you don’t want to. Being patient, consistent, and mindful of the future and events. Using the strategies you and your team develop to flip the game. Staying in the game, not giving up!

I highly recommend this article.  Pass it along to your upper-level executives and management teams.

How Being a More Generous Leader Drove My Company’s Success.

Whoa! a day in the life of a manager can be intense. Looking for areas of improvement to help your management team feel more appreciated and maybe lift some of the load off them? This weeks tip of the week comes from Sarah Lynch, Staff reporter @sarahdlynch

In her article The 6 Things That Make Managers Hate Their Jobs Less, Sarah addresses the need to help those managers who are stressed out and may be resenting their jobs. Many are suffering from an overabundance of tasks and responsibilities; sustainability can be questionable for some.

While leadership can’t assume the tasks of management, there are remedies they can take to help alleviate some of their teams stressors. Sarah provides readers with six “shifts” that leadership can take to help managers start to feel more comfortable and find greater satisfaction in their jobs. Using data from business leaders and experts in the management field, Sarah outlines the following for leadership consideration:

1. Fewer reports   ‘What can I take away to help my managers?‘”

2. More autonomy  “Free to create”

3. A place to discuss challenges (without fear)  “empowerment“

4. A clear understanding of why their role matters (don’t miss this step)

5. Truly worthwhile trainings  (How about letting management pick their own training)

6. A reasonable workload  (The power to grow and contribute in a reasonable manner)

These are all Insightful topics that highlight a number of key modifications and/or changes that can actually be implemented quickly by leadership. For instance, a place to discuss challenges (without fear) – that is a real good place to begin. The sense of feeling like you belong and your concerns matter – it’s priceless! It’s a golden opportunity to help your management team, and your company as a whole. It opens up that channel of communication, and builds trust.

As the article lists, “Managers play a serious part in their organizations”, as they should. They assume a lot of responsibility, and deserve a manageable workload.

An insightful read, I highly suggest it to Executives who want to help build their management teams up.

The 6 Things That Make Managers Hate Their Jobs Less

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Looking for Guidance on becoming a successful entrepreneur? Today’s TIP of the week comes from   Alykhan Jetha.  Alykhan is an Entrepreneur, bootstrapper, underdog. President & CEO, and Founder of Marketcircle. In his article Why Aligning Your Values and Virtues Leads to Entrepreneurial Success he discusses how effective leaders can better articulate values and live by them”.

“To successfully lead your business, it matters that your values take shape in your virtue”~ Jetha

Alykhan inspires readers to zero in on their own uniqueness, qualities and traits.  An individual’s  entrepreneurial success will come from their own personal “unique life trajectories and worldviews”, states Jetha .   He provides some key takeaways  for the reader, and dives into  what matters most: personal values,  moral principles, and best practices.  These are all things that build trust with others.

His four points toward success

In describing his own entrepreneurial journey, he describes the plight of being a refugee forced to leave his country, to now CEO of his own company. He is equipped to offer  kindly and wise advice to others seeking to become a successful entrepreneurs.  His four points of advice speak to various business principles that help lay the foundation for success: (Integrity, trust, flexibility, resilience, being prepared to accept and respond to change):

1. Telling it like it is
2. Right people, right seats
3. Self-preservation
4. Self-belief

Likeminded support systems

Alykhan acknowledges that finding the right balance in life can be very difficult when you are first starting out. Aligning yourself with a support system  that works with new and emerging CEOs  can help new business owners stay on track and accountable to themselves, their values and  more.

An insightful read and I highly recommend it to any new business leader, and those inspiring and researching their own future entrepreneurial pathways.

Is your company anticipating a business transformation? Looking to build resilience and team commitment for the journey? Is your vision clear to everyone?

Tip of the week comes from Jeff Meredith CEO of Chamberlain Group. In his article Planning to Undergo a Business Transformation? Here Are 5 Tips to Help You Get Started, Meredith discusses the transformational challenges businesses face, and offers five key actions to help leaders and their teams prepare.

“I can emphatically say it’s not for the faint of heart”, states Meredith.

As a CEO, you’ll want to ensure that your business leaders and, teams are ready to take on the challenge together. Meredith offers five key actions to help to begin to prepare.

1. Be prepared for criticism

2. Paint a clear vision

3. Get your employees on board

4. Stay the course

5. Be ready to change…everything

Others’ uncomfortability with the process requires you not to be timid. If you can’t explain the “why” behind the changes, your vision can become lost before you start. Setting priorities and having a collective purpose can help others better grasp that vision.

You will have to make decisions and so will your employees. Some will be motivated, others reluctant toward change. “Transformation is hard, and it’s not for everyone”, but “it’s not true transformation unless you challenge all of your past norms. “states Meredith. Your conviction, constant focus, and perseverance to stick to your goals will be tested during the rough times. You will have rough times.

Track and celebrate your progress, as these measurements will reflect when you attain “transformation.”

An excellent read for CEOs and leaders to share with their direct reports, especially if a transformational change is in your business’s future. I highly suggest it: Planning to Undergo a Business Transformation? Here Are 5 Tips to Help You Get Started

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Wondering about steps you can take to prepare your team for a potential crisis? How resilient is your team?

What steps do you need to get started?

The TIP of the week comes from DANIEL TODD, the founder and CEO of Influence Mobile. He has some valuable insights into helping CEOs develop their own road maps and tools.  In his article: 4 Steps You Need to Follow to Make It Through Any Crisis With Your Company Intact he provides 4 key takeaways to help CEOs prepare their teams for future challenges.

What steps have you taken to prepare your team for any type of crisis?

Be proactive

• Todd suggests a more hands-on approach when dealing with crises.  Starting with unifying your team and building resilience amongst them.

Ease people into it

• He helps guide people forward and advises on the importance of  “Easing people into navigating crises by giving them safe places using  low-risk challenges that  provide your team with experiences that test their abilities.”

“Easing people into navigating crises”

Transparency is key

• Speaking from his own experience, he understands that the truth can be tough to hear, but you need to listen to your team.  It’s up to you, the leader, to keep the morale high, while being transparent with your team both onsite, and remote.   Communication is key, and it’s important that you do NOT allow fear to take over.  Have a map, and a plan ready, so you can prepare for any future crisis.

Celebrate with balance

• “It is hard work to find a solution”. But even when your team is in the midst of a storm, it is still important to “Celebrate your wins in the crisis, big or small”, notes Todd.

A good read for CEOs, and their executive and management teams. I highly recommend it.

4 Steps You Need to Follow to Make It Through Any Crisis With Your Company Intact

TIP of the week, an article from the Achieves:

With 40 years of entrepreneurial leadership, Vistage speaker John Panigas asks the question, “What is the Cost of Depression to You and Your Business?”

“What is the Cost of Depression to You and Your business?”

John, who has run one of the largest retail construction organizations in Canada for the past 20 years, is looking to eliminate the stigma that has often plagued the topic of mental health.

He offers a humble approach to resetting one’s mental compass. John provides 10 daily self-care habits to add to your wellness routine. Exercise, Mindfulness, Visualization, Meditation, Nutrition, …and more.

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TALK THERAPY

I want to expand on John’s thoughts and also add my own. There is also talk therapy, along with a good set of self-care habits. You can speak to someone in the privacy of your own home. Below are some of the popular online Talk Therapy sites. Check them out, and see which ones may accept insurance, or potentially offer a free service. Counselors who conduct therapy online should have the same accreditations as traditional counselors. The best time to start looking is now.

• BetterHelp
• Talkspace
• Regain
• Talkiatry
• Faithful counseling
• Teen counseling 13-19
• Online-therapy
• Brightside

…more

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Notably, John is correct, the health of your company starts with you. By proactively seeking support, you could potentially help others to also recognize the stress and anxiety that is occurring in their own lives.

The health of your company starts with you.

John provides his readers with honest and valuable insight into the topic of mental health. A good read for everyone within an organization, regardless of title.

Do it for you – do it for your company. To John’s article: 10 realistic ways for CEOs to improve their mental health.

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Do you struggle with accountability with your remote or hybrid teams? Don’t want to become a micromanager?

Max Azarov, co-founder and CEO of Novakid has seen success by developing his four strategies that CEOs can utilize with their own teams.  In his article Strong Leaders Use These 4 Strategies to Build Trust in Their Workplace, Max highlights the importance of building trust with your employees, regardless of the working environment.  He provides readers with some statistics from WFH Research’s 2023 study.

He understands that not everyone will return to the office and that a well-designed hybrid mix of remote and in-office works for most employees. He  also provides readers with his top 4 strategies:

1.       Building trust is the secret weapon

2.       Hiring for trust and autonomy

3.       Keeping everyone on the same page

4.       Focus on results, not busywork

Azarov, suggests measuring performance through “deadlines and expected outputs”.  It’s easy to see when people are falling behind.  Rather build trust  –  allow employees to work through problems and come up with their productive systems.

“The secret sauce to making a remote or hybrid team work

well together isn’t technology; it’s trust” ~Azarov

It’s a good read, packed full of strategies to obtain and keep great people.  Look into recruiting people who thrive with the freedom that comes from “values of trust and honesty”. Those who appreciate “freedom and responsibility” early on in their work.

A great read for executives and their teams.  I highly suggest it. Strong Leaders Use These 4 Strategies to Build Trust in Their Workplace

Wondering how to step out of the leadership myth zone? What myths of leadership do you struggle with?

TIP of the week comes from Sam Reese, CEO of Vistage. In his article 5 Leadership Myths that can hinder success,Sam provides the reader with his five myth busters to help guide and direct CEOs to begin to reframe their thinking to become better leaders. Sam provides insight into the following five myths:

Leadership Myth No. 1: Leaders can’t make mistakes

Leadership Myth No. 2: Leadership is about giving orders

Leadership Myth No. 3: There is one best leadership methodology

Leadership Myth No. 4: Leaders should only share good news

Leadership Myth No. 5: Leadership is solitary

If you have been in any form of leadership, you know the five myths Sam discusses hit home. Common sense and no frills – just the facts. Learning to breathe.

A dynamic journey that requires a lifetime commitment to continuous growth, adaptability and learning. ~ Reese

We are all lifelong learners, continuously learning new skills and ways to adapt to different situations. Being able to have open communication with those around us, helps build trust and allows for creativity to flow amongst our charges. Yes, you might be challenged at times, but being able to engage with others in thoughtful transparent decision-making, is the point of leadership. You want to encourage collaboration. Sam has it right.

A nice well thought out read, 5 Leadership myths that can hinder success, I highly suggest it for executives and their management teams.

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What things continue to be a priority for you in 2024? What things are getting in the way?

TIP for this week comes from Homayoun Hatami and Liz Hilton Segel. In their article What matters most? Eight CEO Priorities for 2024, It comes packed full of well-organized links to in-depth articles plus a downloadable Full Report (95 pages) that can help CEOs gain insight into several reflective trends in the business environment.

Along with their eight priorities, Hatami and Segel remind us “what matters most are family, friends, values, principles, and commitments”. As CEOs we all must take care of ourselves as well. Noting the little things matter too.

“what matters most are family, friends, values, principles, and commitments”

Priorities include topics on the Gen AI going from proof of concept to scale, how to outcompete with technology, learning to love your middle managers, and more. Together, they have generated some great ideas that can work for you, to help you reshape your industry.

It’s always nice to know what’s coming next. A well-written and insightful read. I highly suggest it for CEOs, Executives, and direct reports.

Enjoy the read What matters most? Eight CEO Priorities for 2024

As a leader have you asked yourself “Am I thinking inward”?

How do I keep my company and employees from detaching over hard concerns like global supply chains and logistics, political instability and conflicts, climate, inequality issues, and the economy in general?  It can feel like a daunting task with the boundaries set too wide.

There is good news. It starts with a journey, an inard one.  It involves allowing others to see your human side.  Yes, just being real.

Tip of the week comes from SATYEN RAJA, CEO & Founder, of Warrior Sage Trainings.  In his article Here’s What Leaders Must Do to Truly Support Their Teams in Times of Uncertainty and Turmoilhe describes what it means to go inward, and how to use that inward connection to better support and lead your people effectively.

“The complexities of the world around us affect us even in our working environments”.   “People do not detach from their worries when they show up to work” ~Raja

Raja emphasizes the importance of internal discovery, one that leads to empowering others, while being both personal and real.  He brings up a good point- about the journey; and how organizational goals are often accomplished by the cumulative inclusivity of those unique individuals who work for us. You accomplish those hard goals by promoting engagement; and motivating others toward continued success.

“It starts with meeting people where they are”.

Leadership in hard times requires a level of confidence, courage, openness, and a vision that is clear and gives hope. Raja encourages Leaders to pull people upward with them, and to help guide them to better use their creativity and potential, “rooted in purpose”.  Raja refers to inner workin an article by Alexi Robichaux CEO and co-founder of BetterUp, which frames the idea that nurturing your inner work –is the most essential part of your job.

There are tough times ahead, but if you are real, humble, focused on your inner work, and provide truthful communication, you will inspire others to do so as well.

“Admit what you don’t know. Ask for help. Show your humanity”.

An inspirational and timely read,  Raja speaks to the humanity in us all.  I encourage you to share this article with your executive and managerial teams.  Courageous leadership is an important journey of discovery.  But worth the adventure.

Here’s What Leaders Must Do to Truly Support Their Teams in Times of Uncertainty and Turmoil

Do you know how to evaluate the impact of your corporate events? What strategic promotional tools are utilized in your events to show off your brand? How do your events affect your Return on Investment (R.O.I.)?

The TIP of the week comes from NATASHA MILLER. Natasha Natash, an award-winning Wall Street Journal best-selling author, is also an Entrepreneur leadership network contributor. Founder and CEO of Entire Productions, and 3-time Inc. 5000 entrepreneur.

In her article How to Measure the Success of Your Corporate Events, she presents business leaders with a mini guide for event planning. A guide that can help measure outcomes that are central in event preparation. “Whether the aim is to amplify brand awareness, generate leads, or drive direct sales, setting well-defined goals is crucial”, notes Miller.

Miller provides readers with a more comprehensive approach to event planning. One that incorporates the use of fundamental metrics that better support the evaluation of your overall event success.

“Whether the aim is to amplify brand awareness, generate leads or drive direct sales, setting well-defined goals is crucial” ~Miller

A good takeaway from the read from Miller is “Start with an event strategy map so that the client’s KPIs and ROI goals are set to have something to measure against”.

KPIs and ROI are something that every business should be calculating for their clients. Miller did an excellent job in this mini guide to help CEOs and Planners get a more concise start on their next event.

A great read, I highly suggest it to all business leaders. Share it with your team. How to Measure the Success of Your Corporate Events

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How important is Professional Development and Training to your business?

The TIP of the week comes from Rebecca Fraser-Thrill. Rebecca is a certified career coach and runs a career coaching practice that helps clients make the most of their work lives.

Her recent article Professional Development & Training: The Heart Of Engagement At Work breaks down some of the concerns surrounding the lack of professional development and/or training opportunities, and how that relates to employee retention, productivity, and overall engagement.

“We’re built to grow and change, and that need doesn’t end at any age”

Businesses are having to make critical decisions when it comes to compensation and work-life balance. Equating that to employee satisfaction and a supportive work culture is key in retention matters. “Without opportunities to develop, workers tend to move on – and to be quite unhappy while they’re there”, states Fraser-Thill.

The recent hard-learned lessons from the last several years have shifted the dynamics of the work environment. Businesses have rapidly incorporated new methods of communication and must navigate around key barriers for both on-site workers and off-site.

Fraser-Thrill suggests that “When employees feel cared for by their employer, they offer greater loyalty, productivity, and engagement to their organization”.

Fraser-Thrill offers the reader some insight into how they can start to make changes to keep their employees happy and wanting to stay.

A good read. I recommend it. Professional Development & Training: The Heart Of Engagement At Work

Employee Experience (EX), are you putting your employees first? Do your employees thrive in your culture and choose to stay there?

TIP of the week, 6 Steps to an Ideal Employee Experience, comes from Kathleen Quinn Votaw, Founder, and CEO of TalenTrust and KQV Speaks.

Businesses are at risk of failing if they don’t put their employees first. You need a community that has employees wanting to stay. Also, a supportive HR team helps to keep things aligned with your vision, and together this can provide your business with a competitive advantage in recruiting and retaining employees.

Votaw notes that “Because EX has a direct and powerful impact on your ability to recruit and retain talent, it’s realistically the only competitive edge your company has.”

EX, realistically the only competitive edge your company has.

Votaw lists some of the most common Leadership failures. But not wanting to dwell on the past, she provides her six critical steps to guide you into crafting your ideal EX strategy from attraction to attrition.

SIX Critical Steps

1. Listen first. Then Act.

2: Put your people first, above everything else

3: Hire the right people at every level.

4: Put People in the right roles.

5: Think coach, not boss.

6: Don’t try for perfection.

She cautions CEOs about the dangers of holding onto past practices and policies. Stating that “they may feel comfortable and safe but they are a path to failure”.

Today’s workforce is seeking a more kinder, gentler, more flexible, human-centric work experiences.

A good read, 6 Steps to an Ideal Employee Experience, I highly recommend it to CEOs to share with their direct reports.

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