Category: Leadership Topics

It seems as if every organization these days wants to improve employee engagement.  Although employee engagement simply sounds like some warm and fuzzy buzzwords, they certainly are not.  Since Gallup began reporting employee engagement in its State of the American Workforce report, businesses have become aware of the positive (or negative) impact it can have […]

Fall is a great time of year. The weather is perfect, the NFL season is underway (Go Packers!), and the holidays are around the corner. It is also a good time to review the status of this year’s goals and make that final push to successfully complete them. Just as importantly, it is time to […]

One of the biggest complaints I hear from leaders and other professionals is their inability to get things done because of interruptions.

Effective delegation is not simply giving an employee an unpleasant task. It requires thoughtful planning and training. It also requires an environment conducive to empowered delegation. Below are some considerations to keep in mind to ensure your team is delegating effectively. Attitude and Culture Organizational attitudes and culture can sometimes prevent effective delegation. If a […]

Have you ever noticed that a person’s leadership skills are strongly connected with their personality traits? This means that different people have different natural leadership strengths. Many people believe that leaders are born. Others believe that leaders are made through growth opportunities, experience, and training. There is no doubt that some people naturally rise to […]

Mutual understanding depends on understanding oneself and understanding others. What motivates people to act as they do?  When you determine the answer to this question for specific individuals, you can adapt your communication style for more positive results. People are complicated. No simple rules exist for understanding what causes them to behave as they do, […]

The organizational climate has a direct impact on your people. In an atmosphere designed to reinforce productivity, tension and fear are at a minimum and people feel free to use their full potential for creativity and achievement. As a leader, you bear the primary responsibility for establishing the climate in your organization, department, or work […]

What do you think of when you hear the word “manufacturing”? When you hear the words “women in manufacturing”? When you hear the words “women in leadership in manufacturing”? If that makes you stop and think, good. I recently attended a conference in Southwest Virginia geared towards women in manufacturing, and there were well over […]

Would you like to improve your effectiveness?  Do this quick exercise.  Write down five activities that would have a significant positive impact on your personal and professional goals if you spent more time on them.  Some examples might be developing your team, meeting with clients, or spending time with your kids. Now look at your […]

Increasing employee engagement is all the rage these days.  Ever since a 2013 study by Gallup that revealed only 30% of the workforce is “actively engaged”, organizations have been working to change their culture to improve engagement (see my FRONT article in July, 2015 issue on how to do this.)  But what about leadership engagement? […]