CAREER COACHING & BUSINESS ORGANIZATION
CAREER COACHING & BUSINESS ORGANIZATION
By jessica.mattssonPosted on 
In his article Are You A Leader Or A Follower?, Travis Bradberry asks some excellent questions which largely help you understand whether you have the profile of a real leader. Like Bradberry says “Leadership and followership are mindsets”, it is true, either you are born a leader or you are not.
So have a look at the article – it is the moment of truth.
The article is posted on Forbes.
By jessica.mattssonPosted on 
In your organization, do you have a successor for people having a key role, such as the CEO?
In his article “Who are your street sweepers? Succession planning and leadership development”, published by the Australian Institute of Management, David Reynolds reminds of the importance of including these two perspectives into the overall business strategy of a company.
In addition to develop a leadership program for the company, of utmost importance are the “pivot points”, i.e., persons who play key roles in the success of the organization and whom should be enabled to develop skills that will help them to move forward and ensure – and be a part of – the company’s future.
By jessica.mattssonPosted on 
Conflicts are inevitable in a work place where people spend a lot of time together. Inevitable yes, but as explained by Executive Coaches Joan Bunashe and Lindsay Broder in their article How Leaders Can Best Manage Conflict Within Their Teams, there are simple ways to reduce magnitude and possible damages. Here are some tips:
By jessica.mattssonPosted on 
Even though leadership expert Roselinde Torres’s Ted Talk dates back to 2013, the question she deals with is hot topic:
What makes a great leader today?
Roselinde Torres has spent 25 years studying the question, observing more than 4’000 companies. She comes to the conclusion that there are three questions to be posed :
By observing yourself – your whereabouts and your environment – and then analyze it can help you detect upcoming shifts and important changes.
Your network is important. If you are capable of collaborating with people that think and act fundamentally differently than you, together you can more easily identify new patterns and disruptive trends.
Finally, do you dare get out of comfortable and familiar practice ? Chose new paths, even if it implies taking risks?
Anticipating new trends, socializing and working with people with other backgrounds and perceptions than you allow you to stay ahead and prepare for the future rather than undergo it.
Leaders of the 21st-century see around corners and are already prepared for whatever tomorrow will bring.
By jessica.mattssonPosted on
In her article “Disruptive Ideas”, posted on Thinkers50, the author, Professor Vlatka Hlupic, writes about business models and the necessity of progress.
Indeed, disruptive innovation also applies to management, which must evolve to become less rigid, control-based and horizontal, to be more flexible and human. One of today’s major challenges for companies is to see its employees as being part of the team and not as an emotional-lacking asset. Through new ways of thinking – that is to cease focusing on pure financial profit – a company can be more innovative, create more value and improve business performance.
Professor Hlupic states that “the organization is understood as being more like a living organism than a machine”.
By jessica.mattssonPosted on 
The article How to Keep Employees Happy in the Age of Longer Workweeks, published on American Express Open Forum brings up an important subject. The one of increasing working hours. The feeling that we are spending more and more time at work is confirmed by a recent study made by EY. Prevent negative effects such as demotivation and burn out has become a major challenge.
The author of the article, Julie Bawden Davis, gives concrete advice on how to keep a healthy work-life balance when working overtime has become a necessity to stay competitive in the market.
Managers, especially the business owner, tend to work long hours. Employees might think that the same is expected from them – even in times when actually not necessary. This can result in demotivation and a negative impact on productivity. Make sure that team members know exactly what is expected from them as regards working hours.
Hold debriefing meetings once a week to analyze and discuss stress increasing situations and how to avoid them.
Implementing flexibility is an appreciated method. As an employee, it is gold worth knowing that when the workflow lightens, you can take an afternoon off to spend with your kids.
Last, make sure employees know that you are aware of their working hard. Show your gratitude, if possible money-wise with a bonus. It is equally important to thank people individually. Take the time to stop by their office to say a nice, encouraging word.
By jessica.mattssonPosted on Being a leader in our profit-driven world is not easy. We are constantly under pressure of performing and also increasing our team’s performance.
The article The Missing Links in Leadership, published by the Australian Institute of Management, reminds us of two characteristics necessary to maintain a healthy environment in a busy workplace. Those are compassion and empathy.
As Kerry Anne Cassidy explains in this article, being compassionate everyday “is about ensuring you have the right intention in approaching a situation or person”. That is making sure you first get a grip of the situation (or the other person’s feelings) rather than making suppositions before handling.
Further, Cassidy defines empathy as recognizing and acknowledging an other person’s feelings – even if you do not agree with them. She gives some great examples on how true empathy works. When a team member comes to you with a problem, there is a huge difference between saying “I understand how you feel” and “You are feeling hurt because…”.
Knowing how to be compassionate as well as understand and practice empathy is an important part of emotional intelligence.
By jessica.mattssonPosted on Reading, we know, is one of the best ways to learn and to help us see things from other, new angles. And who could not give better tips than Bill Gates himself? In the article Bill Gates Thinks You Should Read These 6 Books This Year written by Jessica Stillman and published on Inc.com, books on various topics are recommended. It is a most interesting list, including books not only on business but also on other topics like early-20th century U.S. presidents, immunity, or economic development in Asia. These books will no doubt open up our mind to new approaches and thinking.
By jessica.mattssonPosted on As a manager, the goal is to have a team that performs greatly in a conflict-free environment. How is that possible? Joseph Grenny explains how in his article How the Best Managers Create Culture Peer Accountability posted on LinkedIn.
That is by applying the Peer Principle, which basically means concentrating less on vertical performance management and more on peer accountability. Team members are encouraged to handle assessment among themselves, including issues of conflict. By being responsibilized, problem-solving mainly happens directly in the group with minimal involvement of the manager.
The article further describes how to implement such culture. The baseline is of course to be a model yourself – confront your concerns directly with the persons involved rather than complain to others. Further, new expectations, together with useful skills, should be explained and taught to the team using positive, speaking examples.
“Investing in the Peer Principle takes time up front” explains Joseph Grenny, “but the return on investment happens fast as you regain lost time and see problems solved both better and faster.”
By jessica.mattssonPosted on The article Seven Signs Your Boss is a Weak Manager is aimed for employees. But what if you considered it from a manager’s point of view?
With subjects ranging from a lack of self-confidence with a fear of competent co-workers to a refusal of accepting tips to improve work, there are a lot of interesting questions in there. How do you react as manager? What about taking it as a quiz?
