Recently, the confirmation hearings for potential Supreme Court Justice Amy Comey Barrett brought an issue to light that hits close to home for me - being a mother of a large family. Barrett has seven children, which attracted many comments. Having three or more children is much rarer than it was in the past. 63% of women ages 40-44 have 1-2 children; only 14% have four or … [Read more...] about How to Address Family Concerns
Teamwork
Traits of Incompetent Leaders
What are the traits of incompetent leaders? I know – sadly – you could probably make a long list, with footnotes and examples of poor leaders you have endured. However, there is some good news. According to a recent article in Harvard Business Review*, progress is being made in identifying bad leaders. For example, research in 11 different experiments have shown that … [Read more...] about Traits of Incompetent Leaders
Building Team Accountability
High performing teams hold one another accountable, and this is emphasized as one of the key tenets of teamwork in Patrick Lencioni’s best-selling book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. However – this is easier said than done. A lot of bosses are conflict avoidant, and so they do not follow-up. As an outcome of this, high performers often end up leaving the … [Read more...] about Building Team Accountability
Build a Culture of Appreciation
You honestly appreciate your team and you probably think that they know it. You are probably wrong. According to research reported in Harvard Business Review*, many leaders incorrectly assume that the team they work with know how they feel about them. They call this an “illusion of transparency.” In other words, no – people cannot read your mind; or your heart. Here … [Read more...] about Build a Culture of Appreciation
Bringing Joy to the Workplace
Many years ago when I had my first CEO assignment, I assure you that “Bringing Joy to the Workplace” was not on my list of goals. Of course, I didn’t want to bring “misery” either. Mostly, I just wanted us to get a LOT of work done. Fortunately, I am trainable. And one thing I have learned since those early days is the importance of Joy in our work. We are humans, not … [Read more...] about Bringing Joy to the Workplace