Like a dark cloud, negativity can hang over a team or organization when things are not going well. Pessimism can be like a death spiral and leaders often have difficulty pulling out of it. Even after the worst of a corporate restructuring, market downturn, or project crisis has passed, teams often remain stuck in a rut—flat in meetings, silent with new ideas, and … [Read more...] about How You Can Counter Pessimism
resilience
Polite Ways You Can Say No
You want the elusive “Balanced Life” and cannot seem to get there. Maybe you need to say “no” more often. I learned this the hard way when I had so much stress that I believe it contributed to a cancer diagnosis. That was 43 years ago – I am happy to be alive and that I learned to start saying “no” more often. Here is an interesting list from Matt Rutherford on ten ways … [Read more...] about Polite Ways You Can Say No
Preventing Burnout Across the Organization
We often talk about workplace burnout as a personal failing—a lack of individual resilience or an inability to set firm boundaries. “They need to stop working so late.” In reality, burnout looks different depending on where a person is in their career. A recent Harvard Business Review article demonstrates how we can address issues of burnout at different career … [Read more...] about Preventing Burnout Across the Organization
Practicing Wise Empathy
A key part of developing our Emotional Intelligence is improving our Empathy. But exactly how do you that? A recent article in Harvard Business Review provides some helpful insights into this challenge. Here are some things we can all do to be empathetic while still driving high performance and holding people accountable. The authors call this mastering “wise empathy.” … [Read more...] about Practicing Wise Empathy
Is Your Team Overwhelmed?
Even the best teams get overwhelmed. In fact, high performing teams are subject to overwhelm even more than an “average” team since they have such high aspirations. Even the best teams need to pace themselves. Overwhelm can sneak up on us and be hidden. One team member who was interviewed for a recent article in Harvard Business Review said: “I was holding it … [Read more...] about Is Your Team Overwhelmed?