Category: Management, Supervision & Leadership

Leading Teams to Success: When Styles Clash

We recently worked with an organization with two important teams. One was an “operations team,” focused on basic case management—where consistency and steady thruput were important success factors. 

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Leadership in an Uncertain World

Leaders and managers are responsible for leading teams to success—but what does that look like in these uncertain times?  In some parts of the country, leaders are navigating the realities of returning to the office after long-term telework.

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After the Performance Review: Preparing for the Year Ahead

 At their best, performance reviews should be the start of a two-way dialogue that will last the entire year. Here are some tips: Acknowledge that the performance review — while important — is a moment in time over the course of a year. One conversation is unlikely to change the…
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Staying Present in a Performance Review – Key Tips

Even with effective planning, performance reviews can take many turns during the conversation.  Here are some common patterns that can occur in the conversation, and ways to keep things on track and focused on outcomes. Start with identifying projects or tasks that were key areas of focus for the year.…
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Tips: Preparing to Give a Performance Review

It’s time to evaluate your employees’ performance, and as with many important conversations, effective preparation is key.  Your first step should be to objectively reflect on each person’s contributions over the past year. Here are some tips: It is easy to consider only the past few weeks when considering performance—a…
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Respecting Diversity in a Time of Telework

A client shared an interesting story about a recent experience related to disability awareness and telework.  First, some background.  The organization has been working well remotely for several months.  Because the team has a good understanding of diversity principles, it follows the following ground rules: It is a cultural norm…
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Developing Your Leadership Skills in Diversity and Inclusion

As cultural dynamics change in an organization, it is important for leaders to continue their own development and training.  As a training category, “Diversity and Inclusion” is an important set of both principles and skills, and covers a wide range of topics, including: Generational Differences Unconscious Bias Workplace Culture Cultural…
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Building Inclusiveness: One Conversation at a Time

We are marking Black History Month at a unique time in our history.  Political upheaval and conflict, increasing COVID-19 case counts and the national changes that come with a new Administration draw our attention outward to watch the news and check in on family and friends.  Marking a diversity holiday…
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How Do You Lead? Team Leadership Assessment

Successful teams generally have a successful leader–either out front or behind the scenes–guiding the way.  If you lead a team, here’s a quick assessment to reflect on how you are doing: Strengths – What strengths do you have in leading the team? How are these strengths reflected in the team’s…
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Temporary Teams Are Typically Required When Solving One Problem

When talking about team building, much attention is given to long-term teams instead of temporary teams. Long-term teams are typically required when they fulfill the main functions of your organization, such as sales teams, health and safety teams, employee motivation teams, etc. Such teams are consistent fixtures within your organization.…
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