The holiday season has officially arrived, and with it comes many annual office and professional organization holiday parties. These events can be a mixed bag—equal parts excitement and dread. While it’s tempting to see them as an excuse for free food, drinks, and awkward small talk, they truly can be golden opportunities to build relationships, […]
As leaders, we focus a lot on what we say: preparing for meetings, writing the perfect email, or rehearsing for presentations. But the reality is, that some of the most important messages we send don’t come from our words—they come from our nonverbal communication. Things like your body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, or […]
No matter where you work or what you do, possessing at least “good” communication skills can make or break your career. Just think about the job ads you see online and even your own job description; they all include some requirement related to communication skills. “Great oral and written communication skills a must.” “Excellent interpersonal […]
As someone who has trained leaders for more than 25 years, one of the biggest challenges I see leaders facing is making the transition from team member and subject matter expert to leader. This transition is further complicated when organizations make the mistake of selecting new leaders based on length of employment and/or technical skill. […]
Have you ever felt like you’re the odd one out at work? Do you struggle to fit in with your coworkers or wonder why they don’t seem to want to include you or listen to your ideas? If the thought has crossed your mind that some, if not all of your coworkers, may not appreciate […]
The holiday season is upon us and you may be feeling stressed out, worried, and wishing it was over already. Don’t let this year be another year where you feel you have to just “survive” the holidays. The words holiday and stress do not have to go hand-in-hand! Here are some tips borrowed from our […]
Tis the season for holiday events including those at work and in your professional organizations. The office party can be a great time to really get to know your coworkers and colleagues, a chance to network and make new connections, and overall, an opportunity to shine as bright as Rudolph’s nose. However, every year we […]
Several years ago, I mentioned to a friend that I couldn’t stand receiving certain holiday letters because of the things people write in them. Apparently, she didn’t believe me when I told her I didn’t mean HER letters, because she didn’t send me her Christmas letter again for about 10 years. I promise I wasn’t […]
I thought I’d get a jump-start on holiday-themed blogs this year so we can all be prepared for finding joy in what can sometimes be a stressful season. To kick things off, let’s talk about holiday gatherings like Thanksgiving, which is coming up next week! Family holiday gatherings should be a time to reconnect, enjoy […]
People often ask me what’s the first step to becoming a better listener. The answer? Get rid of your bad listening habits. As much as we don’t like to admit it, most of us aren’t the best of listeners and we’ve developed some bad habits over our lifetimes. As you review this list of bad […]
