In any organization, there are some who are opposed to any change, even positive change. They have often worked within the same structure for years, and it provides their comfort zone. They can be toxic colleagues. Most people, though, are resistive to change not because they actively oppose development, but because they are simply anxious. You can’t ignore this silent minority; they can become huge allies. But the bulk of your efforts will be directed towards those that are actively opposed to structural or policy change. It is important to identify and deal with them if you want to ensure…

Turning the page on a new year is an opportune moment to review how you lead. These leadership tips will help you find balance for your team, and yourself. Communication really is key. Most people respect and appreciate direct developmental feedback from their bosses. It drives people crazy sensing that something is wrong and not knowing what it is. If you are upset about something your employees are doing — tell them. In today’s free agent economy, very smart people want to grow and will only stay at companies that help them do that. Great employees are looking to be…

Do you want your employees to be more innovative? Yes, of course. Who doesn’t? However, spurring innovative thinking and action is not easy, otherwise everyone would be creating the Apple Watch, Zoom, and the Go-Pro Hero. Here I’ll offer tips on how to foster more innovative thinking in your business. Suggestions are drawn from my work and research, plus insight from others such as IDEO, the world-famous design firm. What is innovative thinking? Creative ideas come from prolific idea generators. The notion that geniuses hide away and conjure up one great idea is absurd. Really creative people produce many, many…

One of the hallmarks of highly effective executives is their willingness and ability to act proactively regarding their own and their employee’s professional development. I am constantly amazed, however, about the frequency in which we (I refer to my colleagues in the Society of Consulting Psychology of the American Psychological Association) encounter organizations that only begin to provide developmental help (training) for their employees when they get in trouble. My first entrée into most organizations is to be called on to help save a derailed executive; to help that executive get back on track before he or she loses their…

There is one major thing to remember when you want to succeed in your chosen profession, and in your specific job; you need to know your strengths and build on them. Does this sound like familiar advice, or is it contrary to what you have always been told? It’s more likely to be the latter; we are often reminded that we all have strengths and weaknesses, and although our strengths are important, it’s our weaknesses we need to focus on. We need to turn them into strengths, or — at the very least — simply get better at doing what…

Today is like no other time in history. The unprecedented outcome of the coronavirus pandemic across the world means that economies are failing and there is more unemployment than in most people’s living memory. Now is the time for leadership; now is the time for people to move out of their comfort zones and do something, do what it takes, to put the world back on track. There is no doubt this is a frightening thought. Because we’ve never been through anything like this in the past, it’s impossible to know whether the path we’re choosing right now is the…