This month's Leadership Carnival contains expert contributions on the topics of:
Communication | Leadership Development | Team Building | Ways to Support Growth
Communication
Beyond the Drama: How to De-Escalate an Emotional Conversation at Work
by Karin Hurt and David DyePractical Powerful Phrases to de-escalate an emotional conversation. Insights from our new book: Powerful Phrases for Dealing With Workplace Conflict: What to Say Next to De-stress the Workday, Build Collaboration and Calm Difficult Customers.
Why You Want to Be Thin-Skinned
by Marcia ReynoldsBeing thick-skinned resists the pain of judgement and hurtful remarks, but also blocks deep connections with others – read 5 ways to safely be thin-skinned to improve your conversations.
Let’s Move Away from Cowardly Leadership in 2024
by Taylor SimmonsI can’t think of one person I know that loves conflict. Let’s be honest, it’s uncomfortable. However, conflict is a crucial part of leadership. And there are ways to address conflict that provides growth to everyone involved in the situation.
Practicing the Art of Silence
by Ken BylerFor too many leaders, silence is not a means of communication. When attending a meeting or engaging in conversation they are typically busy making their point. Does having a lot to say mean you are the smartest person in the room?
Career Coaching Tip: The Limits of Empathy
by Dana Theus • TwitterAs managers and leaders, we are stewards of company resources and goals, and we must do our best to stay clear on the situation as it actually is, unclouded by emotional distortions to the greatest extent possible. When we’re off balance in empathy, we’re out of power, less adept at staying focused on our business targets and susceptible to the emotional distortions of others. We need to rely less on empathy and more on our judgment in order to respond appropriately, for the good of all involved.
The Zen of Giving Feedback
by Lisa Kohn • TwitterIn the post, The Zen of giving feedback, Lisa Kohn from The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog shares that while feedback is something many of us hate to do, we can be Zen, and more effective, when giving feedback by following these three easy steps.
Leadership Communication: Strategies for Empowering Your Team
by Diana Peterson-MoreEffective communication is not just about transmitting information; it’s about creating understanding, trust, and engagement. This post focuses on the importance of: aligning communication with organizational values; embracing the “Platinum Rule of Communication;” shifting from telling to engaging; cultivating active listening; the power of using “I” statements; and, enhancing email communications.
To Speak or Not to Speak: An Important Leadership Decision During Crisis
When considering whether to communicate during times of crisis, the easiest decision sometimes feels like the path of least resistance, yet this could result in relationship damage with your employees. Exceptional leadership is not a spectator sport – here’s a smart and simple process to follow to help leaders and boards evaluate when communication needs to happen.
Leadership Development
Face the Facts… It’s Your Responsibility
by Frank Sonnenberg • Twitter
You are responsible for you. But that’s not where your responsibility ends. Here are 20 common ways people regularly shirk their responsibility.
Are You Irrelevant?
by Brenda Yoho • Twitter
The question of whether a leader can render themselves irrelevant is a profound one, touching on the essence of leadership and its effectiveness in navigating complex organizational challenges. At its core, leadership entails guiding individuals and groups toward a shared vision, providing the necessary support, resources, and direction to achieve common goals.
What Can You Learn from Successful People
by Neal Burgis, Ph.D. • Twitter
What can you learn from the success of those who found it in later life? With the intersection of your skills and talents and with the way you do things, you can find the success you are looking for. This may happen early in your life, or later. It depends on how you see things and what’s going on for you early in your life.
Measure Respect in Your Work Culture
Once you define your ideal work culture, how do you know if leaders and team members align to it? You must measure it – regularly. Here’s how. Senior leaders must first define their organization’s ideal work culture by formalizing the values they want everyone in the company to demonstrate in daily interactions. Then they must specify observable, tangible behaviors that model those values.
If It Ain’t Broke …
by Jon Verbeck
We’ve all heard the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” There’s a lot of wisdom in that. When you’ve implemented an efficient plan (i.e. a quick month-end close, financial processes that keep good data in front of you, etc.) it’s a good idea not to mess with it – to a point. But it’s never good to permanently rest in a routine that isn’t reviewed regularly. It’s then that we fall into a rut, otherwise known as a casket without a top. And forgive the pun, but if you are not growing, you are dying. Growing requires the willingness to change.
Breaking Through the Approval Barrier: A Tech Manager’s Victory
by Bill Ringle
Facing rejection on innovative ideas that you're proposing? Learn from this case study on Patricia, a quality systems manager at a 200-person cloud services firm, who found success after reshaping her approach to pitching AI enhancements. This article offers a blueprint for securing project approval and resources, highlighting the importance of timing, clarity, and strategic alignment.
Team Building
Five Simple Ideas to Improve Collaboration and Productivity on Your Team
by Sean Glaze • Twitter
If you want to improve collaboration on your team, there are a few important ideas you will want to consider to help make that happen. Collaboration is not a single event. It is an ongoing process that you implement to ensure your people share and request information to increase performance.
Winning Teams
by Priscilla Archangel • Twitter
For teams to successfully reach their goals, it’s not always about having the best players. They need players with the right skill set. How does that happen?
Leading People
Leadership is more than just a title; it’s about the impact you have on those around you and the legacy you leave behind. Leadership is a tradition passed down, one where each leader has the responsibility to enhance their followers’ lives, encouraging them to become leaders in their own right.
Ways to Support Growth
Why Do You Need Vision to be a Values-Based Leader?
In the context of “Vision Based Values Leadership,” the leader integrates this forward-looking vision with a solid foundation in core values. This integration ensures that the path towards achieving the vision is ethical, responsible, and aligned with the core principles of the organization.
The Surprise of a “Thank You”
by Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE • Twitter
I recently received a hand-written thank you. Out of the blue. Unexpected. And it lightened my entire day, week, and maybe months.
Democratizing Soft Skills Development – One Prompt at a Time
Are you ready to use AI to enhance your own HI (human intelligence) – and that of your employees? Large language models can provide the support, reinforcement, and nudging we all need to take our interpersonal and leadership skills to the next level.
This is a New Beginning
by Marcella Bremer • Twitter
In need of organizational, personal and climate change? Alone we can do little, but together we can do a lot. Check how you can start small and persevere until more people join in. Inspired by philosopher Jan Drost.