Clarity in Communication
By Dr. Lisa Aldisert
Everyone is getting busier, which is great for business but perhaps more challenging in execution. This continues to be more complicated if you are working remotely or in a hybrid situation.
During the most intense periods of the pandemic, employees adapted and got the work done clumsily but effectively. What’s different now is the pace and higher levels of expectations. Business is returning to previous activity levels and leaders need to help their teams adjust to expectations.
So what’s a leader to do? These suggestions may seem obvious, but this is one of those times where it’s important to go back to basics.
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Communications Checklist For Virtual Leaders
Dr. Lisa Aldisert, Hr.com, September 2020
An opportunity for leaders to sharpen the saw and up their game.
Virtual leadership is now an essential skill as a result of living through the pandemic. Recent announcements by large tech companies such as Google and Salesforce.com that they expect their employees to work remotely until next summer are harbingers of what we can expect in the near term.Read More
How Leaders Can Help Their Remote Workers
By Dr. Francis Eberle
What can we do when it feels like inertia is holding us back? These days, I have noticed during recent video calls that some of the people who are normally high energy seem to have much less energy. Staying motivated when working remotely involves more than just setting up a work area and logging into a video call. The stresses of accomplishing tasks without your colleagues close by, distractions at home, news of the world, fear about safety when going out, and the desire to do something other than sit at home can be exhausting. In addition, some people are also experiencing uncertainty about future wages.
When I first decided to write about motivation, I didn’t want it to be all about working from home because of the COVID-19 virus. Remote work existed before all of this. It’s just more widespread now.
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Greatness Starts with Optimism
By Mindy Bortness
When I was working in the marketing department of The San Diego Union-Tribune, a job I loved from the moment I stepped in and sparked a love for hiring intelligence, I used to sign my name with a smiley face.
Every memo, email or handwritten thank you note, I always signed:
Thanks,
Mindy 
This little act of cheer was an extension of one of my core beliefs: optimism. It was, and still is, very important to me to extend optimism with every new interaction, client or project I’m working on.
To me, being optimistic is all about energy. When I approach a new situation with optimism, I’m bringing a lighter, more open energy into the interaction. This intention then becomes the focus. Despite what energy exists prior, or any somber facts that lead up to a current difficult situation, the infusion of optimism is always an energy reset for forward momentum and results.
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Your Body as a Decision-Making Power Tool
By Jalene Case
Plugging into our bodies’ way of communicating is like using a decision-making power tool. It quickly drills to the core. Whether we’re struggling to make tiny, seemingly inconsequential choices or gigantic, clearly life-changing decisions, our bodies know the answer first.
It’s easy to rush through life without taking time to notice our physical sensations. In fact we often try to actively ignore our bodies by not listening to their plea for sleep, urge to move, or hunger for good food. Feel familiar?
That denial of our bodies’ voice also shows up in our decision-making process. For example, have you ever made a list of pros and cons to help you make a choice and, more often than not, ended up in analysis-paralysis? Did you feel that even though there were more pros on the list, you wanted to make the opposite choice? Interpreting what our bodies are trying to tell us is more than a gut-feeling-style approach.
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5 Ways Vulnerability Can Be An Asset
By Dave Clark,
I did something very out of character for me one day last week. In fact, it was something I don’t think I’ve ever done in a 30+ year career in the workforce – I admitted to my manager that I simply just didn’t have it that day. My mental gas tank had gone dry.
A confluence of internal and external pressures created a perfect storm of mental chaos. Sleep deprived, overextended, and trying to keep up with my self-inflicted unmanageable schedule led to elevated-stress levels that pushed me over the edge. My will to conquer the world was put on hold – even if just for one day.Read More
Decoding Communication: How Your Behavioral Style Effects Team Communication
By Whit Mitchell
It is estimated that 90 percent of communication is nonverbal. Just imagine what you could “hear” if you were actively “listening” and watching for all of the nonverbal clues!
Effective communication is in large part about mastering the art of listening, but when are we ever taught how to effectively listen? It’s not a class that is offered in school. I bet that no one has ever taken a course on listening. Read More
I Can’t Hear What You’re Saying Because Your Actions Speak Too Loud
Our guest is Rodger Price, who is an executive coach and owner of Leading by Design. Today Rodger talks to us about effective communication. He tells us why communication is an issue in most companies, and why effective communication is hard, despite the fact that most people think they’re doing it well. He gives us tips for improving communication, and talks about the importance of communicating what you say through your behaviors as well. He also stresses the importance of sharing significant messages “many different times in many different ways.”
Words That Do Not Work
Communication is at the core of all that we do as human beings. While verbal interaction may seem to come naturally, it is a rich and complex process. Communication requires us to be aware of and tuned into thousands of data points from nonverbal cues to gestures, and even — subtle verbal cues.Read More