An award-winning garden doesn’t start with seeds; it begins with rich, fertile soil. If the soil is lacking, the seeds won’t produce a good crop. Both are essential, but one is dependent on the other. In the same way, creativity and innovation don’t happen on teams where the culture isn’t healthy. They happen when there’s […]

People are hired because of their skills, experience, expertise, and track record of success. But if their communication skills are lacking, it’ll be tough to move up in the organization—or even keep their job over time. Effective communication in the workplace is the key to a successful and rewarding career. Improving communication skills begins by […]

If you’ve ever taken a project management course, you gained knowledge and skills to complete projects on time and under budget. You discovered how to get things done through people who might be “volunteers”—they’ve been assigned to your project team but don’t report to you. You have what it takes to run a project well. […]

A consultant met with the fifteen-member executive team of a large corporation recently. They wanted to find out why they couldn’t seem to reach their most important corporate goals. They had hoped for company-wide engagement, but no one seemed focused on that shared vision. The consultant asked, “Do your people know exactly what the top […]

Some people become leaders because they are good at their job as individual contributors. Others are intentional about moving into leadership. In both cases, they’re often expected to perform that role with excellence but haven’t been given appropriate training. When a leader wants to inspire their team members to contribute their best efforts, they’re well […]

Suppose you are given $10,000 and told to invest it for the greatest return over time. Five years from now, you can keep the profits. How much time would you spend on that investment? One-on-one meetings (1-on-1s) are like that. It’s your chance to invest in your employees for the greatest possible return—for you, the […]

A parent tells their kids, “I have a family goal for this year: We’re going to go on a vacation.” When the kids ask “Where,” the parent says, “Oh, I don’t know. But we’ll go someplace.” It’ll be hard for the kids to get excited without defining what that vacation looks like. If the parent […]

If you’re the leader of a team, you want your team members to be highly engaged in what the team is doing, right? You want an inclusive workplace culture where people feel like they belong, enjoy working together, and achieve great results. Want to know what the #1 factor is in making that happen? It’s […]

An award-winning garden doesn’t start with seeds; it begins with rich, fertile soil. If the soil is lacking, the seeds won’t produce a good crop. Both are essential, but one is dependent on the other. In the same way, creativity and innovation don’t happen on teams where the culture isn’t healthy. They happen when there’s […]