Research has shown that emotional intelligence (managing yourself) is twice as important as cognitive ability (IQ) or technical skills to success in life and work. You can be the smartest kid in college, but if you can’t get out of bed and make it to class to take the test, it doesn’t matter. Unfortunately, most […]
What happens when we keep solving other people’s problems? We create dependency and stifle their growth and innovation. Our employees and family members get lazy, stop developing their own solutions, and come to rely on us for answers and advice. Instead of telling others what to do, effective leaders ask thought-provoking questions to get them […]
Why don’t we set clear boundaries with our team members, friends, and family? Because it’s difficult, uncomfortable and we want people to like us. We don’t want to disappoint others, so instead we push aside our own wants and needs in the name of being nice. This happens when we don’t speak up when other […]
Presence or paying attention is absolutely critical to high performance, strong relationships and overall happiness. Although it’s very simple in concept, it’s very difficult in practice. This is because as human beings, we are constantly thinking. We think about what we are going to do next, our opinions about what we see and hear, regrets […]
Trust is what makes or breaks relationships both at work and at home. It’s impossible to have strong relationships, effective communication, and smooth interactions without trust. When trust is high, teamwork is effective, productivity increases, and morale is greater. When trust is low, conflicts arise, performance declines, and relationships suffer. Recently, I taught three separate […]
We all know that we communicate and influence others through our body language. But did you know that we also influence and communicate subconsciously to ourselves through our own body language? In a TED talk by Amy Cuddy, she talks about how “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are.” When your body language is […]
Most of the leaders I work with are overworked, pushing harder than ever before, and running on near empty. Stress is inevitable in these VUCA times (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous), but it’s also not the problem. The problem is that most of us run at full throttle for extended periods of time without sufficient […]
Now that 2018 is coming to the end, many of us will take stock in how we spent this year. Did we do all the things we planned to do? Did we spend our time on our highest priorities? Did we live our values each day? Whenever I conduct this yearly evaluation, I try not […]
In Brene Brown’s book Rising Strong, she talks about what gives people the strength to get back up and try again after falling down. This resiliency comes from the ability to feel and acknowledge the hurt rather than acting out on it and inflicting pain on others. The normal reaction is to look for someone […]
If you are not using assessments in your recruiting process and employee development program, you are missing out. I have used many different assessments for leadership and team development for 20 years, but the AcuMax Index is the first one I’ve found that can be completed within 5 minutes with such a high degree of […]