The Top 5 Assessments for Building Your Team

Assessments can be a great way to teach team members about the commonalities and differences among their peers. When we work with others, it becomes quickly evident that we all have preferences and styles for how we work, think, communicate, and handle conflict. There are 5 great assessments that I recommend to help individuals and … Read more

Disconnect to Connect

Always connected seems to be our new reality. Mobile technology has given us more work flexibility and entertainment than we ever thought possible. Although convenient, it’s an invitation for continual disconnection to the important things in life.  As people who want to impact the lives of others in a positive way, we must intentionally disconnect to … Read more

3 Big Questions for Team Motivation

Many mangers expect an engaged and motivated team as a result of combining a group of engaged and motivated individuals. In a team setting, people’s motivations adapt and change as their goals become more dependent on the work of other people. A new dynamic enters the environment and people begin to evaluate the competence and … Read more

10 Clechés that Kill Motivation

Forgive me for being a little negative in this post. Just for fun, I want to list some of my cliche  and buzz-phrase pet peeves. Some of these are just warn out while others simply sound unprofessional. Managers who use these can expect to kill motivation. Use them at your own risk. 10. Rightsizing – … Read more

5 Ways to Build a Great Team

Great teams don’t just happen. They are built.  Over the past 15 years, I’ve had the opportunity to serve on teams, lead teams, and facilitate dozens of team building meetings. I’ve observed and studied what helps teams grow together and increase cohesion and trust. Below, I discuss 5 ways managers can move a team toward … Read more

5 Ways To Be A Career RockStar

Getting the job you’ve dreamed of or progressing in your career greatly depends on how you differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd. Here are 5 ways you can become a Career Rock Star. 1. Become aware of your strengths and weaknesses. This is a foundation of your career. Clarity around your personal and professional strengths … Read more

Why Your Personal Energy Is So Important

It’s evident that more people and organizations (both for-profit and non-profit) are becoming increasing interested in how to maximize energy. The reasoning is simple, the more energy a person has the more she or he will be able to fully engage in whatever activity is at hand. In our energy draining world, where many of … Read more

What is your Genius?

Have you ever thought of yourself as a genius? I think most of us never think of ourselves as having an extraordinarily high intelligence or natural capability. Although academic research many years ago created a paradigm of general Intelligence and IQ, more resent research is telling us a different story. People can be of average … Read more

What Really Motivates

While some are still stuck in old paradigms of motivation, many have moved beyond this command, control, and threats style to an over-reliance on the behavioral model of rewards. Scientific studies continue to support a more sophisticated perspective that relies on the leader creating environments of autonomy, competence (mastery), and relatedness (purpose). This video provides … Read more

My Top 5 Leadership Development Apps

Like most of you I would love to have more time to learn and grow both personally and professionally. I’ve found that with the invention of apps on mobile devices (phone, tablet, computer, etc.), I can use small windows of time to learn and grow. In the past when we stood in line at the … Read more