In his short but powerful book, “Wait, What?”, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan says that curiosity begins with asking “I wonder why?” and “I wonder if?” He says that “I wonder why” allows you to remain curious with the world and “I wonder if” allows you to remain engaged with the world and prompts you to try something new.

One can easily argue that honing our communications skills is one thing we can all do to increase our success and achieve the results that we want.  It may not be the only thing we need to do, however, working on improving our communications skills and interpersonal interactions will always prove to be a positive and enlightening endeavor.

The communication gap is not just a generational phenomenon. It exists in every type of interaction – between parent and child, boss and employee, teacher and student, husband and wife, between siblings, friends, neighbors, colleagues and on and on...  There is a constant struggle in our communications to have our message be perceived as we intended.  If you have ever found yourself saying, “That is not what I meant” or “I believe you misunderstood what I was trying to convey”, then you have experienced the communication gap. The key is to create awareness around the fact that the gap exists and then work to modify your behavior to close the gap.

There is no argument that effective leadership requires a variety of competencies in the leader’s toolbelt. Some of these tools include effective communication, inspiring, directing, creating vision, strategic thinking, building relationships, adaptability, drive, execution and emotional intelligence. Coaching is a relatively new tool for the leadership toolbelt. Like all the other leadership competencies mentioned, coaching is not the only tool for leaders; however, it is an important one.

There are many misconceptions of what coaching is and even how to use it, and leaders often think they are coaching when they are not. For example, a leader meets with a team member to discuss a challenge, situation or area for improvement and basically tells the employee how to resolve the problem. He or she may tell a story of resolving a similar situation. Next, the leader encourages the team member to “get out there and make the changes.”

Does this scenario sound familiar? Although this approach may have a place in leadership (in fact, it’s more like mentoring), too often, it becomes overused. When a leadership competency is overused, it becomes a weakness.

Read the article in it's entirety here: http://www.trainingindustry.com/blog/blog-entries/add-coaching-to-the-leadership-toolbelt.aspx

 

There is a lot of buzz in the media and in leadership circles regarding leading/inspiring Millennials.  In this webinar we will discuss millennials as a powerful cohort in the workplace and specifically explore how to help them embrace authentic commitment to the organization they work with.  Effective commitment in the workplace happens when there is an emotional attachment and a desire to be a contributing partner within the organization.  Although we are focusing on Millennials, this is a meaningful discussion for all generations.  

 

Business leaders are currently faced with serving five different generations of customers. Each of these generational cohorts have distinct needs and expectations when it comes to their service and support. In order to better capture and retain their business, it is increasingly important for leaders to understand each of these cohorts and customize their approach. 

In this webinar, we will explore:

• the preferences of each of the five generational cohorts:
  • Traditionalists,
  • Baby Boomers,
  • Gen X,
  • Millennials, and
  • Gen Z
• actionable strategies for customizing your service, marketing, and support to each