Communication

My Must-Attend Conference of 2017 #workhuman

January 19, 2017

This time each year, many people peruse their industry’s conference offerings to decide which ones to attend. If you’re in the human resources, talent management, organizational development or leadership functions in your company, I suggest the WorkHuman 2017 conference. Now in its third year, the conference—sponsored by technology solutions provider Globoforce—seeks to help companies build […]

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A Dose of Medicine for Executives with BSO Syndrome

December 26, 2016

As a member of a company (big or small) you’ve probably felt a case of organizational whiplash from time to time. You know what I’m talking about? It’s that sensation you get when so many different “Big Ideas” get introduced (and then eliminated) by upper management, it’s as if your head has snapped back and […]

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10 Simple Phrases that Cast Sunlight

October 12, 2016

Last week I wrote about how we are naturally drawn towards positive people because they inspire us. In nature, that’s called the “heliotropic effect,” which describes how plants grow or move towards sunlight. This week, I penned a similar piece, but this time from a leadership angle. I bet you can easily think of managers […]

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6 Reasons Why #WorkHuman 2017 is a Must for Your Leadership Team

May 16, 2016

They had me at “make work more human.” I’ll admit it, I was already sold on Globoforce’s WorkHuman 2016 conference before I ever set foot in Orlando. Word of the inaugural event in 2015 had spread like wildfire in my HR community, with many of my conference-weary colleagues proclaiming this event one of the best—if […]

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The Power of Almost Perfect Practice

May 1, 2016

As the school year wraps up, I reflect on the intersection of learning a new skill and encouragement. My daughter is nearing the end of her first year of playing the trumpet for her middle school band. From my perspective, she’s done remarkably well. To hear her tell it though, you’d form a different conclusion. […]

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Leadership Communication is Vital During a Crisis

June 29, 2015

Even though it happened over 20 years ago, the memory is vivid: While working in corporate America, I was waiting for a fax for one of my projects. Upon hearing the sound of an incoming fax, I grabbed the paper off the machine, read it, and then lost all thought of the task on which […]

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3 Sure-Fire Ways to Ruin Trust with Your Team

June 25, 2015

Charlie is a charming, highly persuasive marketing executive for a growing technology company. He’s a delight to work with—until you tell him what he’s asking for isn’t possible. Then, his charm rapidly dissipates. On a good day, you’ll get a reptilian smile with, “I’m sure someone with as many years in the business can find […]

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Tips for Maintaining Your Focus as a Leader

June 18, 2015

In the new book The Disciplined Leader, John Manning writes about the importance of focus—and how it drives leadership success. After reading the book, I had the opportunity to ask John some follow up questions. What follows is an edited version of our conversation. Jen: In the book’s introduction, you write that leaders must learn […]

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16 Discussion Questions to Help You Lead Better Meetings

June 16, 2015

Does leading meetings frustrate you? Maybe you have someone in your meeting who has ideas— lots of them—who can’t seem to shut up. Or perhaps it’s the opposite issue: meeting participants are shutting down good discussion in the interest of “keeping things moving.”  If either of the scenarios sounds familiar, then you will want to […]

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52 Messages for Becoming a Disciplined Leader

June 15, 2015

As a leader, are you committed to “relentless self-control and positive work habits?” In the book The Disciplined Leader, author John Manning makes the case for discipline, writing that effective leaders employ “consistent application of certain mindsets and actions that are vital for [their] success.” Yet, as Manning found when he began conducting research for […]

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