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Focusing on “We” Instead of “Me”
Getting your first leadership role is exciting, isn’t it? There’s the office with your name on the door. Being invited to meetings once closed off and mysterious. Getting to make the big decisions. People asking for your advice.Heady stuff that sends the wrong message...
Avoid These Infuriating Phrases in End-of-Year Feedback
For most managers, the only thing they dread more than going to their own end-of-year performance appraisal is holding end-of-year feedback discussions with their team. Why? Because the performance appraisal system is unnatural by design. Imagine if we burdened our...
How Managers Self-Sabotage When Giving Negative Feedback
Communication gaps between managers and their employees widen when delivering criticism. Studies show that managers consistently fail to communicate corrective feedback clearly. This failure often leads to misunderstanding, negatively affects performance and is a...
This Is What to Do Instead of Having an Open Door
During a conversation I had recently with Jason Dykstra of the Thriving Leaders podcast about the value of conflict. He asked me about the practicality of using an open-door policy as a tool for encouraging employee participation. I told him I encourage executives not...
Making Buildings from Industrial Waste
Elsa Olivetti’s interest in materials science began when she was an engineering science major at the University of Virginia. Initially unable to settle on any one form of engineering, she took an introduction to materials science class on a whim. She loved the way...
Smart Cities Require Smart Infrastructure
In September 2019, I addressed the members of the Illinois Municipal League on broadband connectivity and regional economic development. In the presentation, I pointed out that Illinois municipalities need to improve their infrastructure in order to have a solid...
Making Change Management Work in 2020
One of the greatest responsibilities of leadership is driving continual evolution of the organization toward a well-defined future state. Implied in this role is the need to lead change. Easily said, complex in practice.Navigating change has been prevalent in...
KPMG Creates Future-Ready Self-Assessment Tool
KPMG introduced a new concept into its Global Construction Survey 2019 earlier this year. The Future-Ready Index, a way for the industry to measure how prepared they are for the future. The survey contains a self-assessment tool, a questionnaire which allows companies...
Is Stress Good or Bad? It’s Actually Both
Like many emergency responders, Nicholas Groom is used to stress at work. He speaks quickly, with an urgency that seems appropriate for a paramedic. “We’re a bit of a weird group because we voluntarily go into situations that other people run away from,” says...