How to free up capacity and bring out the creative best in people

Susan found that leaders who believe in you don’t just bring out the best in you, they help develop the creative aspect of you. In the early part of her career, she worked in a command/control style environment in a consulting company. She found that approach was effective for dealing with a known type of … Read more

Leaders connect with people to help them be as great as they can be

Sandra learned from one of her influential mentors that outstanding leaders connect with people on their teams. Her mentor called people at random to check in with them to see how they were going and what they needed. She also followed up and addressed their concerns if possible. They appreciated her commitment to them and, … Read more

How leaders gain confidence from their conviction about their value

As the only woman on the executive leadership team, Heather was often reluctant to speak. She replayed the team meetings and asked herself why she did not offer the gold of her insights, particularly in her area of expertise. Instead, she kept her thoughts to herself. If only she could be like the men around … Read more

Employees are more engaged when they are having fun

Frances finds that having fun is a big part of building greater engagement with her team. She challenges them to come up with innovative ways to enjoy themselves as a team and learn something new. For example, they chose an art class that included wine and cocktails for the team end-of-year function. Everyone received lessons … Read more