Search Results

What You'll Learn: How to recognize and address micromanagement tendencies  Techniques for providing constructive feedback privately  The importance of information sharing for team effectiveness  Strategies for delivering supportive, actionable guidance  Why management requires regular two-way feedback  How to identify personal blind spots through team input In this rapidly evolving workforce, it has become increasingly important to redefine how managers lead and shift their energy to accommodate a more inclusive and flexible culture. To that end, there’s a surplus of research and dedicated articles that define the good characteristics of a leader. As such, many follow the cardboard cut-out claims step-by-step, though executive coaches will teach you that there is more to become an effective leader. It should also include an uncanny ability to self-assess their behavior, combined with the receptiveness to nip bad conduct at its roots before it grows and impedes the performance of your team. After all, those with managerial positions have the most substantial influence on an organization’s performance. Take a look at these destructive behaviors and steer clear of these common pitfalls. The Problem: Your tendency to micromanage When you’re continually peeking over your team’s shoulder, the tendency is to compromise morale as it limits members from exercising sound judgment. It also shows poor judgment if they see only one way to accomplish a task, which often leads to employees feeling pressured, disillusioned, and disempowered in their roles. Even worse is when their work is not recognized as a success, especially when an employee deviates from the little box they are placed in. How to Break the Habit: Rather than circling your team like a vulture ready to strike, you can encourage open communication to determine what critical tasks should flow through you, and what employees can accomplish on their own. It practices a give-and-take strategy that maximizes the skills of the team as a whole, allowing for a more relaxed yet focused performance. The Problem: Criticizing employees in public There’s nothing worse than a manager with a bad temperament, especially when the crossfire is aimed at you. There is no place in leadership for uncontrolled anger, and there is never an appropriate time to demoralize your employees in public, no matter the mistakes made. Poor treatment from a supervisor can deplete people’s energy and enthusiasm for their jobs, and lashing out due to errors may plant a seed of fear or resentment to grow within your team. How to Break the Habit: Learn to practice patience and address the problem at hand with an open mind. A good leader should be able to see past the mistakes and push individuals to reach their full potential. To do so, set up a private meeting and provide constructive benchmarking reports to help build self-development plans. The Problem: Holding out information on the company or team performance The system typically works from the up-down, and when information isn’t passed along correctly, the bottom line suffers. Reveling in secrecy or hidden agendas is one way to confer the collapse of your team’s progress, especially when you withhold constructive feedback. Your intentions may be to avoid demoralizing the team, but leaving them in the dark can lead to uncertainty, fear, and rising unrest that increasingly becomes destructive over time. How to Break the Habit: Conduct private discussions and talk about what areas your team can improve on. Most of the time, employees appreciate having a clear-cut understanding of their impact on the company, and knowing what to work on will help them address their internal issues. Also, developing an improvement plan together will help both you and the worker achieve a faster and better turnout. The Problem: Delivering antagonistic reports Feedback is a powerful tool that can make or break the performance of your team. It is also the quickest way to encourage team members to conceal their shortcomings as most tend to cower from your abrasive communication tactics. Criticisms given without any intentions to improve is meaningless. For instance, passing on judgment without clarifying the specifics is nothing without concrete evidence. This results in helplessness from employees because they are not given any areas to build on, as well as ultimately feel unfairly judged, defensive, and disengaged. How to Break the Habit: When it comes to improving an employee’s performance, explaining what was done wrong is only half of the equation. Constructive feedback is an opportunity for leaders to coach and guide their employees, which is better done in a private setting where workers won’t feel disheartened or vulnerable to the public eye. Furthermore, the discussion should include clear and specific feedback that points out the problematic behaviors of an employee, as well as actionable advice on how to enhance their performance. The Bottomline: Identify your bad managerial habits Managing other people takes unimaginable skill, but it comes with practice nonetheless. Learning the basic do’s and don'ts are fairly easy to identify, but some mistakes are harder to see, much less correct. Leadership is a two-way street, and the input of your team is as much valuable feedback as your boss. To create a work culture that values open communication, ask your team or conduct a survey that will drive results that can help you be accountable for your actions. If you need a harder push, engaging with an executive coach can help you see what you’ve been blind too about your behavior. Either way, both provide blunt inputs that will help you construct an action plan for self-improvement. If you’re looking to improve your management skills, no matter in which facet, Phoenix Perform is here for you. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: Why having less helps you focus on what matters most  How to prioritize activities that align with your core values  Techniques for decluttering your physical and mental workspace  Methods for tracking emotional reactions to identify patterns  Strategies for taking effective technology breaks  Approaches for reducing stress through intentional planning We all know having less stuff, fewer obligations, and more time makes room for the most important things — space in your life for the people you love, doing the things you like to do, and creating new opportunities. Our obligations take up space — whether it’s mental, physical or in your calendar, we only have so much room. We all have responsibilities and obligations and no matter how hard we work, the to-do list just keeps growing. Everything we own, everything we do, and everyone we spend time with costs us something. Taking the time to be intentional about what we buy, what we do and who we spend our time with can be tremendously empowering because we are no longer operating on unconscious autopilot. We regain control of our own lives. And one of the best ways to do this is to intentionally simplify our lives. Simplifying life will gives us more time, space, and energy. Here’s how to get started: 1. Say No It’s simple but not always easy. If we take a step back and look at our calendars, do we spend our time on the things we value? If we want to prioritize family, but we spend 80 hours at the office, then we’re not treating our commitments to family like our commitments to our work. How to start? Start making conscious choices about how you want to spend your time. To start, look at the week ahead and find one thing to say no to — and next week, say no to two things. By the end of the month, you’ll notice your time dedicated more to the things you care about. Saying no lets you focus on the things that matter. 2. Declutter Your Space We spend a considerable amount of time worrying about our growing to-do list, which often leaves us in a messy workspace, wasting time bouncing from one task to another. This can leave us feeling extremely “busy” but at the end of the day we may not accomplish very much. What’s the solution? Remove everything from your desk… every piece of paper, every pen, every sticky note and even your computer & cell phone. Now, pick up the one thing that is most important, put it back on your desk and get to work. Don’t stop until it’s done. Pick up the next thing, put it on your desk, and get to work. Finish one thing at a time. Repeat. 3. Notice your emotions It’s not negative circumstances that cause stress — but how we react to those circumstances. When we feel wronged, our tendency is to criticize, blame or sulk. Want to reverse this trend? Keep a note pad and pen with you at all times and jot down every time you notice your reaction to something. Do so for 2 weeks. After those two weeks, take some time to review your notes and notice the themes that emerge. Take a look at what triggers you emotionally… Do you feel threatened by others regularily? Or perhaps you feel disrespected often? Now you can plan for the future by coming up with a prepared response every time you notice yourself getting triggered in the future. For instance, you might say, “every time I am feeling disrespected, I will count to 5 and then ask an open-ended question such as, “I’d love to learn more… what do you mean by that?” This puts you back in the drivers seat and allows you to engage your rational mind so that you are in control of your emotions and not the other way around. 4. Minimize for a Weekend When it comes down to the basics, we don’t need much to survive. In fact, by holding on to things that don’t really matter, we hold ourselves back from achieving our true potential. In 2018, adults in the United States spent an average of 3 hours, 35 minutes per day on mobile devices.  How much of this distracted time takes us away from doing the things that matter? Limit the technology and you’ll make room for the important stuff. Where to start? For one weekend, cut yourself free from worldly belongings and distractions. For instance, if you love social media, take a break from it for the entire weekend (5pm Friday to 8am Monday). By Monday, you’ll feel more centered and grateful for the things that truly matter. 5. Create a budget Managing money can be a source for stress. When you create a budget, you create a plan to ensure you always have money for what you need and what’s important to you. A good budget that you follow will keep you out of debt or help you work your way out of debt. A great budget will put you on the path to wealth. What are three steps you can take to improve your financial situation? Set goals: Before you can begin to manage your money, write down what’s important to you and these will be your goals. A short-term goal might be to pay off debt or buy a new refrigerator. A medium-term goal could be a vacation or saving for a new car. Long-term goals typically include plans for retirement, mortgage payoff or helping children start out on their own. Track income and expenses: You probably know how much you earn each month – but do you also know where it all goes? Here, you’ll create your budget, so you can monitor your monthly cashflow and set parameters. Getting on track with a budget can take a month or two. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if things aren’t falling into place. (Check out the free online resources like pocketnest.com or Mint.com as they can help you get started and stay on track.) Stop emotional purchases: You don’t need a lot of things to be happy in this world, but marketers will tell you differently — they’re experts at hooking us with emotion. For you Costco lovers, here’s a challenge: the next time you walk into Costco, challenge yourself to walk out with only those things on your list. If you want to take this challenge to the next level, do so for 6 months. You’ll be amazed at how much money you save and how little you miss those things you didn’t end up buying. 6. Eat Healthy What we consume has a direct effect on our energy levels and emotions. Eating well — vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products and lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts — boosts our mental power to be creative and take the initiative on things we really want to do. Eating a well-balanced diet also reduces the chance of harmful diseases. What’s 1 simple place to start? If you like to snack, cut the amount you eat by half for one week. If you like fast food, only allow yourself to go to a fast food restaurant once per month. 7. Look for Help There’s no shame in asking for support when you need it — stress from our daily lives can be overwhelming at times. If you need assistance in any way, don’t be afraid to seek it out. This is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength and humility. Seek someone out right away. This could be a spouse, a friend or even a professionally trained coach to provide support. If you’re looking to improve your life, no matter in which facet, Phoenix Perform is here for you. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: How to cultivate a positive mindset that builds trust and openness  The importance of body language in creating welcoming connections  Techniques for paying attention to team members' cues and input  Why authenticity is essential for building genuine rapport  Strategies for finding common ground across different working styles  How to use open-ended questions to empower and engage your team When it comes to creating a good first impression — especially as a leader — we often don’t take the time to step back and pay attention to how we carry ourselves. From our body posture to the words we say or don’t say, everything has an impact on how successful we communicate. Below are a few tips on how to make a positive connection with your team from the onset. Have a positive mindset We tend to pick up on the negative more than the positive. An upbeat approach with an open mind connects people and builds trust. The result? You’ll get open and honest feedback from the team. Be aware of your body language We all communicate with our stance or posture, often subconsciously. This can work for and against us. So even if you’re not a big fan of someone on your team, your body needs to show signs of positivity such as open arms and uncrossed legs. Crossed arms and legs and keeping your hands close to your body while speaking are all signs of closed body language. The more you can be aware of how you look, the more you can control it. Pay attention to queues from your team Another mistake many leaders and executives make? Not keeping an eye out for their team’s subtle queues. People want to be acknowledged, especially by someone they respect. If you wave off a comment from a team member or choose to not listen, they’ll be less likely to provide input the next time, which can have a negative domino effect. When there’s an issue again, they may decide not to tell you or to wait until the very last minute when the problem has already gotten out of hand. You want to show the team they can always share their concerns and be open and honest with you. All you have to do is sit back and listen. Be yourself Most of us are exposed to many leaders over our careers. So, if you’re looking to make a good first impression, just be yourself. Human beings like to work for fellow human beings… if you can be more open and real with others, then they’ll do the same. When you let your guard down, you help your team relax. Learn to joke and laugh (even during stressful situations) — you’ll lighten the mood and relax everyone. Find common ground Every person is different and it’s impossible to make everyone think, feel, and react the same in every situation. The key to being a good leader is to understand these differences and find a middle ground for everyone. Some people prefer to work in silence and be contacted via text messages while others may prefer to talk face to face. You need to establish a fair balance between these differences so that the team is working at its highest potential and everyone is being the best version of themselves. Ask open-ended questions, then step back and empower your team This final tip is the best: As a leader, your job is to ensure your team is on task, knows what they’re doing and gets the support they need. If you’re either disinterested or micromanaging, you’ll slow down a project’s progress. Instead, be a part of the discussions and ask questions. Your interest and curiosity will inspire your team to take initiative, instill commitment and rely on each other’s diverse expertise and knowledge. If you’re looking to improve your leadership skills, Phoenix Perform is your best option. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: How Jerry Seinfeld's simple productivity system builds consistency  Why consistent action matters more than daily performance quality  How to select meaningful goals that drive long-term growth  The importance of measuring actions rather than outcomes  Techniques for making goals specific and measurable Changing personal habits and behaviors is really difficult.  We may know in our heads what we should do, but training ourselves to make that change is elusive.  Here is a tried and true approach from one of the most successful entertainers of our time. Brad Isaac was a young comedian starting out on the comedy circuit. One night, he found himself in a club where Jerry Seinfeld was performing. Isaac shared what happened when he caught Seinfeld backstage and asked if he had “any tips for a young comic?” He said the way to be a better comic was to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes was to write every day. He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker. He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day. “After a few days you'll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You'll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job is to not break the chain.” Seinfeld’s approach to getting results is elegant precisely because it’s simple and because it works if it is followed. It didn’t matter if he was motivated or not. It didn’t matter if he was writing great jokes or not. It didn't matter if what he was working on would ever make it into a show. All that mattered was “not breaking the chain.” Here’s how to get started —first pick something meaningful enough to make a difference, but simple enough that you can get it done. This man hasn’t broken his chain in over 42 years! Then, for example, instead of “write a book,” set a goal of “writing 500 words every day” to make it easier to measure and, ultimately, accomplish. When you have a small action to complete every day that works toward a larger project, you’ll get more done and continually move toward your final goal, eventually accomplishing it — especially when you see those red x’s growing across your calendar. (Not unlike those successive star stickers you gave your child when he slept through the night.) Use our template calendar: The Seinfeld Strategy works because it helps to take the focus off individual performance and put the emphasis on the process. It’s not about how you feel, how inspired you are, or how brilliant your work is that day. Instead, it’s simply about “not breaking the chain.” All you have to do? Pick up a calendar and get started. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: How workplace drama consumes productive time and energy  The connection between lack of purpose and increased workplace drama  Practical questions for team discussions about workplace "snakes"  Personal reflection techniques to identify your own drama triggers  Strategies for reframing situations to avoid ego-driven reactions  In this video, drama researcher Cy Wakeman contends that the average person wastes 2 ½ hours per day immersed in non-productive “drama.” 2 ½ hours per day. Yikes.  That should be a wakeup call for all of us. In our experience, gossip and drama prevail when people are not focused on a higher purpose. Your job as a leader is to ensure that everyone on your team is clearly focused on the purpose of the organization and that they see it as a meaningful, higher purpose for themselves.  Only then can we “flip the toggle” from our ego to our higher purpose. We suggest watching the video & then asking these questions: At a team level: What are the ”snakes” in our workplace/department? How, as coaches, might we help each other and distinguish “realities” from “stories”? How might we help one another “flip the toggle” and live our highest self, rather than our ego or low self? At a personal level: What are my “snakes”... the things I get dramatic about? Who will I use as a coach when I feel angry, fearful, or frustrated? What can I do to “flip the toggle” and remind myself to be my highest self, rather than my ego? Excerpt from TEDx Talk: "How often, when we encounter a problem, have we caught our ‘ego’ coming in hard and fast driving our reactions and actions? It becomes exhausting because we continually place ourselves as the center of the action creating 'drama' as victims of micromanaging boss, demanding colleagues, and more. In this thought-provoking and pragmatic talk, Cy Wakeman challenges us all to ‘ditch the drama’, take our ‘ego’ out of the picture and reframe what is ‘actually’ happening. When we do that, we refocus our energy and talent. Not only do we find more creative solutions to our world and the challenges we face, but in doing so live happier and more productive lives." See the full keynote speech with wonderful examples here Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

"The first to notice the danger signs are often labeled troublemakers."  ~ Mining Safety Adage What You'll Learn How to reframe complaints as valuable early warning systems Techniques for extracting actionable intelligence from team concerns Strategies to distinguish between valuable canaries and chronic complainers Practical approaches to create psychological safety for constructive feedback Methods to transform resistant team members into organizational assets When a leader hears the same employee raising concerns repeatedly, it's easy to dismiss them as the "squeaky wheel" or the perpetual worrier on the team. We've all experienced it - that team member who seems to find problems everywhere, who voices anxieties others don't share, who appears resistant to change while everyone else adapts. Our natural reaction? Frustration. Impatience. Perhaps even quietly wishing they would simply "get with the program." But what if we've been misreading these signals all along? The Forgotten Wisdom of Coal Miners For generations, coal miners brought canaries into the depths of mines for a critical reason: these small birds were extraordinarily sensitive to toxic gases that humans couldn't detect until it was too late. When a canary stopped singing or showed distress, it wasn't being difficult or pessimistic - it was providing an early warning that could save lives. The miners didn't curse the canary for being "too sensitive." They didn't tell it to "toughen up" or "be more like the other birds." Instead, they recognized its unique value precisely because it perceived threats before anyone else could. Your Organizational Canaries In our organizations, certain employees function remarkably like those canaries. They may be: The first to telegraph when a new initiative lacks proper support Quick to identify potential ethical concerns in a business decision Early to demonstrate declining team morale before it shows in performance metrics Sensitive to customer frustrations that haven't yet appeared in formal feedback Although these team members are merely complaining, they're often unintentionally detecting the first traces of issues that, left unaddressed, could become significant problems for your organization. Listening to their complaints as valuable coaching can alert you to these issues before they escalate. The Problem with Our Perception Why do we tend to dismiss these voices rather than treasuring them? The answer lies in how humans naturally process information that contradicts our preferred narrative. When we're excited about a new direction, hearing concerns triggers our defensive mechanisms. We categorize the messenger as "negative" rather than considering their message as valuable data. Research from organizational psychology shows that companies often penalize those who speak up about problems. A study by Burris et al. (2013) in the Academy of Management Journal found that employees who voiced concerns about workplace issues were often rated as less loyal by their managers and faced greater social costs than those who remained silent, even when their concerns were valid and constructive. This creates a dangerous dynamic: the people most willing to help your organization avoid pitfalls are precisely those most likely to be marginalized for doing so. Reframing the "Problem Employee" What if, instead of seeing these team members as obstacles, we recognized them as early detection systems—organizational canaries whose sensitivity provides valuable intelligence? Consider these reframes: Instead of seeing them as: Recognize them as: Complainers Early warning systems Resisters to change Guardians of organizational wisdom Anxious worriers Risk detection specialists Negative influences Protective voices Tapping the Wisdom of Your Canaries How might leaders better leverage these valuable perspectives? Listen with curiosity rather than defensiveness When concerns arise, ask questions like: "What specifically are you seeing that others might be missing?" or "Help me understand what risks you're identifying." Create dedicated space for constructive concerns Establish forums where raising potential problems is explicitly welcomed and rewarded rather than suppressed. Validate the courage it takes to speak up Acknowledge publicly that voicing concerns in a positive environment takes courage, and express appreciation for those willing to do so. Separate the signal from the delivery method Some canaries may not package their insights in the most diplomatic ways. Work with them on delivery while still valuing the content of their message. Track their hit rate Notice how often your organizational canaries spot legitimate issues in advance. Many leaders find these team members have an uncanny ability to identify real problems before they become obvious. When Canaries Become Chronic Complainers It's important to distinguish between valuable early warning signals and chronic complainers. Not every vocal team member is providing useful intelligence. Some may be stuck in patterns that harm rather than help your organization: Resistance Without Alternatives True organizational canaries often have ideas about how to address the issues they identify. Those who only complain without suggesting solutions may be operating from habitual negativity. Pattern Recognition Notice whether certain team members only complain when they're personally affected or if they're consistently attuned to broader organizational issues that impact others. Growth Orientation Valuable canaries want the organization to succeed and improve. Their concerns stem from a desire for better outcomes, not from resistance to all change. Coaching Opportunities For chronic complainers, provide direct coaching about how to voice concerns constructively and how to participate in solutions. Set clear expectations about the difference between identifying problems and simply complaining. The Responsibility Flip When a team member raises a concern, consider asking: "What role would you like to play in addressing this issue?" This simple question often separates those genuinely interested in improvement from those just comfortable with complaining. From Annoyance to Asset The leader who learns to value their canaries gains a tremendous competitive advantage. While other organizations rush to address problems after they've erupted, yours can address potential issues while they're still manageable. The next time you feel frustrated by that team member who seems to always spot the cloud in every silver lining, pause and consider: Are they simply being difficult, or are they your most valuable early warning system? Remember, in the mines, it wasn't the strongest, most compliant, or most optimistic canary that saved lives. It was the sensitive one - the one that reacted first. Your organizational canaries may be unintentionally alerting you to something important. The question is: Are you listening and translating their complaints into actionable intelligence? Try This Today:  Identify the potential "canaries" in your organization. Schedule a one-on-one conversation focused solely on understanding their perspective, with no agenda beyond listening and learning. Listen for the valuable signals hidden within what might initially sound like complaints. Then ask them what role they'd like to play in addressing the issues they've identified. Burris, E. R., Detert, J. R., & Romney, A. C. (2013). "Speaking up vs. being heard: The disagreement around and outcomes of employee voice." Academy of Management Journal, 56(1), 55-84. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: Why the vast majority of strategic planning efforts fail  How to simplify your strategic plan for focus and clarity  The importance of leadership in getting people to adopt goals  How to effectively measure progress using appropriate KPIs  The critical role of accountability in strategic implementation  Techniques for integrating your plan into daily operations  Approaches for creating a living, iterative strategic plan The Other 10% Live Their Strategy! If you are engaging in a strategic planning process in the coming year, be on guard. According to the experts, 67% to 97% of such efforts fail! This is consistent with the reports we hear from many clients who are frustrated at their organizations propensity to generate great ideas… and fall short on implementation. In our strategic planning work with clients we focus on six key steps that lead to successful implementation, to people living the plan: Simplify it Lead it Measure it Own it Integrate it Live it! 1) Simplify it! Many plans are complicated, multi-page documents with way too many areas of focus. This results in them getting “put on the shelf” or in a folder in the cloud and forgotten about. Keep your plan to one page. The discipline of boiling it down to one page ensures that it can command the sort of focus required for periodic monitoring and effective implementation. 2) Lead it! The product or output of most strategic planning processes is a set of strategies, initiatives, measures, etc. that are written down in a document. The document is seen as the “deliverable” from the strategic planning process. As we see it, the output of an effective process is that each member of the organization adopts the goals of the plan as their own goals. The job isn’t to write a plan. The job is to enroll people across the organization in the plan. Leadership, as we define it, is to “generate a future that people take on as their own.” The strategic planning process is a platform for leadership, an opportunity to evoke personal commitment throughout the organization. The plan becomes a “grass roots” movement because once people take the goals of the plan on as their own, they will begin to take actions on their own that forward the plan. 3) Measure it! Only after people have taken the plan on as their own can measures be developed. And they must be developed because if people have taken on the qualitative goals of the plan as their own goals, they will see the measures as a way to document progress toward something they see as important. And great leaders create an enthusiasm within their teams where everyone is excited about the future that the strategic plan will help make possible. We have all heard, “what gets measured gets managed.” This is particularly true for implementing new strategies. Declaring key performance indicators that measure the outcome or results of the strategy is critical. Many organizations use process indicators  that measure compliance with or the efficiency or effectiveness of a process. Process indicators can be very informative and powerful if used in conjunction with or in the context of o utcome indicators  that reflect the outcome or results. Measuring results is the only real gage of effectiveness , as results inform users of their progress toward the organizations mission, departmental goals and strategic goals. Measuring only process goals may feel safer to some because people can be assured that “I am doing it right” but only outcome measures really inform users as to whether they are “getting the job done.” Any initiative to develop effective KPIs should always begin with outcome measures . There are 2 distinct types of outcome indicators: lagging indicators and leading indicators . Lagging indicators measure the ultimate success or failure of the goal at the conclusion of activities. Leading indicators measure the potential success or failure well in advance of the ultimate (lagging) outcome measure. 4) Own it! Every strategic goal and initiative within the plan must be owned by one champion who is accountable and is given the requisite authority for effective implementation. Typically, it is a member of the executive team. When two people are accountable, it doesn’t double that accountability, it dilutes it by at least 50%. If no one is accountable, individually, your chances of a successful implementation are reduced to almost zero. The champion then must generate understanding of the strategy and commitment to it throughout the organization. People throughout the organization must see how their function is impacted and how it improves their ability to be of service. They must own it too. In this way, the strategy comes to life throughout the organization. 5) Integrate it! Any plan that gets developed must become part of the operating plan that guides daily accountability and activity. The measures must be integrated with the organization’s budget, annual targets and plans. Then it must be broken down and incorporated into each manager’s performance measures. Failure to fully integrate the operating plan will produce confusion rather than clarity. 6) Live it! Following the steps outlined above will lead to people within the organization living the plan… adopting it as their own and creating real and effective change within the organization. Once such a plan is in place and “living” it must be revisited periodically (and not just a review of accountability for the measures). As time goes by two things happen: experience with the strategy creates new insights for the team and the environment changes. Therefore, the living plan must be an iterative process, it must be continually challenged, vetted, and modified to remain relevant and viable. We’d love to help. We’re happy to review your existing strategic plan and provide complimentary (i.e. free) feedback. Or if you want to learn more about our unique approach to strategy, shoot us an email or schedule a call. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: How culture functions as "the unspoken rules of engagement within any group"  Why most culture change efforts fail to address unconscious behaviors  The critical role leadership plays in shaping organizational culture  How leaders' unconscious behavioral needs influence the entire environment  A simple two-step approach to meaningful culture change  We offer 2 steps to those of you looking to make real culture change and create a Conscious Culture of High-Performance. Culture: It’s talked about everywhere. Open LinkedIn and you can find an endless stream of articles about culture. Culture is one of the most popular session titles at conferences. Magazines use it to entice readers. And yes, we notice the irony as we’re using it here! … but we want to offer a perspective on culture that is unique and not mentioned in any of the hundreds of articles we’ve read (if you find one, please send it to us!). Culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch and we’re sure dinner (not dessert) … there are wrong ways to strengthen it… and it trumps salary. All of that is pretty straight forward … but HOW does one change it? The practice of changing cultures is very complicated and difficult. However, once we understand the nature of culture, why it's so difficult to change, and what the steps are in creating that change, it greatly simplifies the process. If we are to change culture, we must first understand what it is. We define culture as the unspoken rules of engagement within any group of people. “Culture is the unspoken rules of engagement within any group of people.” Click to share on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter . These unspoken rules govern everything; what can and cannot be discussed, what language is allowable, how people dress, the assumptions decisions are based on — everything. Culture just happens. When you walk into work do you say to yourself, “I’m going to follow these rules today,” or “I have to remember how to act today in order to fit in?” Of course not. Humans are social animals; once we are acclimated to a culture, we will adopt its practices (unconsciously) because we want to fit in. Culture is unconscious, and it’s a product of Leadership. Cultures arise from the behaviors demonstrated by the organization’s leaders. Most cultures do not mirror just the CEO’s behavior, but the collective behavior of the top executives. You might ask: Why doesn’t the leader just change the priorities? Not so simple! Those priorities arise from her or his unconscious behavioral needs . Behavioral profiles such as Disc, Myers-Briggs, or our own Insight Coaching System offer insight for people into what their unconscious priorities are and how they shape behavior and therefore culture. And the entire leadership team must be made aware of how their collective unconscious behaviors are impacting the organization if they are to have a shot at improving their organization’s culture. Any culture change effort must begin by helping leaders become conscious of these unconscious needs. Making them conscious allows people to choose when to employ them and when not to. Any such culture change process that ignores these “comfort zone” behaviors is doomed to failure. Once leaders are aware of their unconscious habits and which ones support the type of culture they’re trying to build and which do not, they can begin to develop conscious habits (what we call conscious success strategies ) that intentionally support a high-performing culture. One of our clients is a real visionary, she’s known for being a leader in her industry — her firm creates innovative products and services that are defining the state-of-the-art. She doesn’t like to be bothered with details, preferring to move on to the next visionary idea. It’s no coincidence that her organization, although innovative, is constantly struggling to remain profitable — they lack the discipline and focus on details necessary to maximize efficiencies. It’s a mirror image of her priorities. Once she was made aware of how her unconscious behaviors were impacting the culture, she immediately went to work on making conscious choices that supported success on a weekly, daily and hourly basis. Within a few weeks, the culture began to change and profitability increased. If you want to have success changing/improving your culture here are the two steps we suggest: Commit to making it happen. Committing is all or nothing. Yes or no. In or out. There’s no such thing as being 50%, 95% or even 99.9% committed. You are either 0% or 100% committed. Get some help. We just so happen to know some folks that could help ;) Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week. Articles cited: Forbes: Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast. So What's For Lunch? https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewcave/2017/11/09/culture-eats-strategy-for-breakfast-so-whats-for-lunch/#32dd623e7e0f FastCompany: Culture Eats Strategy For Lunch https://www.fastcompany.com/1810674/culture-eats-strategy-for-lunch Harvard Business: The Wrong Ways to Strengthen Culture https://hbr.org/2019/07/the-wrong-ways-to-strengthen-culture?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social Glassdoor: Culture Over Cash? https://www.glassdoor.com/about-us/workplace-culture-over-salary/

What You'll Learn: Common mistakes to avoid when building project teams  How to effectively involve clients in the planning process The importance of clear roles and focused goals for project success  Strategies for maintaining effective client communication Methods for assessing and leveraging team member skills How to empower team members with appropriate decision-making authority  The world is moving at a faster pace than it used to a couple of decades ago, which is forcing a lot of companies to come up with innovative ideas. For this reason, project management skills and teamwork should be the priority of any up-and-coming company that’s looking to make a real impact in the industry. If you’re looking to build a high-performing project team, here’s what you can do: What NOT to do: Before we talk about what you should focus on, we want to bring your attention to the mistakes that many project managers and team leaders make when putting a project team together. We listed four of the biggest ones below: 1. Not Involving the Client During the Planning Phase The goal of every project is to satisfy the client and failing to do that is a recipe for disaster. You need to prioritize communication between your team and the client so they understand each other. Your team should know what the client expects of them and the client should know what your team is capable of. This will help minimize confusion and frustration between both sides, which in turn will make the project go smoother. 2. Not Having a Good Leader A good leader will always take the brunt of the impact to allow their team to thrive and prosper. This is a responsibility that a project leader has to take on every time they are doing anything new. The support from the leader will provide the team with a buffer or cushion, making them feel more comfortable about being creative. 3. Not Having a Defined Role for Each Member When you are planning to launch a new project, you need to know what the focus of the project is so that you can assign the right people to do certain tasks. It’s crucial that every member of the team has a defined role so they can focus on those things, which will allow them to be more productive and avoid distractions. 4. Not Being Focused on the Right Goals Chasing too many goals will result in mediocre outcomes, because there won’t be enough funds, manpower, time, and other resources to go around. If you try to do too many things at once, you will find yourself having to rush certain things. It’s better to focus on a couple of key objectives at a time so you can guarantee that everything will be done well and on time. What to DO: Now that you know what you need to avoid, let’s get to what you need to do to improve the performance of your project team. Listed below are three tips that will help you build a better project team: 1. Always Keep in Touch with the Client You want to make sure that your client is always updated on the progress of the project, as that will help alleviate their anxiety and reduce their potential to be aggravated. You have to understand that they are paying for the project, so they want to know exactly what’s going on at all times. When they are kept in the loop, they will be less likely to get annoyed or angry with your team, which will make the process go much more smoothly. 2. Assess the Skills of Your Team Members You need to understand the skills of all of your team members so that you can assign them to the right positions and test their limits in the right way. Therefore, we recommend that you do some skill testing to see what each member of your team specializes. That will give you a better idea of what you can expect from them throughout the project. 3. Give Your Team the Authority to Make Decisions Most leaders don’t feel comfortable giving up their authority, which is the reason why the decision-making process can be slow and ineffective. When you are a project leader, some decisions need to be made on the fly, so it’s better to let your team make their own decisions on the parts they are proficient at. This will help reduce your workload and it will give your team members the freedom to be themselves. The downside of this is that you will have to deal with some scolding and criticism early on, but once everything works out, you will see a significant difference in how the team functions. If you’re looking to improve your management skills, no matter in which facet, Phoenix Perform is here for you. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

"The opportunity for creativity begins the moment we don't know what we are doing." - Simon Sinek What you'll learn Why uncertainty is actually a leadership advantage rather than a weakness How embracing the "I don't know" mindset unlocks creativity and innovation Practical approaches to leading confidently through ambiguity Strategies for transforming uncertainty into purposeful actio Have you ever found yourself in a leadership situation where you simply didn't know what to do next? Perhaps you were facing an unprecedented challenge, navigating unfamiliar territory, or confronting a problem with no obvious solution. If so, you're not alone – and surprisingly, this moment of uncertainty might be your greatest leadership opportunity. The Paradox of Leadership Leadership is often portrayed as a position of certainty. Many believe leaders should have all the answers, chart clear paths forward, and never show doubt. This is a damaging myth that not only creates immense pressure but also stifles the very creativity and adaptability that exceptional leadership requires. The truth is that leadership isn't about knowing all the answers – it's about creating a compelling vision of the future and inspiring others to join you in bringing it to life. This inherently involves venturing into the unknown, which is why at Phoenix, we often describe leadership as "MSU" – Making Stuff Up. Not in a deceptive way, but in the sense that leadership is fundamentally a creative process of imagining possibilities that don't yet exist. When "I Don't Know" Becomes a Superpower When you reach the edge of your knowledge and experience as a leader, you have two choices: Pretend to know the answer  - defaulting to what's worked before, regardless of whether it fits the current situation Embrace the unknown  - acknowledging uncertainty and opening yourself to creative possibilities The leaders who choose the second path unlock tremendous potential. Here's why: Innovation Emerges from Uncertainty Consider some of the most innovative companies and their leadership approaches. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he didn't have a detailed roadmap for how to save the company. He embraced uncertainty while holding a clear vision of creating products that would delight customers. This combination of purpose and openness to possibility led to revolutionary products that transformed multiple industries. Psychological Safety Flows from Authenticity When leaders pretend to have all the answers, they create environments where team members feel they must also pretend to know everything. This shuts down honest communication, creativity, and learning. Conversely, leaders who can say "I don't know, but let's figure it out together" create psychological safety that empowers their teams to bring their best thinking forward. As one healthcare CEO we worked with discovered, admitting uncertainty during the pandemic created a surprising shift in his leadership team. Rather than causing panic, his candor about the unprecedented challenges they faced invited collaborative problem-solving that produced far better solutions than he could have devised alone. From Uncertainty to Purposeful Creation While uncertainty is the birthplace of creativity, leaders still need structure to transform ambiguity into meaningful action. Here's how to harness the creative potential of uncertainty: 1. Distinguish Between Purpose and Methodology Effective leaders maintain absolute clarity about their purpose while remaining flexible about methodology. Your "why" should be unwavering, but your "how" should adapt as you learn. As one manufacturing leader we coached puts it: "I'm completely committed to where we're going, but I'm willing to change how we get there a thousand times if necessary." 2. Create From Purpose, Not Fear When facing uncertainty, our default success strategies often kick in. These fear-based responses limit our creative potential by keeping us in familiar patterns. Instead of asking "What should I do?" from a place of anxiety, transform the question to "What do I want to create?" from a place of purpose. 3. Embrace Rapid Prototyping When you don't know what will work, try small experiments. A regional bank president we worked with needed to transform their customer experience but wasn't sure how. Rather than launching a massive initiative, they created three small "pilot branches" to test different approaches. This rapid prototyping mindset allowed them to learn quickly and expand successful elements across the organization. 4. Lead With Questions, Not Answers Train yourself to respond to challenges with powerful questions that open possibilities rather than narrow them: "What might be possible here that we haven't considered?" "If we knew we couldn't fail, what would we try?" "What's the opportunity within this challenge?" 5. Narrate the Journey Help your team understand that uncertainty is part of the creative process, not a sign of failure. A school superintendent we coached regularly discusses with her leadership team how they're "building the plane while flying it" during their transformation initiative. This narrative helps normalize the discomfort of uncertainty while maintaining momentum. The Competitive Advantage of Creative Leadership In today's rapidly changing business environment, the ability to lead creatively through uncertainty isn't just nice to have – it's essential for survival. Organizations facing disruption need leaders who can imagine new possibilities rather than cling to outdated playbooks. The leaders who thrive are those who embrace Simon Sinek's insight that creativity begins when we don't know what we're doing. They understand that leadership isn't about having all the answers, but about asking better questions and creating compelling futures that inspire others to join them on the journey. Your Leadership Challenge This week, identify one area where you've been avoiding uncertainty or pretending to know the answer. Practice saying "I don't know yet, but here's what I'm thinking..." and notice how this creates space for creativity and collaboration. Remember that your team doesn't need you to be perfect – they need you to be authentic, purposeful, and willing to venture into the unknown with clarity of vision and openness to possibility. The next time you find yourself thinking, "I don't know what to do," recognize that you're standing at the threshold of your greatest creative leadership opportunity. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: Why anxiety is a natural response and how to accept it as a necessary ally  Techniques for identifying the underlying fears driving your anxiety  Physical practices to help dissipate fear and stress  Strategies for managing emotional reactions in challenging situations  Approaches for addressing the root causes of persistent anxiety  Personal examples of anxiety management from leadership experience  The Coronavirus pandemic and the resulting changes in our lives are stressing most of us. Whether you call it overwhelm, stress, nervousness, tension or any other such term doesn’t matter. It is a manifestation of some level of anxiety.  Here are quotes from coaching calls with real clients from just the last couple days: “I DON’T LIKE THE PERSON I’M BEING! One of my trusted co-workers told me that no one wants to talk to me because I snap at everyone….and I didn’t have a clue I was doing that!!”  “I’m not cut out to be a stay at home Mom, and work full time, and I don’t know how to reinvent the way we deliver services all at the same time. I feel like I’m failing on all fronts.” “Everyone is coming to me with requests…demands and everything needs to be done RIGHT NOW! Then when I do what they ask, they get mad at me because there are unanticipated consequences…I feel like I can’t do anything right!” “I feel so isolated, disconnected from my team. Like I don’t have control over any aspect of my life right now.” “I don’t know how to help my people deal with outside voices that are hateful, negative, and only looking for what is wrong…” I have a lot of experience with anxiety. Although I was not aware of it early in my life, it was nonetheless ever present. It is something I have been consciously learning to manage for about 30 years now. Over those years, I have read an untold number of books, attended numerous workshops, employed 6 psychologists, one psychiatrist, and 4 professional coaches. That has informed my coaching practice with real world experience which I share with clients regularly.  One of the first things I learned is that if we are to deal effectively with anxiety, first we must understand it. One of my psychologists told me that “anxiety is a generalized fear.” It’s like our brain fills up with fear, and like water in a bucket, it gets so full that it overflows. Different people react to the overflow in different ways, none of which are fun for them or for those they live and work with: Some get impatient, angry and irritable; some withdraw and become passive or passively aggressive; some talk non-stop, others isolate themselves; and yet others become hyperactively energetic and try to fix everything on all fronts at once (don’t get in my way when I get like that!).  Here are five broad strategies and methods I have found useful: Accept anxiety as a necessary ally. Identify the fear. Dissipate the fear. Manage your reactions. Change the root cause. Let’s examine each strategy and some of the tactics or methods to execute on each. Accept anxiety as a necessary ally .  My friend Bob Flewelling says, “Anxiety is your friend.” It is the mechanism that helps us muster courage and a plan of attack for any big challenge. Even after 28 years of doing this, I get anxious before every workshop I lead. That anxiety leads me to think through all the scenarios that might unfold and develop a plan to respond… by the time the workshop begins, I have thought through my approach and am fully prepared. In fact, one time recently I didn’t get anxious and walked into the workshop unprepared and flatfooted. As soon as I realized it, anxiety kicked in, and I stared planning and pulled it from the jaws of failure. In our culture, we see anxiety as a bad thing. So, we end up getting anxious about being anxious and it spirals out of control. If we can just accept that we are anxious, embrace it and look for the lessons that derive from it, we can keep it from overflowing our bucket. As Melissa Gilbert says in her book “Big Magic” invite your friend anxiety along in your car ride, just put the anxiety in the back seat and don’t let him drive! There are no quick fixes so be sure to extend a lot of grace to yourself during these challenging times. “Have patience with all things, but first of all, with yourself.” ~ St. Francis de Sales Identify the fear .  When my bucket is overflowing, it is really useful to put my conscious brain to work to answer the question “Just what am I afraid of?” That is usually more easily done by talking it out with my wife or someone else I trust. Like right now (during the corona virus pandemic), I am afraid that we will not get any new clients for the next year because no one will meet in person. The real fear that underlies that is that I won’t be able to make a living, and neither will my business partner Tom; then he will quit, and I will never make a living again… as soon as I get that out in the light of day, I realize that it is a silly premise. We are already using video conferencing in place of face to face meetings and have several prospective clients coming to us to help them through this crisis. Just identifying the fear allows me to dismiss it as irrational and unfounded. And most of the fears we deal with are exactly that… irrational and unfounded. Dissipate the fear .  Fear produces chemical and hormonal reactions in us and therefore has a physical aspect to it. If we can dissipate or neutralize those physical reactions, our emotional state changes. We feel better. Here are some of the methods I have found useful: Breathe . When we get anxious, we frequently stop breathing. This robs our brain of the ability to cleanse itself, and of the oxygen it needs to fuel conscious thought. So, our unconscious emotions become even more dominant. Conscious deep breathing is extremely effective. Try it now. Breathe in as deeply as you can for a count of 4. Then breathe out to the count of 8, emptying your lungs as completely as possible. Then breathe in again. Repeat these 5 or 6 times and pay attention to how you feel. This is a simple and very effective practice that can be done at home, at work, before or during a meeting… anytime you are feeling anxious. Aerobic exercise . When I get stressed, I get on my bicycle and ride for a minimum of an hour as fast as I can. Some people run, some walk. Do whatever your physical fitness level will allow. Aerobic exercise is a wonderful forced breathing protocol and it releases emotion cleansing hormones that leave you with a feeling of well-being, even euphoria. And it allows your unconscious mind to go to work on whatever problem is stressing you. Many times, I return from a ride with an idea that directly addresses whatever problem I am wrestling with. A calming practice . Yoga, Tai Chi, meditation, or a phone app like Calm can be used to intentionally quiet the fear producing voice in your head. The objective is to stay in the present moment; to stop your mind from traveling to the future, creating disaster scenarios, or to the past to exaggerate and beat yourself up about some mistake you think you made. Laugh . Watch a funny movie, listen to something funny, tell a joke. Laughter is cleansing in and of itself. Play . Most of us adults suck at playing. Do something you think is fun. I rollerblade and play with my grandkids. Some people do puzzles, or paint, or knit, or play a sport, or build something. Whatever you find fun, or used to find fun, do it.  Eat & Sleep . We all know the benefits of healthy eating & sleeping, and it’s especially important to give our bodies what they need during stressful times. Manage your reactions .  The unconscious, emotional mind reacts in hundredths of a second. Faster than we can even be aware of. That is extremely useful if someone or some animal is physically attacking us. It allows us to react defensively without thinking and is a great survival mechanism. However, this same mechanism gets triggered when someone criticizes or disagrees with us. In which case, our reaction can be totally inappropriate. In those situations, try one of these: Count to 10 before responding . The unconscious mind reacts with emotions in hundredths of a second. The conscious mind takes from 5 to 10 seconds to form a thoughtful response. Bite your lip, cover your mouth, anything to give yourself up to 10 seconds to think through your response. Buy yourself some time . In a meeting, I might say; “I need a few seconds to think about what you just said.” Or to one of my clients I may say, “I’m having a reaction to what you just said, and I want to think through my response.” I find that people appreciate it and are very willing to wait for me to think. Take a deep breath . You get the benefit of breathing, plus it takes time. Inhale for 4 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds. Change the root cause .  Our deepest fears get triggered when we are under extreme stress. This is where my use of psychologists, coaches, reading and self-help workshops have proven useful. You may or may not agree with this, but I assert that we are all afraid on some level that we “are not good enough.” Some are afraid they are not likeable, some that they are incompetent, some that they are dumb, some that they are uncaring…all are manifestations of “I’m not good enough.”  One version of this phenomenon has been given the name “The Imposter Syndrome”. First coined in 1978 it refers to the feeling that a person may be succeeding but is worried that they will be found out…that they are not really competent. It is so prevalent that one study found that it effects 85% of all in the workforce. That voice in our head is constantly criticizing us in some fashion. It says terrible things to us, and we believe it like it is the arbiter of reality! Think about it; if someone you work with said the things to you that your voice (you) says, you would not put up with it. You’d fight, walk away, maybe even end your relationship. Getting in control of that voice is critical.   I do so by picturing old cartoons where there was an angel on one shoulder of the character and a devil on the other shoulder. The angel would say “oh, you’re great, you can do it” and the devil would then chime in with “go ahead sucker, you’ll screw it up.” When I notice that I am undermining myself, I literally think of the devil on my shoulder and say to him “ thank you for sharing now shut up! Sometimes I even slap him…actually slap my shoulder. It allows me to make a joke about it and reminds me that it is not real. When anxiety gets completely out of control, it can cripple us, cause us to freeze and guarantee failure. I wrote myself a reminder on the blackboard in my office years ago that says: “don’t let your friend, anxiety, turn to pessimism.” It reminds me that I tend to do that.  My friend Al Killeen gave me a great list of actions to follow when this occurs. He calls it A Prescription for Dread : God ; Give your fear over to a higher power. Gratitude ; Make a list of what you are grateful for daily. Get going ; Do something, yard work, clean, anything to get moving. Projects ; Design, then execute a project to address what you are afraid of. Patience ; Remind yourself that it will take time. Learning to manage anxiety is a necessary step in our personal development and one that effective executives work on consciously and continually. If you don’t, your progress in your career will be thwarted.  Oh, and by the way, if you are looking for a funny movie to make you laugh try Mel Brooks classic “High Anxiety” (for you youngsters, that is a real movie)! Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: How to establish effective ground rules for virtual meetings  Strategies for maintaining human connection in digital environments  Techniques for leveraging technology appropriately  Methods for supporting team members in a virtual setting  How to manage accountability for next steps in remote work  Be Intentional about Communications Leverage Technology Take Time to Help Manage Next Steps Be Intentional about Communications As a team, discuss the ground rules by which the entire team will agree to operate (see some suggestions below). When gathering information, ask open ended questions. Leaders, refrain from jumping right into the tactics. Take a few minutes to check in on how people are doing. It can be as simple as asking, "how are you doing?" Once you have asked an open ended question, wait. Many times, people just want to be heard. They want to know that their leader and others are listening to them. While listening, notice that you have an opinion. How do you notice when you have an opinion? Click here for more ideas on effective communication . Leaders, resist the urge to solve problems. Your job is to listen, ask questions and help your team members grow. Leverage Technology Technology is amazing, when used intentionally. Here are some thoughts on two key technology tools: Email & Video Conferencing. Email: Email is very, very difficult to use as a Leadership tool. Which is why we advocate using it sparingly. When in doubt, pick up the phone. We are human beings and desire human connection/voice. Too often communication breaks down (and relationships) because something gets lost in translation via email. Curious why email/text can cause us to react strongly? Emotional Intelligence expert Daniel Goleman gives us one reason that he calls flaming : we tend to misinterpret positive email messages as more neutral, and neutral ones as more negative, than the sender intended. Video Conferencing: We believe Zoom is the best tool out there right now. If you use Zoom, download the local client (it works better) zoom.us/download Whatever tool you use, we propose the following ground rules for any and all virtual meetings: Agree to the ground rules. If you don't, speak up. Use an external microphone/headset. Sound quality matters. Sit close enough to the screen that your head fills most of it. Stay engaged with the conversation even if you aren't talking. Especially when you aren't talking. Nod your head. Look at the camera, not just the screen. You’ll appear more honest & engaged this way. Don't multitask. It's rude and everyone can tell when you're doing it. Sit somewhere with natural light shining on your beautiful face (i.e. with a window in front of you). A little effort on lighting goes a long way. Speak clearly. And if you’re using a laptop, don’t put it on your lap. To help reduce Zoom Fatigue , try turning off the video of yourself to yourself ( "Hide Self View"). For longer meetings, take 10 minute breaks every 90-minutes or so. For larger groups: Agree on how participants can participate. This can be as simple as having people raise/wave their hand. If it's a group of more than ~20 people, please hit mute when you’re not talking. Yes, most of these are obvious. Unfortunately, very few teams take the time to agree to ground rules like this and almost no teams put in the effort to consistently deliver on them. Great teams do. Take Time to Help Create time to check in to see who needs help. Every single meeting. It only takes a few minutes. If you have more time, create the space to actually help each other. One of the best ways to do this virtually is to use Zoom's Breakout Room feature. It makes it possible to quickly and easily create virtual rooms where people can get paired up to coach each other (we suggest groups of 2 - 3). And as a leader, don't forget to coach yourself. Team members look to who you are being and how you are behaving to model their own behavior. That's why it's critical to take time to make sure you are taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Manage Next Steps Ensure supportive accountability is in place and close every meeting with clear next steps. What are the next steps? Who is responsible for each of those next steps? [One person per step. If 2 people are responsible for a next step then accountability is cut in half, not doubled.] When is each step due? Bonus: who will help? Learn more about Supportive Accountability here . Great teams are intentional. Great leaders ensure their teams are set up for success and have all the foundational elements in place, especially in challenging times. It’s worth it. The little things matter. Lead on! Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.