HUMANERGY'S LEADERSHIP BLOG
LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS THAT WORK IN THE REAL WORLD
Explore our library of practical tools, tips, and stories. Drawn from decades of coaching leaders and teams.
Explore Humanergy’s leadership blog for proven tools, strategies, and insights to help leaders and teams thrive.
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Do your people know you?
Jack has many characteristics of a good leader. He has a clear vision for the organization's future, and he helps his people connect the dots between what they're doing today and their impact on...
Happy, kind new year
Have you made the same New Year's resolutions year after year, only to dump them by February? Rather than a list of difficult-to-achieve goals, try adding in one healthy habit. We love this...
Season’s greetings
Wishing you warmth, time with friends and family, abundant joy and some unexpected fun! Photo from Dollar Photo Club.
Igniting Leadership: Blogs ebook
Humanergy has published its first e-book - a collection of 100 of our blogs. Now available at Amazon for Kindle, it will also be produced as an ePub for Nook, Sony and iBooks. Give yourself the gift...
Help me understand
I had a conversation recently that was confusing. The topic was intense, and I had anticipated that the other person (let's call him James) might have some strong feelings. When we sat down...
Slow down to go faster
Change in organizations is a constant. In their desire to change quickly, achieve goals and move the organization forward, many leaders get ahead of their people. If the leader outpaces the...
Thank you
No flowery speech. Just our sincere thanks for being supporters of Humanergy, for doing your part to make the world better and for igniting leadership in yourself and others. Spread your...
Conflict? Breathe compassion
When I am facing a tough conversation, I prepare. I think about what I want to accomplish, my key points and rationale for the position. Though I do try to anticipate the other person's likely...
How to stop
A participant in Humanergy's supervisory leadership courses asked a great question. He'd just learned about Stop, Think and Choose as a tool to make good choices. But how do you stop yourself from...
What people aren’t saying
Speaking your mind when the stakes are high is difficult for many people, especially when your opinion isn't shared by others. However, the consequences of decisions can be deadly, as NASA...
Meditation as self-management
The pace of life today means that leaders are almost always "on." Carving out time for family, friends and self-care often takes a backseat to pressing issues. Many in business today are turning to...
Failure’s secret ingredient
Maya is a superstar. Smart and hard-working, she's never met a challenge she couldn't overcome. Over time, she's developed not only a can-do attitude; she's pretty sure she can handle anything the...
Distracted much?
If you've seen the movie "Up," you'll understand why I joked with a coachee (I'll call him Bob) recently about being distracted by squirrels. Like many leaders, Bob looks around the organization and...
Expand your perspective
David Wheatley started his professional career as a member Scotland Yard (British police force). His story is a brilliant illustration of how our current circumstances and culture result in a...
Meetings: Fun or fluff?
I've been facilitating quite a few meetings lately. One of my challenges has always been how much time to allot for just general chit chat, banter or catching up. I think it's important to invest in...
Stay open
I've parented teens, so I think I should be better at handling off-the-wall remarks. Unfortunately, I am too often caught off guard when I hear something that strikes me as provocative, irritating...
Measuring a new hire’s progress
Yeong hired Patrick four months ago, and though he seemed a good fit with the right background, Yeong is having second thoughts. Patrick has failed to expand into new markets that were his goal, and...
Make curiosity your default setting
One of the most frustrating things about my journey as a leader is realizing that I'm not as open-minded as I'd like to be. Though I'd like to claim that I'm more curious than certain, I get a rude...
Influence without authority?
Articles, videos and books espouse the idea that leaders must be able to influence without authority. Maybe this is partially true; the days of "because I told you so" are long gone. However, I...
Reacting to meanness
I had just dropped my car off to be repaired early in the morning and was walking the half mile to work. A dramatic thunderstorm had passed through town, leaving impressive puddles in the road. As I...
Need perfection?
Pareto's principle, or the idea that 80% of results are derived from 20% of our actions, gets a lot of attention. While it's a good reminder to zero in on the most powerful parts of your work, this...