The Thoughtful Leaders Blog
Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on January 24, 2012
For many of our clients, this is not only the start of a new calendar year but also the start of a new budget year. And while some organizations are rebuilding their investment in people development, others have budget line items that are still woefully lean for the kind of professional and leadership development necessary to increase employee engagement and retention.
In response to the need to find ways to stretch Training & Development budget dollars and creatively offer development opportunities for employees, we published the attached article – Professional Development on a Shoestring – which offers ideas for professional development experiences that you can implement on your own or with minimal resources.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Lisa Kohn on January 19, 2012
 Someone forwarded me another TED video – they always make me think, and I always want to share them.
Barry Schwartz speaks about our loss of wisdom. He argues that our society, businesses, and lives are becoming increasingly stuck on rules and incentives, and that what we need in order to thrive is instead practical, everyday wisdom that will guide us to do the “right” thing.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Robyn McLeod on January 12, 2012
 This is the time of year when many of us are in performance appraisal mode – writing our self-appraisal, preparing documentation for giving appraisals to others, reflecting on what went well in 2011, and remembering what did not get accomplished that we expected to achieve. While it is certainly important to look back and assess whether accomplishments were made, goals were achieved, and skills were developed, it is just as important – really, more important – to devote equal time to looking ahead and planning ahead for what you want to achieve in 2012.
Many people fail to truly think about and plan for the coming year in preparing for performance appraisal conversations, focusing instead on how to position past accomplishments and compile back-up data for last year’s goals and projects. So, before you head off to your annual performance review session, set yourself up for a more effective and forward-looking discussion by answering and asking the questions below.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Robyn McLeod on December 15, 2011
We have shared our perspectives on employee engagement and positive, thoughtful leadership in previous posts. Here’s a piece that cites great research on the direct correlation between positive employee perceptions of their organization and company performance. This Harvard Business Review blog post describes Organizational Identification – an individual’s connection with a company’s character or reputation – as a factor in why employees are attracted to certain organizations and how that connection builds loyalty in retaining employees and customers. (Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Lisa Kohn on October 27, 2011
I’m not sure where I first heard these two sentences combined. I do know that I repeat them, over and over, to my clients. Many of us grew up to Yoda’s (from Star Wars), “There is no try, only do.” We thought the little “guy” was cute, enjoyed his coaching Luke Skywalker, and maybe, every now and then, thought about not trying but instead just hunkering down and doing something. But taking things the next step by adding the second sentence, “There is no do, only be,” makes this concept even more real, and more pertinent to leadership.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Robyn McLeod on October 20, 2011
In teaching the elements of high-performing teams, we use a model called GRPI (developed by Noel Tichy and Ram Charam among others) that has as its base – interpersonal relationships. It tells us that no matter how technically skilled a team is and how clear its purpose and goals are, without a foundation of great working relationships the team will not perform at its maximum ability.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Lisa Kohn on October 13, 2011
Many years ago I taught an MBA presentation skills class and I included a section on audience analysis. I shared that it was important to determine how the intended audience of any presentation felt about the topic…and the tension in the room was always palpable. I began to call “feel” the “F word” – as if it was something that couldn’t be discussed in a business setting.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on October 10, 2011
“How well we communicate is determined not by how well we say things, but how well we are understood.” Andrew Grove
How often do you have absolute surety that you’ve clearly, specifically stated what it was you needed to share. That you’ve posed simple questions, offered explicit directions, clarified unambiguous expectations, and communicated everything that you needed to. And that any misunderstanding is therefore completely and totally the fault of the people who simply didn’t hear what you so carefully said.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Lisa Kohn on September 1, 2011
Years ago I was leading a group through our Increasing Performance through Strategic Thinking seminar and things were going great…until the end. The participants were all fired up about their new ideas. They were excited to make things happen for themselves and their organization with the innovative problem solving they’d engaged in and the strong solutions they’d developed, except for one little problem. “How will we convince all of ‘them’ to go along with our idea?” they asked. “How can we sell this to our team, or senior management?” they posed. “How can we really, actually, make this happen?”
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Robyn McLeod on August 25, 2011
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver tackled school cafeteria food in the “unhealthiest city in America” – Huntington, West Virginia – in his television show, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. A recent article in Booz and Company’s Strategy + Business examines how Oliver’s journey toward promoting healthier ways of eating in Huntington provides great lessons for leaders looking to effect change in their organizations.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Older Posts »
|
|
View Robyn McLeod's profile
A great way to stretch our brain and have fun. Thank you for sharing your insights. Great seeing you, Lisa! Happy holidays, Sue Karlin
Hi Sue
Thanks for your thoughts. We’re all about brain stretching and thinking in new ways.
It was great to see you! Lisa