Engaging Leader

JULY 1, 2015

You and everyone on your team has an “inner innovator,” a creative potential inside that can be unleashed and harnessed. With the right tools and a little practice, you and your team can improve your creative thinking skills. What’s more, you can build an embedded capability for innovation that engages everyone at your organization and […] You and everyone on your team has an “inner innovator,” a creative potential inside that can be unleashed and harnessed.

Creativity 174

Creativity Innovation Power Tools 174

Engaging Leader

FEBRUARY 15, 2015

'Storytelling is a key tool for leading change. In episode 102, “Storytelling for Leaders,” Amanda Marko joined us to discuss why it’s such a powerful tool and provided tips for putting it to work. In this episode, Amanda returns to talk more specifically on the “how” of storytelling for leaders, and she explains four storytelling […] Storytelling is a key tool for leading change.

Storytelling 170

Storytelling Workshop Micromanagement Licensing 170

Engaging Leader

AUGUST 1, 2015

When you’re the CEO or senior leader, bottom-line results matter. Especially when the going gets tough, the conventional assumption is that the big boss should push profits by any legal means necessary, even if it means twisting the truth, breaking promises, and being a jerk to other people. But for most of us, that intuitively […] When you’re the CEO or senior leader, bottom-line results matter.

Reputation 169

Reputation Morale CEO Bottom-up 169

Engaging Leader

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

Social media has a powerful effect on company sales and recruiting efforts. But just having a corporate communications person post things on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter doesn’t actually bring results. On social media, people pay attention to people, not to companies. Employees and partners collectively have an audience 10x larger than the company itself. ~ […] Social media has a powerful effect on company sales and recruiting efforts.

Brand 168

Brand Library White Paper Bottom-up 168

Engaging Leader

FEBRUARY 1, 2015

'As a leader, how can you create a great place to work that not only attracts great people but also promotes smarter thinking, greater innovation, and stronger performance? As you probably already know, there’s a popular annual survey about great places to work that boils everything down to trust. But is there more to it […] As a leader, how can you create a great place to work that not only attracts great people but also promotes smarter thinking, greater innovation, and stronger performa

Survey 168

Survey Budgeting Magazine Motivation 168

Engaging Leader

APRIL 7, 2015

'Longtime listeners of Game Changer know that gamification isn’t about rewards and competition. The most effective gamification makes use of intrinsic drivers to engage employees. GamEffective strives to be the “Fitbit of work,” taking the place of traditional performance management, feedback, and even continuous improvement practices such as kaizens.

Kaizen 165

Kaizen Business Intelligence CEO Trends 165

Engaging Leader

MAY 15, 2015

Being an engaging leader starts with engaging your own work and life optimally. When you are fully charged, you get more done, your mind is sharp and creative, you feel fully alive – and you are a better leader, parent, spouse, and friend. Does that happen by accident, or are there specific actions that create […] Being an engaging leader starts with engaging your own work and life optimally.

Sharpe 164

Sharpe Creativity Energy Books 164

Engaging Leader

OCTOBER 15, 2015

To create lasting behavior change, it’s crucial to understand how the brain’s habit system works, and then develop specific techniques to leverage the power of the brain rather than fighting against it. Psychologist Art Markman joins us to provide insight and practical advice to create sustainable behavior change in the people we lead. He’s the […] To create lasting behavior change, it’s crucial to understand how the brain’s habit system works, and then develop specific techniques to lever

How To 162

How To Advice Tools Price 162

Engaging Leader

OCTOBER 1, 2015

[powerpess] When you drive a car with a manual transmission, you quickly learn there is a right time and place for each gear. You start in 1st gear, then shift into 2nd gear, and so forth until you reach the highest gear. If you try to shift into the wrong gear, the car will grind […] [powerpess] When you drive a car with a manual transmission, you quickly learn there is a right time and place for each gear.

Productivity 162

Productivity Products Emotional Intelligence Learning-by-Doing 162

Engaging Leader

APRIL 1, 2015

'It’s sort of a chicken-or-the-egg question. To take your next step toward great leadership, do you start with introspection and learning to think like a leader? Or do you put yourself into positions where you are forced to learn by doing? Most leadership books and courses give you one answer. But a contrarian and counter-intuitive […] It’s sort of a chicken-or-the-egg question.

Learning-by-Doing 162

Learning-by-Doing Books Course Follow-up 162

Engaging Leader

AUGUST 5, 2015

David hired me to help communicate and reinforce his division’s long-term vision and business strategy with their 1,200 employees. About a year into our relationship, we were holding a weeklong strategic planning meeting with the key leaders on his team. On one of those days, during a lunch break, I ran up to my hotel […].

Hotels 160

Hotels Strategic Planning Long-term Leadership 160

Engaging Leader

DECEMBER 14, 2015

Holacracy is a fundamentally different “operating system” for organizations. Holacracy revolutionizes how a company is structured, how decisions are made, and how authority is distributed. Perhaps the best-known examples of companies who have adopted Holacracy are Zappos and David Allen Company. “No one reports to anyone anymore,” explains The Washington Post about Zappos.

Agility 157

Agility System Management Bureaucracy 157

Engaging Leader

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

Research shows no one is happy with annual performance reviews—not executives, not managers, and not individual contributors. Even HR teams responsible for performance management aren’t convinced annual reviews provide value. According to Kris Duggan of BetterWorks, that’s because traditional performance management processes and systems no longer accurately reflect the way we work.

Goal 156

Goal Wilde White Paper Management 156

Engaging Leader

MAY 1, 2015

Being an engaging leader starts with engaging your own work and life optimally. Five years ago, Jesse had given up on the umpteenth system he’d tried for organization and productivity. As he went back to the drawing board, he discovered that a new approach had taken the world by storm. It was called Getting Things […] Being an engaging leader starts with engaging your own work and life optimally.

Stress 154

Stress Project Delegation Productivity 154

Engaging Leader

MARCH 15, 2015

'Nearly half of your company’s payroll is being spent on things that don’t matter to your strategic goals. That’s based on results of a six-year global study of 350,000 people by the firm FranklinCovey. Here’s the good news: You can change your practices and the culture of your team to automatically self-orient around the important […] Nearly half of your company''s payroll is being spent on things that don''t matter to your strategic goals.

Productivity 153

Productivity Products Globalization Energy 153

Engaging Leader

JULY 15, 2015

What does yawning have to do with influencing people to take action? If you yawn, you trigger “mirror neurons” in most other people, which affect their brain activity and influence them to yawn too. And mirror neurons don’t just involve actions like yawning. They affect thoughts and feelings as well. This is one of the […] What does yawning have to do with influencing people to take action?

Influence 152

Influence Tools Audience Power 152

Engaging Leader

JULY 22, 2015

Making the connection between better health decisions and daily energy levels does far more to change employee behavior than telling them about longer-term health consequences. At most organizations, a workforce health strategy includes communication and education to motivate and equip employees and their families to reduce health risks, improve wellbeing, and prevent the development of […] Making the connection between better health decisions and daily energy levels does far more to chang

Energy 149

Energy Motivation Education Books 149

Engaging Leader

JULY 16, 2015

With 75% of Americans now regularly sending and receiving text messages, there’s good reason to consider adding mobile to your toolkit for workforce communications. How many employees will actually read an e-newsletter or other email communication? Statistics show only about a third of salaried employees will open it … and even fewer hourly employees.

Newsletter 149

Newsletter Blog 149

Engaging Leader

MAY 6, 2015

As you probably already know, yawns are contagious. Right now, the image below is causing many of you to feel the need to yawn. This even works with animals. A study by the University of London observed that 21 of 29 dogs yawned when a stranger yawned in front of them. Why? The answer is […].

Tools 147

Tools Power How To Blog 147

Engaging Leader

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Does the way you lead communicate to your team that failure is not an option? If so, you are limiting innovation and development, encouraging cover-ups and lies, and breeding more-serious mistakes. This is true whether you lead a family, a small organization, or a huge business. “The best way to minimize failure is to embrace […] Does the way you lead communicate to your team that failure is not an option.

How To 146

How To Innovation Team Development 146

Engaging Leader

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

Guest post by Joe Loya. Communication is changing rapidly. Technology has transformed not only how we consume and absorb information, but it has also transformed what captures our attention, keeps us interested, and motivates us to take action. In their recent book, The Mobile Mind Shift, authors Ted Schadler, Josh Bernoff, and Julie Ask of Forrester […].

Forrester 146

Forrester Motivation Technology Information 146

Engaging Leader

MAY 13, 2015

We are not thinking machines. We are feeling machines who think. ~Richard Restak, George Washington University neurology professor As leaders, we need to make emotional connections with our target audience if we hope to influence their thoughts and actions. One very important way to connect positively with people is with what I call powerful empathy. […].

Skills 143

Skills Audience Influence Power 143

Engaging Leader

SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

In his book, Locked in the Cabinet, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich describes what he calls his “Pronoun Test.” I ask front-line workers to tell me about the company, and I listen for the pronouns. If the answers I get back describe the company as “they” and “them,” I know it’s one kind […].

Books 142

Books Company Teamwork Blog 142

Engaging Leader

JUNE 23, 2015

Back in episode 14, we talked about the six drivers of behavioral engagement. One driver is Structural Ability; in other words, make it easy for people to take the recommended actions that will improve their physical or financial health. Another of the six drivers is Personal Motivation; make it what they want to do. Gamification […] Back in episode 14, we talked about the six drivers of behavioral engagement.

Video 142

Video Trends Motivation Resources 142

Engaging Leader

JANUARY 16, 2015

'Chronic medical conditions drive more than 75% of health care spending. However, people with a chronic condition typically get care through a health system designed for acute care — fragmented, episodic care triggered by an adverse health event. This episode discusses how employers can better engage the sicker portion of their employees and family members […] Chronic medical conditions drive more than 75% of health care spending.

Health Care 142

Health Care Workshop System Cost 142

Engaging Leader

MAY 26, 2015

The best wellness programs are ones people don’t even know they’re doing. That may sound like a pipe dream, but a leading researcher says it’s realistic and effective. A few small changes in the workplace can change a waistline … and a culture. Leading behavioral economist, food psychologist, and bestselling author Brian Wansink, Ph.D., joins […] The best wellness programs are ones people don’t even know they’re doing.

Peer Review 141

Peer Review Brand Books Follow-up 141

Engaging Leader

OCTOBER 27, 2015

If you haven’t yet realized it, there’s been a communication revolution building, and it has now reached the tipping point for workforce health engagement. People are now using mobile devices more than desktop computers for digital media, with mobile apps dominating the usage. Text messaging has become the preferred communication method for most people.

Discount 139

Discount Tips Media Blog 139

Engaging Leader

JULY 1, 2015

I have used a standing desk since 2008. This week, I added a small treadmill to my setup, thus stepping up to a walking desk. I first began seriously considering a walking desk in 2013 after reading EAT MOVE SLEEP and interviewing the author, Tom Rath. In the summer of 2014, during an onsite client […].

Blog 139

Blog 139

Engaging Leader

JUNE 15, 2015

According to The Gallup Organization, when companies add a well-being focus to their engagement efforts, it has an accelerating effect. Focusing on employee engagement and employee well-being together helps companies maximize productivity. Today we’ll discuss how your organization can improve your culture, employee engagement, and the bottom-line by taking a whole-person approach that allows employees […] According to The Gallup Organization, when companies add a well-being focus to their

Consultative 139

Consultative Article Stress Resources 139

Engaging Leader

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

Several years ago, I was helping to plan workforce communications for a Fortune 500 financial services company. Early in the project, I met a leadership consultant from another firm that was serving the same client. Her research revealed amazing insights about leadership effectiveness, and I sent her a handwritten thank-you note expressing genuine gratitude for […].

Consultative 138

Consultative Project Planning Leadership 138

Engaging Leader

NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Thankfulness changes things: in yourself, in your team, and in your impact. As we approach Thanksgiving in the US, and the New Year goal-setting that most of us will be undertaking over the coming weeks, let me encourage you to make it a priority to improve your gratitude over the coming year. In fact, if […]. Thankfulness changes things: in yourself, in your team, and in your impact.

Resources 135

Resources Goal Books Team 135

Engaging Leader

JULY 29, 2015

How leaders can leverage the mobile technology A new study from comScore, a global leader in digital media analytics, reports that not only is mobile beginning to eclipse all other platforms, but it’s happening among all generations and across continents. The 2015 report, “The Global Mobile Report: How Multi-Platform Audiences & Engagement Compare in the […].

Audience 136

Audience Globalization Report Media 136

Engaging Leader

JUNE 1, 2015

Some people fall far short of their leadership potential because they let the best part of their time, energy, and focus get sucked up by non-strategic tasks like replying to emails. On the other end of the spectrum are leaders who don’t have the impact they’d like because they don’t consistently respond to important emails; […] Some people fall far short of their leadership potential because they let the best part of their time, energy, and focus get sucked up by non-strategic tasks like

Energy 136

Energy Leadership Productivity Products 136

Engaging Leader

MAY 7, 2015

Gamification and mobile technology can both make it easier for employees to use their benefits, and provide the motivation to make it want they want to do. In past episodes of Game Changer, we’ve looked at some gamified applications related to certain health benefits – such as episode 3 with UnitedHealth, episode 7 with Movable, […] Gamification and mobile technology can both make it easier for employees to use their benefits, and provide the motivation to make it want they want to do.

Health Care 136

Health Care Video Trends Motivation 136

Engaging Leader

APRIL 23, 2015

'At most organizations, a workforce health strategy includes communication and education to motivate and equip employees and their families to reduce health risks, improve wellbeing, and prevent the development of serious (and expensive) health problems. But according to research scientist Tom Rath, the typical health messages aren’t very effective in motivating people on an ongoing […].

Tips 136

Tips Education Motivation Blog 136

Engaging Leader

SEPTEMBER 16, 2015

In my mid-20s, while in Chicago on business, I had lunch with my former boss at the global consulting firm I had left a couple years earlier. “You’ve come a long way,” Laurie commented after listening to me talk about my recent projects. “You aren’t the young greenhorn you used to be.” “What do you […].

How To 133

How To Globalization Consultative Project 133

Engaging Leader

AUGUST 28, 2015

A few weeks ago we talked about 5 listening mistakes leaders make. Here are seven things leaders should practice to become better listeners. Most people (especially those in positions of leadership) don’t listen. When you give full attention to what people have to say, you set yourself apart as an engaging leader. As a […].

Tips 133

Tips Positioning Leadership Active Listening 133