Trending Articles

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How to Handle Accountability Conversations: 6 Tough Questions, Answered

Let's Grow Leaders

Because Clear, Constructive Feedback Shouldnt Feel Like a Wrestling Match You want your team to succeedand you want them to grow. And you know that means having real accountability conversations, even when theyre tough. But sometimes, those conversations feel more like trying to defuse a live grenadeblindfolded. The good news? You dont have to choose between being clear and being kind.

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Focus on 4 Things Before Breakfast

Leadership Freak

Grip your butterfly-brain before breakfast. The worst thing you do in the morning is let your thoughts run free. A butterfly-brain lands in dark places. Butterflies arent leaders. Scattered people run in circles.

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Leading Thoughts for May 8, 2025

Leading Blog

I DEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Sbastien Page on focusing on what makes us better: Traditional goals focus on outcomes, while mastery goals focus on process. Both are effective. Its important to set goals for process improvements. Dont overemphasize outcomes over process.

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How To Give Difficult Feedback To Your Direct Report.

Rich Gee Group

Listen to the interview. Breaking bad news to your standout performer is like telling a Formula1 driver their wheels are looseflub the timing and the whole team could crash at 200mph. The data gutpunch you cant dodge. 44% of managers admit giving critical feedback feels difficult or stressful, and oneinfive duck it altogether. ( HBR ) When employees get meaningful feedback every week, theyre fourtimes more engaged than their flashlightinthedark peers. ( Gallup ) Ignore the hard talks and watch d

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8 Pillars of Leadership Development

Great leadership development is the key to sustainable business growth. Are you ready to design an effective program? HR can use Paycor’s framework to: Set achievable goals. Align employee and company needs. Support different learning styles. Empower the next generation of leaders. Invest in your company’s future with a strong leadership development program.

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Three Common Pitfalls for New Executives and How to Avoid Them

Next Level Blog

Congratulations! Youve just gotten promoted to your first executive level job. What do you do now? One of the big reasons I wrote The Next Level almost 20 years ago was that the expectations of new executives are always very high but hardly ever clearly defined. My goal with the book was to make the implicit behavioral expectations of new executives explicit.

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Welcome to Team Crickets: How to Support Your Quiet Team

Let's Grow Leaders

Inheriting a Quiet Team? Heres How to Build a Culture of Voice You’re a human-centered leader who wants people to speak up and contribute their ideas. AND, you’ve inherited a quiet team, what to do next? Dear Asking for a Friend, “I inherited a team thats technically strong but emotionally silent. They dont bring concerns, ideas, or challenges forward.

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Why Mattering Matters

Leadership Freak

People dont disengage because theyre lazythey disengage because they feel invisible. When someone doesnt believe they matter, nothing else does either. Discover three simple ways to show people they matterand ignite purpose where its gone dim.

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Ethical Thinking, Ethical Self: 5 Things You Need to Know

Leading in Context

By Linda Fisher Thornton Developing an ethical self is important for good citizenship and good leadership. But what does it involve? Theres more to developing and maintaining an ethical self than trying to make good choices. Making ethical choices isnt easy, and while were struggling, our brains are actually working against us.

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Team Building Is A Leadership System - Not a Retreat

Sales Wolf Blog

Most companies treat team building like a box to check. A quarterly happy hour. A ropes course (remember those?). An annual offsite where everyone plays along. Then they return to the same disjointed meetings, unspoken tensions, and underperforming teams. They leak valuable time, energy, and resources. This approach is not just ineffectiveit is expensive.

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1 Incredible Leadership Skill to Improve Productivity and Manage Work-Life Balance

Let's Grow Leaders

Tired of vague deadlines and Groundhog Day conversations that wreck your productivityand your work-life balance? If youre a leader trying to stay on top of competing priorities while also protecting your teams time and energy, this episode is your shortcut to clarity. Youll discover a practical, people-centered communication tool that replaces fuzzy follow-ups with real resultswithout tipping you or your team into burnout.

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The Hidden Skills That Separate Good Leaders from Great Ones

Speaker: Chandra McCormack, CPA, MBA, NACD.DC

Technical degrees might open doors—but it’s the soft skills that keep them open. In the face of disruption, evolving workplace dynamics, and rising expectations of leadership, soft skills like communication, emotional intelligence, and presence have become core business essentials—not nice-to-haves. Inspired by stories from her father coupled with her own career journey, seasoned executive Chandra McCormack breaks down how to lead with impact, connect with purpose, and cultivate a workplace cult

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Escape the Drama Triangle – Change the Script

CoachStation

Lets talk about something that plays out for all of us daily. Sometimes hourly. Its called the Drama Triangle, and once you see it, you cant unsee it. The Drama Triangle was first developed by Stephen Karpman, and it maps out three common roles people tend to fall into when they're under pressure, emotionally charged, or just stuck in unhelpful patterns.

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5 Feedback Mistakes Leaders Make

Leadership Freak

Most leaders think theyre giving enough feedbackbut delays, soft language, and lack of follow-up sabotage growth. Learn 5 common feedback mistakes and how to fix them so your team improves faster, trusts more, and stays fully engaged.

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How Leaders Can Create A Culture Of Significance

Eric Jacobson

As we age, the instinct to matter crystallizes into the fundamental need to be seen, heard, valued, and needed, says Zach Mercurio Ph.D., author of the new book, The Power Of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create A Culture Of Significance. The need to matter never goes away. And if our need to matter is satisfied, we flourish. Mercurio explains that mattering is created through small, repeated interactions that ensure people feel noticed, affirmed, and needed.

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The Mental Models Every Founder/CEO Must Master to Scale with Discipline

Sales Wolf Blog

Most Founder / CEOs fail due to lack of frameworks Most Founder/CEOs do not fail because of a lack of ambitionthey fail because of a lack of mental models or frameworks. Mental models are how strategically smart leaders simplify complexity, make better decisions faster, and lead with repeatability. In a scaling company, chaos multiplies without mental structure.

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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.

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6 Practical Ways to Be Easy to Work With

Let's Grow Leaders

Smart, Strategic, and Still Easy to Work With? Yes, You Can. You know that person everyone wants on their team? The one people describe with a big smile and a big thumbs up because, theyre just so easy to work with? Yeah, be that person. Whether youre navigating matrixed teams, global time zones, or just trying to make your next meeting suck lessbeing easy to work with isnt about being a pushover.

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Tiffany O’Connell Joins the Women On Business Writing Team

Women on Business

I’m excited to announce that Tiffany O’Connell, Founder & CEO of Oh Marketing Group, has joined the team of writers at Women On Business. Tiffany has more than 25 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and small business owners, and I know her content will be insightful and valuable!

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16 Secrets for Multipliers

Leadership Freak

Stop managingjoin the ranks of multipliers. Great leaders dont add effort, they expand impact. When you multiply your talent, you grow capacity without burning out. The secret to doing more isnt doing it all. Its taking care of yourself and pouring into others.

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If the Shoe Fits, Discover the Power of Peers

CEO Insider

The ruby red slippers in “The Wizard of Oz” symbolize the power of self-belief and inner strength. Throughout Dorothy’s journey to Oz, she sought the help of others to return home. Yet, at the end of the movie, Glinda the Good Witchrevealed that Dorothy can return to Kansas by clicking the ruby slippers together three […] The post If the Shoe Fits, Discover the Power of Peers appeared first on CEOWORLD magazine.

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How to Avoid Pitfalls In Automation: Keep Humans In the Loop

Speaker: Erroll Amacker

Automation is transforming finance but without strong financial oversight it can introduce more risk than reward. From missed discrepancies to strained vendor relationships, accounts payable automation needs a human touch to deliver lasting value. This session is your playbook to get automation right. We’ll explore how to balance speed with control, boost decision-making through human-machine collaboration, and unlock ROI with fewer errors, stronger fraud prevention, and smoother operations.

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Doing Personalization Correctly

Innovation Excellence

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken Companies today face three critical marketing and Customer Experience (CX) challenges: How can you keep customers coming back? How can you get your customers attention so they dont consider switching to the competition? How do you create an experience that makes price less relevant?

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How Dignity Is Different From Respect

Eric Jacobson

In their book, Millennials Who Manage , authors Chip Espinoza and Joel Schwarzbart , quote Donna Hicks's explanation about how dignity is different from respect : Dignity is different from respect in that it is not based on how people perform, what they can do for us, or their likability. Dignity is a feeling of inherent value and worth. Therefore, Espinoza and Schwarzbart recommend that leaders treat those they are leading with dignity and follow Hick's 10 Essential Elements of Dignity : Accept

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Joe Carter Joins the Women On Business Writing Team

Women on Business

Please join us in welcoming Joe Carter, the founder of Twin Flame Group, to the team of contributing writers at Women On Business. Joe will be sharing insights on leadership, strategy, and empowering women in business. Stay tuned for his content coming soon!

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7 Habits to End the Day

Leadership Freak

The way you end the day determines how you show up tomorrow. Dont just crashclose the day with intention. These 7 habits will help you shut down well, sleep better, and rise ready to lead. Small actions tonight shape big outcomes in the morning.

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5 Ways to Improve DE&I in the Workplace

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical for an organization’s success. And companies that take bold action to help ensure an inclusive workplace will win every time. Discover how your company can create a culture that celebrates DE&I while achieving higher revenue and growth.

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How Can Scientists Build Public Trust? Intellectual Humility May Be the Key

The Horizons Tracker

How can scientists earn the public’s trust, especially on contentious topics like climate change and vaccines? A new study from the University of Pittsburgh suggests the answer lies in intellectual humilityacknowledging that one’s knowledge might be incomplete or wrong. Intellectual humility is central to good science, the researchers explain.

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It All Starts With Wanting Things to be Different

Innovation Excellence

GUEST POST from Mike Shipulski Wanting things to be different is a good start, but its not enough. To create conditions for things to move in a new direction, youve got to change your behavior. But with systems that involve people, this is not a straightforward process.

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Beyond Feel-Good — How to Find Fulfillment That Lasts

Frank Sonnenberg Online

Everyone seeks fulfillment, but how do you truly achieve it? Its not just about the pursuit; its about knowing where to find it. Thats why understanding the difference between happiness and fulfillment is crucial two concepts often mistaken for one another. Happiness is tied to fleeting moments of joy, excitement, or pleasure, while fulfillment stems from a deeper, more lasting sense of contentment and purpose.

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Kimberly Parry Joins the Women On Business Writing Team

Women on Business

Please join me in welcoming Kimberly Parry of Emergence Life Coaching to the team of contributing writers at Women On Business. Kimberly brings 20 years of experience with her with expertise in personal development, leadership, and combatting burnout. Watch for her content coming soon, and in the meantime, you can learn more about Kimberly below.

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How to Set Better OKRs and Drive Results

Before you can achieve success, you have to define it. Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) give you the framework to do just that. Paycor’s free guide includes a step-by-step process leaders can use to work toward – and achieve – their loftiest business goals.

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3 Stunning Advantages of Failure

Leadership Freak

We worship success because we want it. But we gain possibilities in the failure. Blunders make you beautiful. I asked John Maxwell what he has learned from success. He chuckled and said, Not as much as Ive learned from failure. Remember blunders. Falling short is the edge of transformation.

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The Challenge of Balancing Green Growth and Productivity

The Horizons Tracker

The UK governments dual commitmentsto achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and boosting economic growthpresent a complex balancing act. How these objectives intersect will shape the countrys green growth agenda and the envisioned “green industrial revolution.” Research from the Cambridge Judge Business School sheds light on this challenge, focusing on the electricity sectors total factor productivity (TFP)a key measure of how efficiently inputs like capital, labor, and materia

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Mentors vs. Sponsors: Why Women Need Both to Climb the Corporate Ladder

CEO Insider

Weve all heard it before – get a mentor, build your career, rise through the ranks. And yes, mentorship is powerful. But if mentorship is the foundation, sponsorship is the rocket fuel that propels women forward. Having the right people in your corner can make all the difference. As a female leader, Ive seen firsthand […] The post Mentors vs.

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How AI Is Winning (and Struggling) Across Companies of Every Size

Lead from Within

Recent research shows small, medium, and large companies are all racing to implement AI. Among small and medium-sized businesses, 42% are using AI, and over half report financial savings. Nearly three-quarters of employees say it boosts their productivity, and 60% report higher satisfaction at work. Meanwhile, large companies are even further ahead, with McKinseys 2025 Global AI Survey showing 78% deploying AI across at least one business area.

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No Ego: How Leaders Can Cut the Cost of Drama, End Entitlement and Drive Big Results

Speaker: Cy Wakeman, M.S., CSP, President, Reality-Based Leadership

Most HR leadership philosophies are grounded in two completely faulty assumptions — “change is hard” and “engagement drives results.” Those beliefs have inspired expensive attempts to keep change from being disruptive to employees. What these engagement programs actually do is create and reinforce feelings of victim-hood and leave employees unprepared to adapt to real changes that are necessary for the health and profitability of their enterprises.