Expert insights. Personalized for you.
As 2019 winds down, I’ve been talking with a lot of clients and one thing that everyone (including me) has in common is that we’re coming in hot. The end of year cram down to get stuff done before the holiday break begins has felt crazier than ever. And, then, in a couple of weeks, we’ll wipe the slate clean and start pursuing the goals of 2020. Here’s some advice (for myself as much as anyone) before you dive into next year. Over the holidays, quit thinking so much. MORE
As I wrote last week , we’re all dealing with a lot. And, when there’s a lot to process – work, family, health, the world and life in general – the mind can understandably flit and flutter from thought to thought. It’s called mental chatter and it can make it really challenging to get anything in particular done. MORE
Ever had a manager who told you they had an “open-door policy?” Who knows, maybe you’ve even declared that yourself. The open-door policy implies that your team members or colleagues can come to you with anything. That desire to be a transparent and open leader is admirable. The problem starts when people knock on the proverbial door (and knock and knock) and no one’s home. MORE
One of the things I’ve said for a long-time as an executive coach is that if you get colleague feedback that you need to be a better listener, take the feedback and start working on it. The positive leadership ripple effects from doing a better job of listening are enormous and wide-spread. Problem-solving, team-engagement, relationships and results all improve when leaders listen better. MORE
A couple of weeks ago, I was having a coaching conversation with an executive whose story is all too common in this pandemic year of leading and working from home. Since the pandemic started, Susan’s been working around 15 hours a day. MORE
One of the things you read most often about the effects of the pandemic is that it has accelerated trends that were already in play by about 10 years. In certain aspects of work and life, it suddenly seems like 2030 instead of 2020. MORE
It almost always happens. Whenever I work with a group of high potential leaders, we eventually get to the conversation about agency. Someone will start talking about all the organizational dynamics that seem to be getting in the way of progress and then others will join in. MORE
Last week I got a question from one of my all-time favorite executive coaching clients. At the beginning of the call, the first thing he said was, “I’ve got to ask you a question. Is everyone you’re talking to feeling exhausted?” I didn’t need to think about that one at all. MORE
Last week I had a thoughtful client ask me a question I don’t get asked very often – What makes a great leader? Since, as an executive coach, I’m usually the one asking the questions, she caught me off guard with hers. MORE
Over the past month, I’ve been running two or three online sessions a week with groups of leaders to provide them with some reference points and space to think about how to lead in our current environment. Leadership is always challenging. It’s more so during a pandemic when work routines and business plans are completely disrupted. MORE
The number one business-related complaint I’ve been hearing from my coaching clients during the pandemic is that they are overwhelmed with a deluge of demand for participation in online meetings. MORE
I’ve had a lot of conversations with corporate leaders over the past couple of weeks that have all focused on variations of the same question, “What can I do to help end racism?” This is one of those times when I’m glad that the conventional wisdom on how to coach others is that it’s more about the questions than the answers. I’m good at asking questions, but on the topic of ending racism, don’t have a lot of answers based on long-term personal experience. MORE
The publication date of this post, December 1, 2020, marks the 20 th anniversary of our leadership development company, The Eblin Group. MORE
Let’s start by acknowledging the obvious. There is no new normal yet. The COVID-19 crisis brings another “new normal” every day. The situation is too fast-moving, fluid and unprecedented for any of us to settle in for whatever the long haul is and keep on truckin’ with the same operating rhythm we’ve used up until now. That doesn’t mean, though, that we shouldn’t take a step back to assess our operating rhythm as leaders and professionals who still need to get stuff done. MORE
Gary Burnison , the CEO of recruiting and leadership development firm Korn-Ferry writes a weekly email every week which I subscribe to. Not surprisingly, a lot of his notes the past several months have focused on leading during the pandemic. MORE
Over the weekend, I saw a Tweet from preventive medicine doctor, James Hamblin that read, “This concludes the first week of 2021.”. Following a week of record COVID deaths and a deadly riot in the halls of the U.S. Capitol, Hamblin succinctly summed up the way a lot of us feel. MORE
Like me, you may have noticed that time goes by both quickly and slowly during the pandemic. For instance, as I write this post it’s Monday morning and it feels like it was only a day or two ago that I was writing last week’s post – also on a Monday morning – on the connection between strong relationships and managing your stress. MORE
As many of us approach family Thanksgiving gatherings via Zoom, I’ve been thinking about all the perspective shifts I’ve had during this year of the pandemic. MORE
I’m observing (virtually, of course) more and more leaders who are short-termers. By that, I don’t mean that they’re not long for their jobs. What I mean is that they’re not looking far enough out into the future. At the beginning of the pandemic, this probably made sense. MORE
If you’re working from home, are you missing your commute? That kind of sounds like a stupid question. Who misses sitting in traffic looking at taillights? Not many people, I’d guess, but that’s probably not the part of your commute you’re missing. MORE
One of the bright spots for me of this life-changing era we’re all living through is the stories of human connection that I hear from the executives I speak with every week. Again and again, they share moments or emails that demonstrate how tough times can bring out the best in leaders and their teams. I’m struck by how the moments that matter most are the ones in which leaders share themselves as human beings and encourage their team members to do the same. MORE
What verb tense is your mind spending most of its time in – present, past or future? How about the members of your team – what time frame are their minds working in? MORE
A few years ago, around the time my book, Overworked and Overwhelmed was launched, I wrote a series of blog posts under the theme of Mindful Mondays. I left that theme when I felt at the time that I had said everything I wanted to say on being mindful. MORE
For many of us in the United States, week seven or so of the work from home (WFH) period is underway. And even as attention turns to how to get people back to the office, it’s pretty clear that we’re at the beginning of a pretty long haul of a lot more working from home than we ever thought we would. From my vantage point as a long-time work from homer and a coach to a lot of leaders and teams who are new to the scene, what I’m seeing is a slow realization that we’re in a marathon, not a sprint. MORE
In case you’ve lost count, you may be one of the many of us who are in month eight of working from home. MORE
Most of the organizations I’m talking to and observing during the pandemic recognize the need to up their levels of innovation and agility. MORE
From my vantage point of speaking with around a dozen leaders from different industries every week since the pandemic began, I’ve concluded that we’re at the end of Phase 1 and the beginning of Phase 2 of what it means to live and work in this new world. Phase 1 has been the “reinvention” phase where leaders have been focused on figuring out new ways to keep their businesses running at some basic level. MORE
Even though we’re just a few days removed from 2020, the first work week of the new year represents a blank slate. Most of 2021 still lies ahead and we have lots of opportunity right now to think about how we want to influence the outcomes that are yet to be created. MORE
In the years that I’ve been coaching clients and audiences on creating their own Life GPS® personal planning strategy , I’ve learned that identifying the outcomes they want to help create in their communities is often the most challenging component for people. I get that because, for many years, it was the most challenging for me too. I think there are a number of reasons for that. MORE
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post that made the case that we’re all at the beginning of Phase 2 in our response to the global pandemic. To recap, Phase 1 lasted for about 8 weeks, depending on where in the world you live and, for large organizations at least, was about quickly reinventing how work was going to get done with many people working from home. We’ve figured that out for the most part at this point and are now moving into the reimagination work of Phase 2. MORE
What would you do if your customer base tripled almost overnight and their lives depended on you scaling up your leadership and your organization to meet the sudden surge in demand? MORE
Many of the sales leaders I’m talking with this summer are working on how to help their teams raise their games in the virtual world we’re living in. I’ve been collecting some best practice ideas that can help you and your team reclaim competitive advantage in a virtual world. MORE
As a white male, I’m reluctant to offer a lot of personal commentary in this post but would argue that a lack of empathy for the lives and life experience of others has been a significant contributor to where we are as a nation this week. Likewise, I believe that we’re not going to emerge from this ongoing tragedy without intentional deep work on empathy and the application of it. That’s not just up to our political leaders; that’s up to all of us. MORE
One of the big themes I’m already working on with my leader clients this year is how to keep their teams energized and engaged as we all push through this pandemic. MORE
As I’ve been talking with clients and colleagues in the early days of year two of the pandemic, I’ve been thinking a lot about content and connection. Most of the leaders and team members I’m talking with are struggling with the volume of content they’re dealing with in their jobs. MORE
One of the things I’ve heard a lot from leaders during the pandemic is that it has leveled the playing field for the people on their teams. When most everyone is working from home, mastery of face time around the office becomes much less of a factor. MORE
Next Level Blog
MARCH 2, 2021
It almost always happens. Whenever I work with a group of high potential leaders, we eventually get to the conversation about agency. Someone will start talking about all the organizational dynamics that seem to be getting in the way of progress and then others will join in.
Next Level Blog
JANUARY 12, 2021
Over the weekend, I saw a Tweet from preventive medicine doctor, James Hamblin that read, “This concludes the first week of 2021.”. Following a week of record COVID deaths and a deadly riot in the halls of the U.S. Capitol, Hamblin succinctly summed up the way a lot of us feel.
Next Level Blog
JANUARY 19, 2021
One of the big themes I’m already working on with my leader clients this year is how to keep their teams energized and engaged as we all push through this pandemic.
Next Level Blog
DECEMBER 8, 2020
Last week I got a question from one of my all-time favorite executive coaching clients. At the beginning of the call, the first thing he said was, “I’ve got to ask you a question. Is everyone you’re talking to feeling exhausted?” I didn’t need to think about that one at all.
Advertisement
Building the ideal HR team doesn’t happen overnight—especially when CFOs have limited time, budget and resources. But our new guide can give you advice on where to start and key focus areas you need to know. Download our guide today!
Next Level Blog
NOVEMBER 2, 2020
A few years ago, around the time my book, Overworked and Overwhelmed was launched, I wrote a series of blog posts under the theme of Mindful Mondays. I left that theme when I felt at the time that I had said everything I wanted to say on being mindful.
Next Level Blog
FEBRUARY 9, 2021
As I’ve been talking with clients and colleagues in the early days of year two of the pandemic, I’ve been thinking a lot about content and connection. Most of the leaders and team members I’m talking with are struggling with the volume of content they’re dealing with in their jobs.
|
Next Level Blog
SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
One of the things you read most often about the effects of the pandemic is that it has accelerated trends that were already in play by about 10 years. In certain aspects of work and life, it suddenly seems like 2030 instead of 2020.
Next Level Blog
DECEMBER 1, 2020
The publication date of this post, December 1, 2020, marks the 20 th anniversary of our leadership development company, The Eblin Group.
Next Level Blog
OCTOBER 20, 2020
In case you’ve lost count, you may be one of the many of us who are in month eight of working from home.
Next Level Blog
FEBRUARY 2, 2021
In the years that I’ve been coaching clients and audiences on creating their own Life GPS® personal planning strategy , I’ve learned that identifying the outcomes they want to help create in their communities is often the most challenging component for people. I get that because, for many years, it was the most challenging for me too. I think there are a number of reasons for that.
Advertisement
Building the ideal HR team doesn’t happen overnight—especially when you have limited time, budget and resources. But our new guide can give you advice on where to start and key focus areas you need to know. Download our guide today!
Next Level Blog
SEPTEMBER 1, 2020
The number one business-related complaint I’ve been hearing from my coaching clients during the pandemic is that they are overwhelmed with a deluge of demand for participation in online meetings.
|
Next Level Blog
AUGUST 4, 2020
I’m observing (virtually, of course) more and more leaders who are short-termers. By that, I don’t mean that they’re not long for their jobs. What I mean is that they’re not looking far enough out into the future. At the beginning of the pandemic, this probably made sense.
Next Level Blog
JANUARY 5, 2021
Even though we’re just a few days removed from 2020, the first work week of the new year represents a blank slate. Most of 2021 still lies ahead and we have lots of opportunity right now to think about how we want to influence the outcomes that are yet to be created.
Next Level Blog
DECEMBER 22, 2020
What would you do if your customer base tripled almost overnight and their lives depended on you scaling up your leadership and your organization to meet the sudden surge in demand?
Next Level Blog
DECEMBER 15, 2020
Last week I had a thoughtful client ask me a question I don’t get asked very often – What makes a great leader? Since, as an executive coach, I’m usually the one asking the questions, she caught me off guard with hers.
Advertisement
HR leaders are on the frontlines of a mental health crisis, but the topic can still be taboo—or at least something that’s only talked about reluctantly. What can HR do to help? Download our latest guide to learn the 4 ways you can support the mental health of your employees and identify warning signs of burnout.
Next Level Blog
NOVEMBER 17, 2020
A couple of weeks ago, I was having a coaching conversation with an executive whose story is all too common in this pandemic year of leading and working from home. Since the pandemic started, Susan’s been working around 15 hours a day.
Next Level Blog
OCTOBER 6, 2020
If you’re working from home, are you missing your commute? That kind of sounds like a stupid question. Who misses sitting in traffic looking at taillights? Not many people, I’d guess, but that’s probably not the part of your commute you’re missing.
Next Level Blog
AUGUST 25, 2020
Many of the sales leaders I’m talking with this summer are working on how to help their teams raise their games in the virtual world we’re living in. I’ve been collecting some best practice ideas that can help you and your team reclaim competitive advantage in a virtual world.
Next Level Blog
JULY 14, 2020
Like me, you may have noticed that time goes by both quickly and slowly during the pandemic. For instance, as I write this post it’s Monday morning and it feels like it was only a day or two ago that I was writing last week’s post – also on a Monday morning – on the connection between strong relationships and managing your stress.
Advertisement
HR leaders are on the frontlines of a mental health crisis, but the topic can still be taboo—or at least something that’s only talked about reluctantly. What can HR do to help? Download our latest guide to learn the 4 ways you can support the mental health of your employees and identify warning signs of burnout.
Next Level Blog
JULY 21, 2020
Gary Burnison , the CEO of recruiting and leadership development firm Korn-Ferry writes a weekly email every week which I subscribe to. Not surprisingly, a lot of his notes the past several months have focused on leading during the pandemic.
Next Level Blog
SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
Most of the organizations I’m talking to and observing during the pandemic recognize the need to up their levels of innovation and agility.
Next Level Blog
JUNE 17, 2020
I’ve had a lot of conversations with corporate leaders over the past couple of weeks that have all focused on variations of the same question, “What can I do to help end racism?” This is one of those times when I’m glad that the conventional wisdom on how to coach others is that it’s more about the questions than the answers. I’m good at asking questions, but on the topic of ending racism, don’t have a lot of answers based on long-term personal experience.
Next Level Blog
OCTOBER 13, 2020
One of the things I’ve heard a lot from leaders during the pandemic is that it has leveled the playing field for the people on their teams. When most everyone is working from home, mastery of face time around the office becomes much less of a factor.
Advertisement
In Paycor’s latest survey, more than 2,000 Finance and HR leaders told us about their plans for 2021. Download the survey for actionable insights and tips.
Next Level Blog
JUNE 24, 2020
Over the past month, I’ve been running two or three online sessions a week with groups of leaders to provide them with some reference points and space to think about how to lead in our current environment. Leadership is always challenging. It’s more so during a pandemic when work routines and business plans are completely disrupted.
Next Level Blog
MAY 12, 2020
From my vantage point of speaking with around a dozen leaders from different industries every week since the pandemic began, I’ve concluded that we’re at the end of Phase 1 and the beginning of Phase 2 of what it means to live and work in this new world. Phase 1 has been the “reinvention” phase where leaders have been focused on figuring out new ways to keep their businesses running at some basic level.
Next Level Blog
APRIL 28, 2020
For many of us in the United States, week seven or so of the work from home (WFH) period is underway. And even as attention turns to how to get people back to the office, it’s pretty clear that we’re at the beginning of a pretty long haul of a lot more working from home than we ever thought we would. From my vantage point as a long-time work from homer and a coach to a lot of leaders and teams who are new to the scene, what I’m seeing is a slow realization that we’re in a marathon, not a sprint.
Next Level Blog
MAY 5, 2020
One of the bright spots for me of this life-changing era we’re all living through is the stories of human connection that I hear from the executives I speak with every week. Again and again, they share moments or emails that demonstrate how tough times can bring out the best in leaders and their teams. I’m struck by how the moments that matter most are the ones in which leaders share themselves as human beings and encourage their team members to do the same.
Advertisement
In Paycor’s latest survey, more than 2,000 HR and Finance leaders told us about their plans for 2021. Download the survey for actionable insights and tips.
Next Level Blog
JUNE 3, 2020
As a white male, I’m reluctant to offer a lot of personal commentary in this post but would argue that a lack of empathy for the lives and life experience of others has been a significant contributor to where we are as a nation this week. Likewise, I believe that we’re not going to emerge from this ongoing tragedy without intentional deep work on empathy and the application of it. That’s not just up to our political leaders; that’s up to all of us.
Next Level Blog
FEBRUARY 5, 2020
Ever had a manager who told you they had an “open-door policy?” Who knows, maybe you’ve even declared that yourself. The open-door policy implies that your team members or colleagues can come to you with anything. That desire to be a transparent and open leader is admirable. The problem starts when people knock on the proverbial door (and knock and knock) and no one’s home.
Next Level Blog
JANUARY 22, 2020
One of the things I’ve said for a long-time as an executive coach is that if you get colleague feedback that you need to be a better listener, take the feedback and start working on it. The positive leadership ripple effects from doing a better job of listening are enormous and wide-spread. Problem-solving, team-engagement, relationships and results all improve when leaders listen better.
Next Level Blog
JULY 27, 2020
What verb tense is your mind spending most of its time in – present, past or future? How about the members of your team – what time frame are their minds working in?
Advertisement
Building a benefits program for a diverse workforce has always been a top priority, but now it’s become both more important and complex with so much change and uncertainty. Download our latest guide that features emerging benefits employees expect in 2021 and beyond.
Next Level Blog
MAY 26, 2020
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post that made the case that we’re all at the beginning of Phase 2 in our response to the global pandemic. To recap, Phase 1 lasted for about 8 weeks, depending on where in the world you live and, for large organizations at least, was about quickly reinventing how work was going to get done with many people working from home. We’ve figured that out for the most part at this point and are now moving into the reimagination work of Phase 2.
Next Level Blog
MARCH 24, 2020
Let’s start by acknowledging the obvious. There is no new normal yet. The COVID-19 crisis brings another “new normal” every day. The situation is too fast-moving, fluid and unprecedented for any of us to settle in for whatever the long haul is and keep on truckin’ with the same operating rhythm we’ve used up until now. That doesn’t mean, though, that we shouldn’t take a step back to assess our operating rhythm as leaders and professionals who still need to get stuff done.
Next Level Blog
DECEMBER 18, 2019
As 2019 winds down, I’ve been talking with a lot of clients and one thing that everyone (including me) has in common is that we’re coming in hot. The end of year cram down to get stuff done before the holiday break begins has felt crazier than ever. And, then, in a couple of weeks, we’ll wipe the slate clean and start pursuing the goals of 2020. Here’s some advice (for myself as much as anyone) before you dive into next year. Over the holidays, quit thinking so much.
Next Level Blog
JULY 1, 2020
As I wrote last week , we’re all dealing with a lot. And, when there’s a lot to process – work, family, health, the world and life in general – the mind can understandably flit and flutter from thought to thought. It’s called mental chatter and it can make it really challenging to get anything in particular done.
Advertisement
We wanted to know how COVID-19 impacted businesses and their workforces. Did they need government funds? How many workers did they layoff or furlough? Are employees working from home now? How’s team morale? And perhaps most importantly, what are their plans for the future? This guide offers a pretty good idea of how business leaders are feeling, what keeps them up at night, and what approaches they’re taking to solve problems. Download the guide to see all the survey results and where your organization might stand comparatively.
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