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Personal & Professional Development

Why New Supervisors Absolutely Must Make Time for Self-Care

Guest post by Justin Bennett

When you’re a supervisor, your decisions have a far-reaching impact, affecting not just you, but also the people around you. It’s a weighty – and stressful – responsibility you shoulder. It’s the kind of responsibility that keeps you up at night and wears you down slowly (if you let it).

The only way you’re going to sustain yourself long-term in such a demanding role (hey, what if they promote you again?) is by prioritizing self-care! Self-care is caring about your wellbeing, loving yourself, and taking concrete steps to maintain your health. If you take care of yourself properly, you will have the bandwidth to do your job well as well as manage your people. You will set a great example for your coworkers, and promote a healthier, happier culture at your company.

Bud to Boss takes a quick look at what stress can do to your body in this mini-guide. We also offer advice on how you can counter it with self-care:

Stress takes a heavy toll on your joints and muscles

According to the Cleveland Clinic, stress does a number on your joints and muscles. When you’re under stress, your muscles bunch up, leading to pain and soreness. Pain spasms are common, more extreme, reactions. Stress lowers your threshold for pain and can even trigger symptoms of fibromyalgia, arthritis, and similar conditions.

Besides body pain, stress can cause mental and physical imbalances. While some level of stress is unavoidable (and even a good thing), it needs to be actively managed lest it pushes you off track.

Freeing up time for self-care

Finding time for self-care can be a challenge when you’re a leader, but it’s by no means impossible.

Learn time-management tricks: Scheduling, prioritization, doing one thing at a time, and similar time management tricks allow you to get more done in less time.
Delegate or hire services: Smart leaders know how to delegate – or hire service providers for important tasks.
Setting boundaries: You must avoid biting off more than you can chew. Set your boundaries with people clearly about what you can and can’t do.

Tips for managing stress

You aren’t born knowing how to manage stress – you have to pick up and actively hone the skill. Here are some pointers from the pros:

Know your trigger points: Everyone experiences stress differently, for different reasons. You may be especially stressed by deadlines or performance reviews, for instance. Identifying your triggers is a necessary first step in learning how to manage them.
Getting more sleep: Sleep has a way of calming your mind down and energizing your body. Getting an extra hour or two of sleep can work wonders for your stress levels.
Going to the gym or working out at home: Exercising releases many feel-good chemicals in your body and boosts your health. It also helps your body release the tension it’s holding on to and makes it easier for you to sleep at night.
Relaxation techniques: Learning relaxation techniques can help you get back into balance faster. Some suggestions are reading a book, eating chocolate, meditating, and going to your emotional safe space in your mind.
Deep breathing: Last, but not least, is deep breathing. A good, measured breath allows you to center yourself and feel calmer and more relaxed.

Conclusion

Don’t make the mistake of being negligent with your health. As the saying goes, if you don’t make time for your wellness, you’ll be forced to make time for your illness. As a leader figure, you’re setting the tone for your company through your example. You must make it a good one for your sake and everyone else’s.

About the author:

Justin Bennett is an author and the creator of Healthy Fit, which collects valuable fitness resources from across the web.

New & Frontline Leadership, Personal & Professional Development, Productivity

How to Improve Company Culture While Having Fun

Guest Post by Magdalene Hellen

Sometimes, going to work is a hassle. We are supposed to love our jobs, but that’s not always the case. Your workers will have days when they seem unmotivated. We all have those days.

However, if you allow that attitude to take over your business, you can forget excellence and profits.

It is essential to create a company culture that builds and maintains employee engagement and collaboration.

Your company culture determines the behavior and attitude of your employees. It must be based on solid employee engagement, transparency, and clear communication.

Introduce these seven fun activities to your employees and see how it breaks down barriers between co-workers, improves productivity, and enhances workplace relationships.

Five fun activities to improve company culture

1. Organize productive activities during breaks

Lunchtime and coffee breaks do not have to be boring. These are often times when we just sit around, smoke, or take naps.

Have regular company sponsored coffee and lunch breaks.

You may choose one session a week for a company coffee break and a monthly lunch.

Use these sessions to:

Inform your employees about pertinent company issues such as safety and ethical practices in the workplace.
Set key milestones based on company goals, and teach them to plan and prioritize their tasks.
Coach them on company guidelines and core values
Just have fun and bond.

2. Fun and educational online activities

What about fun activities to improve workplace culture for remote teams scattered across the globe?

Try online activities such as virtual board games, puzzles, and quizzes.

The games you choose should focus on communicating your company goals or visions to your employees.

Use them to integrate positive work ethics and skills in the mind of your employees that align with your company’s vision.

It will encourage your employees to use their free time productively and help them build great relationships with other employees.

3. Team building activities

Continually engaging in activities at the workplace may reduce the ability of your workers to grasp things.

In something as important as improving your company culture, you need an environment that will encourage your employees to loosen up.

That’s why companies organize team building exercises in places far away from the office.

It doesn’t need to be far away or expensive, a simple team-building exercise held at a restaurant near you or close to nature (think a local park) will work just as well.

Use these team-building sessions to engage in team building activities such as minefield games and scavenger hunts. These improve employees’ ability to solve problems, collaborate, and make decisions wisely.

4. Create a company app

We use so many applications to make our lives easier each day, you should create one for your company.

Some of the things you can have in your work app include:

Workplace resources to improve employee engagement, training, and performance
GIFs, MEMEs, and videos to share essential information in a compelling way through your application
Collaborative features such as blog sections and communication areas for messages and news updates
Analytical features such as polls

Also, find a way to encourage cross-departmental collaborations through work-focused chat rooms.

Remember to create your app in a way that allows your employees to communicate with and enjoy activities together in teams, and leave an option for them to access the app offline.

5. Create a workplace book and film club

Reading and watching educational or inspirational films is an excellent way to increase your knowledge, especially when you choose materials that are created to help employees excel in their personal and work life.

Create a book club at work through which your employees will read books that enhance their performance and share what they learn from them.

Reading books together is better than reading them alone. You are motivated to complete the book and learn different ways of looking at things from your peers that may shift your thinking.

You can also share educational films in such clubs, especially if they empower your staff to perform better at tasks.

For example, motivational films that teach your workers concepts such as the 3 Cs of employee engagement and career success strategies will improve their performance at work.

So how will you benefit from improving your company culture through fun activities?

A strong company culture will improve your employees’ morale and encourage them to give their best.

You can also expect better communication that will guarantee positive work relationships, which will ease the process of teaching new processes to your employees.

It will also improve their attitude and interactions, thereby enhancing their work experience and leading to better performance and higher revenue.

Ask for help from employment experts to ensure any workplace culture activities you implement are fully compliant with labor laws.

Remember, building a positive company culture takes time and conscious effort. It is an ongoing process that requires consistency as your company evolves.

Long-Distance Work, Teamwork & Collaboration

Tips for Buying Coworkers Gifts

by Ray Alonzo

Buying your coworkers gifts can be an incredibly difficult process. In these days of remote or hybrid working, things can be even more confusing. Do normal office rules and traditions apply now that people are working from home or in a hybrid model?

The holiday season already being in full swing compounds these stresses. Thankfully, we’ve compiled some of the dos and don’ts of buying gifts for coworkers, as well as some appropriate and fun gift examples.

Dos and Don’ts

Do – Stop and think

Before you go out and make a gift purchase on an impulse, take some time to stop and think about the following:

What would your coworker enjoy? How would they react to whatever you’re buying for them? Are they going to use the item you purchase? These are all questions that you should be asking yourself before buying anything.

Do – Stay professional

Remember, these are your coworkers. Whether or not you’re actually in the office with them, you have to remember to stay professional. They might be your close friends, but remember to save anything that may not be office-appropriate out of your work culture and environment.

Do – Remember to stay inclusive

When buying a gift, keep inclusivity in mind. Remember that not everyone celebrates the same holidays or has the same traditions. If you’re participating in an office game of Secret Santa, purchase gifts that are gender-neutral and non-holiday-specific. This ensures that nobody at your work is automatically excluded.

Don’t – Gift at inappropriate times

You don’t want to give out your gifts at inappropriate times. Mostly, this means around any performance reviews. If you give a gift around these times, it may be seen as an indicator of performance. They may end up wishing for a raise or bonus instead of a gift. So, if possible try to steer clear of these dates. A good rule of thumb is to give gifts at least two weeks before or after reviews.

Don’t – Overspend on a gift

It can be very awkward if there’s a large disparity between gifts’ prices. This can easily be avoided by setting a price ceiling for any gifts given at work. Nobody wants to deal with the awkwardness that can arise from this, so it’s best to avoid it completely.

Don’t – Dis-include anyone

Your gift giving should reflect your work environment. You may not intend to exclude anyone, but you might inadvertently do so. Try to avoid any gendered or holiday-specific gifts if you can. Remember, not everyone celebrates the same holiday and not everyone has the same identity!

Gift Examples

1. Desk Mat

If your coworker’s desk space could use a little livening, consider getting them a new desk mat. With this, they won’t need a mousepad and their desk will be protected from any spills or other mishappenings.

2. Succulent/houseplant

A houseplant or a succulent is a perfect gift that anyone can appreciate. You’ll be helping with improving their mood and home decor.

3. Coffee

Almost everyone loves a good cup of coffee, especially if they find themselves struggling to get up in the morning for work. Buy your coworker some artisan coffee beans, or an assortment of different beans and flavors in a box. They’ll appreciate you fueling their mornings and work.

4. Remote work gear

If any of your coworkers are working remotely or on a hybrid schedule, they’ll love some gear to help them get through working at home. This could be anything, from blankets with sleeves to a phone charging station. Anything that improves their lives while working from home is guaranteed to get a great reaction.

5. Tote bag

A tote bag is a great gift because almost anyone has a use for one! Just make sure that the bag you’re buying is sturdy enough to carry a fair amount of goods and that it’ll last. Nobody wants a gift that they’ll just have to replace soon after they receive it.

If you need more tips for buying your coworkers gifts, or some other ideas of what to buy, check out this infographic from Redbubble.

About the author:

Ray Alonzo is a content writer and creator from Phoenix with a passion for storytelling and sharing information.

Long-Distance Leadership, Long-Distance Work, Organizational Leadership

Is Hybrid Work the Future for Gen Z?

by Jason Miller

Generation Z, the next large group of future employees and soon-to-be college and trade school graduates, are looking at work differently than any generation before. They’ve lived through a pandemic right at the time of their lives when many teens and young adults choose college majors, potential career paths, and still find time for a gap year to explore the world around them.

But what do these young people want from work? What are their expectations when entering the workforce? And how do employers tap into this emerging resource?

Who is Gen Z?

Generation Z, or Gen Z, is defined by the Pew research center as anyone who was born in or after 1997, referred to as the post-millennial or iGeneration from time to time. The oldest of this group is just turning 24 years old, so barely reaching post-secondary graduation age.

However, in an increasingly tight job market, employers are turning to this generation to fill vacancies and to entice the workforce of tomorrow.

However, this generation has learned from watching their parents attend college, enter the workforce with crippling student debt all while working at jobs that in many cases are less than ideal.

So when it comes to where, how, and who Gen Z wants to work for, how are they applying these lessons?

What will Gen Z’s education look like?

A large number of students from Gen Z are approaching high school graduation and beyond. And post-COVID we are seeing a drop in college enrollments even in community colleges and universities. This same decline is not being seen in vocational-based programs though. In fact, enrollment in those programs is on the rise.

Why? Places like Google, Tesla, and other big tech companies are waiving college degree requirements, basing hiring on skills instead, and are even offering training. Examples include Google Career Certificate programs, Facebook’s learning initiatives, and IBM Education. In many cases, completion of these programs and the resulting certificates lead directly to well-paying employment.

Many are concerned with the ROI of higher education, the cost and debt involved, and the time and energy needed to complete a traditional degree. When they leave school, where do they want to work, and how?

Where and how do they want to work?

A new survey conducted by Censuswide for Promoleaf of just over 1,000 members of Gen Z provides some insight into how and where Gen Z wants to work, and for how long.

While we have long suspected that the lifetime career is nearly a thing of the past, with the average worker staying at a job just over 4 years, members of Gen Z would want to stay in one job for only 3.72 years on average, and just over 25% would only want to spend 1-2 years in a job before moving on.

But even more telling is that only 15% of respondents would want to work in an office full time, around 15% want to work remotely full time, and the rest (apart from those with no preference) would prefer some kind of hybrid work environment.

Although the younger portion of this generation (18 and under) who were surveyed would not take a pay cut to get the type of job environment they prefer, just over 50% of those 18-23 would.

So how do their answers correspond with other age groups? Well, it depends. Around 65% of those adults whose jobs can be done remotely would take a 5% cut in pay to not have to return to the office.

The other takeaway from this survey? Gen Z is pretty savvy about what incentives would keep them engaged in their jobs and what would make them more productive, and those perks are not what employers would expect or what has worked with previous generations. Gen Z is looking for flexible schedules over gym memberships, healthcare over hype, and financial perks, and transparency.

In fact, when asked what would make them more productive, happier in the workplace, and more likely to stay in a job, flexible schedules ranked in the top three for all of them. What does this look at the educational outlook and employment desires of Gen Z means to employers?

The Bottom Line: Takeaways for Employers

All this information can seem to send some mixed messages to employers. Different perks matter more to different people, and to different aspects of job satisfaction and retention. Money plays a role, but not the role it once did. Younger people want more transparency when it comes to salary and perks than their parents did. They’re skipping college for vocational training or no training at all in numbers greater than we’ve ever seen.

In the end, it brings up one word for employers: flexibility. Instead of a standard package of perks, perhaps a perk menu the employee can pick and choose from is an option. Rather than rigid schedules and work formulas, the ability for employees to choose when and from where they work will have more appeal over the long run.

It’s also worth considering that while you can’t please everyone all the time, you can tailor perks and compensation for your goals: want to attract new talent and increase employee satisfaction. Offer the incentives that spark that reaction in workers from Gen Z. Want to hire for the long term? Health insurance, flexible schedules, and a clear career path defined by financial incentives top the list of things Gen Z wants.

How, when, and where we work is changing, and employers who change with the times and rise to meet these challenges will be the most successful in engaging with the workers of Gen Z. And that could be the key to leadership with tomorrow’s career professionals.

About the author

Jason Miller is an entrepreneur and CEO of Promoleaf who has founded several companies in

the advertising specialty industry. He enjoys skiing, mountain biking, and spending time with his

wife and two sons.

New & Frontline Leadership, Personal & Professional Development, Teamwork & Collaboration

The Difference Between a Good Manager and a Great Manager

Guest post by Ryan Gottfredson

As a leadership researcher and consultant, I commonly have employees evaluate the effectiveness of their managers. Then, on the back-end of these, I occasionally have interviews or coaching calls with these managers.

Through this experience, I have been able to identify the difference between good and great managers. But before I share that difference with you, let me first share a shocking surprise that I didn’t anticipate.

The Shocking Surprise

Generally, the manager assessments involve the subordinate indicating the degree to which they agree with various statements on a five-point strongly disagree to strongly agree scale. (Example question: This manager is able to stay centered and balanced amidst chaos and stress).

When I compare the impact of the “good” versus “great” managers (i.e., leadership outcomes), the impact is really wide. “Great” managers are driving far superior outcomes.

But when I compare the evaluation scores, their scores are not very different from each other. For example, a “good” manager might have an average score of 4.18 (on average across the statements, they are above “agree”). Whereas a “great” manager has an average score of 4.68 (on average across the statements, they are moderately below “strongly agree”). I guess I was expecting the difference to be bigger.

When I review these scores with “good” managers and I show them a score of 4.18, they commonly think to themselves, “I am doing good here. See, my people ‘agree’ that I am effective.” They don’t have a lot of motivation to change. They also don’t see how significantly they get outperformed by their “great” manager counterparts.

The Difference Between “Good” and “Great” Managers

As I have dove deeper into the difference between “good” and “great” managers, I have found that both types of managers are operating at a really high level the vast majority of the time.

Where the difference lies is in how frequently the “good” versus “great” managers get emotionally triggered and emotionally react to their situations versus thoughtfully responding to them.

I don’t have actual numbers on this, but to demonstrate the point, I might guess that “great” managers get emotionally triggered 0.10% of the time. But, “good” managers get emotionally triggered 1.00% of the time. That 1.00% is a very small percentage, but it is 10 times more frequent than “great” managers.

To put a label on this difference, it is that “great” managers have a wider window of tolerance than “good” managers.

Stated differently, the difference between “good” and “great” managers is not a difference in their knowledge, skills, and competencies, it is a difference in the quality of their neurological and stress-response system.

Window of Tolerance

Our window of tolerance is a term used to describe a zone or state of arousal where a person’s brain is functioning well and is effectively processing stimuli. When people are within this zone or state, they are able to readily receive, process, and integrate information and respond to the demands of everyday life without feeling overwhelmed or withdrawn. Also, it is only in this state where we can be present and mindful. It is the optimal zone for us to operate within.

Ideally, we would like to have a broad window of tolerance where we can take on a decent amount of stress without losing control of our cognitive and emotional resources.

When we have a narrow window of tolerance, it is easier for us to become emotionally overwhelmed. In this state, we are unable to effectively process and respond to our world, either because we have become too aroused (feel anxious) or because we have become frozen with emotional numbness.

When we have a wide window of tolerance, we are:

Not scared of failure and are willing to take risks and innovate
Open to new ideas and admit when they are wrong
Ok with having short-term problems in the pursuit of long-term goals
More focused on elevating others as opposed to protecting their time and/or image
More balanced, centered, and present, even when stress, pressure, uncertainty, and/or complexity is high

Moral of the Story

The difference between “good” and “great” managers is actually a difference in the quality of their neurological and stress-response system. “Great” managers have:

A stronger neurological and stress-response system, which in turn…
Allows them to have a wider window of tolerance, which in turn…
Allows them to more effectively navigate challenging situations in a healthy way

How to Widen Our Window of Tolerance

If we can understand that the difference between “good” and “great” managers is foundationally rooted in the managers’ window of tolerance, we need to focus on widening our window of tolerance.

Widening our window of tolerance requires that we focus on a different form of development than what we might be used to.

Most personal development efforts are horizontal development efforts, which are designed to improve our knowledge, skills, and competencies. But this has a minimal effect on our window of tolerance.

Vertical development is a much rarer form of development, but it can be transformational in widening our window of tolerance.

Vertical development efforts are focused on elevating managers’ ability to make meaning of their world in more cognitively and emotionally sophisticated ways. It, at a foundational level, involves improving our body’s stress-response system.

In my consulting, I have found that the best way to vertically develop is to focus on our “meaning makers,” or our mindsets. First, we need to awaken to our mindsets. Doing so will likely reveal areas where our window of tolerance is narrow. Next, we need to exercise our positive mindset neural connections. Mindset exercises are what expand our window of tolerance.

To take both of these steps, I invite you to take my free personal mindset assessment. It is the most comprehensive and research-backed mindset assessment available. It will (1) help you identify the quality of your mindsets relative to 20,000 other people, and (2) provide you with clear guidance on how to vertically develop through a focus on your mindsets.

If you want to learn more about vertical development, you can download my Vertical Development White Paper.

About the Author:

Ryan Gottfredson, Ph.D. is a cutting-edge leadership development author, researcher, and consultant. He helps organizations vertically develop their leaders primarily through a focus on mindsets. Ryan is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author of Success Mindsets: The Key to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership. He is also a leadership professor at the College of Business and Economics at California State University- Fulton.

New & Frontline Leadership

A Brief Guide to Leadership for Introverts

By Janice Chaka

If you’re an introvert who recently stepped into a leadership role, don’t fret. Read this brief guide to learn how you can tackle challenges and succeed.

Are you an introvert looking for ways to be an effective leader? If so, you aren’t alone! Approximately 25 to 40 percent of the population is composed of introverts.

Just because you are a quieter person that keeps to yourself doesn’t mean you can’t be a great leader. The important thing is to capitalize on your strengths and use them to your advantage.

Read on to learn a brief guide on how to be an introvert with great leadership qualities!

Act With Intent And Purpose

When you compare an introvert vs. an extrovert, you will learn that an extrovert is someone that thrives off of being around other people and in social situations. The good news is that you don’t need to be an extrovert to be a great leader.

An introvert can lead effectively by acting intentionally and with a purpose. The actions you take as a leader are often followed by employees and those under your direction.

Thinking about how your actions will impact your team and bring you closer (or further) to your goal is important. These decisions will have a positive or negative influence on those around you.

Use Active Listening Skills

An introverted personality means that you are more likely to enjoy talking one on one with staff.

Using active listening skills to your advantage can make you a more effective leader for your team. What is active listening and why is it important?

Active listening is where the recipient of verbal communication hears the full message and not just the words being spoken. Paying attention to tone, body language and more as introverts help with the people you lead feeling heard and understood. Which is what most people want from a leader.

Capitalize on Sound Judgment

The best jobs for introverts are often those that do not require a lot of interface with other people. That’s because as an introvert, you naturally need more time to recharge and find comfort in deep work

Whether you are in a job with little or a lot of direct communication with others, you can lead well by using sound judgment. Before you make a decision in your job, weigh the pros and cons of each option.

How will taking one course of action impact your business and your customer? Be patient as you consider your options and reach a decision that’s best for you and your company!

Set Good Boundaries

Setting boundaries not just for yourself but for others is a great way to be an effective leader. It will help show others that there is more than one way to be a leader.

Make sure you carve out time for yourself to recharge by not scheduling back to back meetings.

Feel free to let your team know when you are doing deep work and don’t want to be disturbed. They will appreciate the opportunity to do the same.

Become an Introvert With Effective Leadership

Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, becoming a great leader can be a challenge. Being an introvert with effective leadership is worth pursuing in your personal and professional life.

Remembering that you are around to support others as a leader can be a helpful way to reframe any doubts you might have around your abilities to be an effective leader. You can always ask for feedback from your team so you can get a better idea of what they need in a leader.

As you go down the path of becoming a leader, you will learn a lot about yourself and those around you. This will help you grow as a person in and out of your office.

If you want to learn more about how you can be successful as an introvert leader head over to The Career Introvert Blog

About the author

Janice Chaka is a respected international HR professional, virtual business owner, introvert coach, and professional podcaster. Long before “working remote” was hip, she confidently led a remote recruiting team. Known as the Career Introvert, Janice excels at solving complex HR challenges, managing emotions, and setting boundaries as an introvert — Janice has mastered the art of leveraging introvert strengths to build a thriving virtual business in a global market. As a result, she is a sought-after author and speaker for digital summits on introversion, virtual work, and mental health.

Communication & Interpersonal Skills, New & Frontline Leadership

Communication: The Secret to Inspired Leadership

A guest piece by Colonel Carla D. Bass, author of Write to Influence!

Think about it – you instinctively know the attributes of a good leader: courage to make bold decisions, taking care of your people, empathy, gratitude, communication, etc.

Well, I disagree with the aforementioned list. Why? It places communication on par with the other traits – one of several. I propound that communication … the ability to influence … undergirds all of these leadership characteristics. It is the cornerstone for leadership – inspired and inspirational!

1. Know your staff, and let them know you, too.

Mingle with your people. Make time for walkabouts, pull up a chair, listen to their ideas (outside formal meetings). You’ll be amazed at the talents they possess not listed on resumes! People notice your interest, word spreads, and morale soars!
Provide your workforce a roadmap. Share your vision, goals, and priorities for your organization and the plan to achieve them.

2. Position your organization to succeed. The ability to write powerfully is requisite to defend budgets, justify additional resources, build support for an issue, attract and retain talented employees, win contracts and grants, market products and services, correspond effectively with clients, and much more.

3. Solicit input from your people – The +3/-3 Survey. When assuming a new leadership position, ask people to identify the organization’s three strengths and weaknesses. Correlate the feedback, prioritize the problems you will tackle, and share the results – good, bad, and ugly – with the workforce.

4. Herald success. Showcase accomplishments of individuals, your organization, and even yourself.

5. Strike the “write note.” Send personalized notes to your people recognizing occasions – joyous and sad. People appreciate this caring gesture, which speaks volumes about the leader.

6. Throw a party! Take time to play as a group. Yes, this is communication, too! Whether an office luncheon or a larger event, it’s a great way to build camaraderie.

7. Grow the next generation. Communication undergirds this, too! Delegate authority and empower subordinates. Let them present that important briefing or accompany you to senior-level meetings, when appropriate.

8. Work the occasional miracle. “They say ‘It can’t be done!’” – Prove “them” wrong! It CAN be done!

About the Author

Colonel Carla D. Bass, USAF (Ret), authored the multiple award-winning book “Write to Influence!” now in its second edition. Writing powerfully was central to her success. Throughout her 45-year career (30 in the Air Force and 15 with a federal agency), she composed items sent to Congress, the White House, generals, and ambassadors; hundreds of performance reviews; awards nomination; and budget justifications.

As a squadron commander, Carla transformed her 480-person unit from the most losing in state-wide, professional awards into the one to beat. How? She developed her writing methodology and taught her troops to write. So successful was her program, she taught thousands of Air Force members for the next 15 years.

She now gives highly acclaimed presentations to government agencies; corporations; private businesses; NGOs; and academic audiences. From tips to frame a winning argument to crafting powerful resumes, grant submissions, input to performance reviews, and essays for college applications … she covers it all!

Her battle cries are twofold: 1) “Powerful writing changes lives” and 2) “Powerful writing is the lifeblood of successful organizations”

Carla’s assignments included Germany, Bulgaria (as the defense and air attaché), Turkey, Korea, and Washington, D.C. For more info, see www.WriteToInfluence.net.

Communication & Interpersonal Skills, Long-Distance Leadership, Long-Distance Work, Organizational Leadership

Are You Practicing Linguistic Racism?

What is linguistic racism?

Of course, racism is such an emotive word, we need to use it cautiously. “Bias” and “racism” share many similarities. I believe that even the most fair-minded of us are biased to some degree – it’s an inevitable consequence of our life experiences. But racism takes it a step further by introducing the notion of “superiority.”

When we’re talking about the English language specifically, linguistic racism is the perception that native speakers (NS) are superior to non-native speakers (NNS), that an idea or opinion expressed in “broken'”English is inferior to one expressed in “perfect” English. In its most extreme forms linguistic racism leads to bullying, shaming and exclusion, simply because of a person’s foreign-accented English.

There is also a perception among some British, Americans and Australians that when communication breaks down, it is solely the fault of the international speaker … “I’m a native English speaker; therefore, the problem cannot be mine. It must be yours.”

We often believe that since “everyone speaks English,” there is a level playing field. But how do those who speak English as a second (or third) language feel?

It’s true that English is the lingua franca of global business, science and the internet. There are approximately 2 billion English speakers in the world, but 75% of these speak English as a foreign language. As a NS (born and educated in the UK) I am very much in the minority. The reality is that English is not my language – the nature of English is changing. Pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar have been adapted as English reflects the first languages of international speakers. English as a lingua franca may now be spoken with a Spanish twist, an Italian rhythm, or a Japanese lilt.

Twenty years ago, for many NNS’s, having English on your resume / CV was something to be proud of. Today, for anyone serious about pursuing an international career, competence in English is simply expected.

NNS’s are not arguing against English being the world’s lingua franca. They acknowledge that English is the logical choice. But they do feel aggrieved when NS’s lack empathy for the challenges they face, and make no allowances for the fact that they are communicating in a foreign language.

Our research shows frequents complaints of feeling sidelined and overlooked in meetings (whether intentionally or not), of being interrupted and not being given sufficient time to express their points of view.

This has been referred to as “linguistic ostracism.” And of course, if certain employees are not being heard or taken seriously because of their accented English, then we are all the poorer.

And the problem is becoming greater still as we move away from in-person communication towards more and more remote communication. For the NNS, communicating on a platform like Zoom is considerably more difficult. So much of communication is about facial expressions and body language and these disappear from view during a voice-only call (even on a video call the gestures are much harder to read than during an in-person encounter). We have been honing our face-to-face communication skills for 10,000 years. The recent move to remote communication requires a completely different sets of skills and best practices (but that’s a subject for another blog!)

What are some of the things even well-meaning native English Speakers do to make things harder for their colleagues?

In our research with over 1,000 NNS’s, we found that 88% find it more difficult to communicate with NS’s than with other NNS’s. It seems native English speakers typically don’t know how to adjust their English for their audience . They speak too fast and use complicated grammar and idiomatic language. They don’t do it intentionally, but they do it nevertheless.

But perhaps more troubling still is that there is plenty of research which shows that NS’s regard NNS’s as ‘less trustworthy, less intelligent and less successful’, simply because of their accented English. We need to work harder to process accented English and our brains then shift the blame for this extra effort onto the veracity of the speaker.

As the psycholinguist Dr Shiri Lev-Ari (University of London) puts it: “We’re less likely to believe something if it’s said with a foreign accent.”

It is staggering to me that these issues are ignored in almost all current Diversity and Inclusion training.

What are some practical ways to help level the playing field?

An employer’s first course of action should be to carry out research with their NNS’s to determine the precise nature and size of the issue within their organization.

The next stage is appropriate training for the NS’s to:

Learn how to filter and adapt their English when communicating with NNS’s.
Become more empathetic to the challenges faced by their international colleagues and customers.
Change any unconscious bias they have that their opinion somehow matters more because they can say it in ‘perfect’ English.

Being a great remote teammate means adopting a mindset where we’re not just thinking about the job we have, but of those we work alongside…even if they’re miles or even continents away. Find out more about how you can develop that mindset on your team.

About the author

Paul Stevens – CEO, Mayflower College, Plymouth, UK

Paul has been involved in English language training and testing for the past 30 years, specializing in Aviation English. His latest project is SayWhat? which looks at the communication process “from the other side”; how native-English speakers need to filter and simplify their English and have a better understanding of the challenges faced by ESL speakers.

Communication & Interpersonal Skills, New & Frontline Leadership, Personal & Professional Development

Is Your Organization Resilient Enough to Survive The Next Disruption?

Eventually, a major crisis will impact your company. It’s not a matter of “if” but of “when.” And while COVID-19 is the most obvious disruptor, it’s certainly not the last. We all face a new era of uncertainty, volatility, and disruption. Organizations are rocked by technological shake-ups, shifting consumer habits, and political and social unrest, not to mention internal upheavals like harassment, violence, scandal, and more.

Diana Hendel, PharmD and Mark Goulston, MD, coauthors of Trauma to Triumph: A Roadmap for Leading Through Disruption and Thriving on the Other Side say the most resilient organizations are those that prepare to deal with traumatic events.

“Organizations that will stand the test of time are those that put a plan in place to deal with the kinds of disasters that could create traumatic stress in their people and destabilize their culture,” says Dr. Hendel.

What does such a plan look like? While it varies from company to company, and is too comprehensive to describe here, Hendel and Goulston share a few of the “must haves” of resilient organizations.

Get a firm grasp on the difference between trauma and stress.

While stress upsets our balance in the moment, we still maintain a feeling of control over our lives. Most of us deal with routine stress daily and are able to manage it (up to a point, anyway). Trauma, on the other hand, overwhelms our self-protective structure and sends us scrambling for survival. It leaves us vulnerable, helpless, groundless. It shatters our sense of safety and security and changes how we look at the world. And unaddressed, it can result in long term harm.

Launch a Rapid Response Process the moment a crisis occurs.

You might think of this as a “Code Blue.” It’s a standardized, preplanned approach for dealing with disruption. Getting one in place helps everyone know exactly what to do so that decisions can be made quickly, efficiently, and with a focus on safety. Here are the components to focus on:

Gather your Rapid Response Team. Appoint people to this team before a crisis happens and make sure they know their respective roles. It should include all senior leaders and leaders of key functions such as operations/logistics, security, finance, HR, communications/PR facilities, etc.
Allow the leader in charge to delegate. You need a central commander to manage response activities such as assigning personnel, deploying equipment, obtaining additional resources, etc. This leader must be fully present, visible, and available in the heat of crisis.
Have the team report to the command center. This is a pre-determined location (physical and/or virtual) for monitoring and reacting to events. You should also select a CODE WORD that puts the Rapid Response Process into action.
Gather relevant information. In a crisis it’s critical to centralize information, facts, and data. What’s known? What isn’t known? The goal is to organize and coordinate response activities, ensuring that the most pressing needs are met and that resources are properly allocated.
Promote a unifying message. It is vital to deliberately shape and disseminate a message of unity. Make sure your message is one of “we are all in it together.” This helps people transcend the impulse to split into factions.

“Name, claim, and frame trauma” from the onset.

This helps everyone understand what is happening to individuals and to the group. It gives us the language to talk about it so that everyone is on the same page. It helps people say “Aha, this is why I am feeling so bad!” And it gives everyone permission to finally seek real help.

Know the “red flags” of traumatized employees.

When people are traumatized, they experience the “fight, flight, freeze” survival response. This is the body’s natural response to danger that enables us to defend ourselves or flee to safety or freeze as a means of survival (much like playing dead in the animal kingdom). Fight, flight, freeze can manifest in different ways. Some people might become hostile, belligerent, aggressive, or otherwise “difficult”—often seemingly without adequate cause. Others might cling to their “competence zone,” blindly doing what they’ve always done even though it no longer works. People dig in and resist change. Or they may insist they are “fine,” even when it is clear they are struggling.

“Meanwhile, leaders may behave in distinctively un-leaderly ways as well,” notes Dr. Goulston. “They might hide out in their office instead of jumping into action, or else make rash, knee-jerk decisions when they were previously known for levelheaded steadiness.”

Get super focused on communication. (Think: “VITAL.”)

In times of crisis, employees need frequent, real-time, transparent communication more than ever. The acronym VITAL will help you remember the tenets around communicating in the aftermath of trauma:

Visible. Leaders must be highly visible and take the lead in communication. Don’t hide behind a spokesperson. Communicate quickly and clearly to reduce ambiguity.
“In it Together.” Double down on messages connected to teambuilding, camaraderie, purpose. Acknowledge fears and worries as normal. Let people know what to expect.
Transparent. Align leadership in how they see the external environment and make sure everyone agrees on what “success” looks like so messages are cascaded consistently. Don’t create voids by waiting to communicate. Tackle rumors head on. Share bad news the minute you have it.
Accessible. Use all modalities (video, email, intranet, text, town halls, etc.) to convey messages from the senior leader. Have a central repository/FAQ where people can get info and ask questions between regular communication sessions.
Listening. Ask questions and leave room for inquiry. When listening, stop talking. Resist the temptation to just listen for what you want to hear (your job is to hear and deal with the hard stuff too).

Leverage the power of the 4th F.

You already know about the Fight/Flight/Freeze response. You may not know about the lesser known “fourth F.” This stands for friend. It represents the bonding that occurs in response to trauma due to the presence of oxytocin (the “love” hormone that fuels friendships). This hormone causes people to bond in the aftermath of trauma. If leaders can leverage this camaraderie early on it can bring the entire organization together. However, if they fail to do this, the fourth F can work against your organization as individuals bond with likeminded coworkers and end up splitting into factions. People begin to question other peoples’ motives and start taking sides. This division can lead to deep polarization.

Use “both/and” to stop post-trauma polarization.

When a traumatic event occurs, opposing views can divide the organization. People believe the right course of action is either “A” or “B.” They see themselves as right and the other side as wrong. Leaders succumb to pressure and choose one option over the other (say, Choice A). When the downsides of that action appear, they reverse courses and go to the other extreme. Naturally, the downsides of Choice B then appear…and leaders swing back to Choice A. With every swing of the pendulum division deepens. This is incredibly damaging to your culture.

“A ‘BOTH/AND’ mindset helps us manage polarization,” says Dr. Hendel. “Instead of approaching issues with an either/or mentality, organizations can leverage both sides of these polarities with a both/and approach. The idea is to maximize the effects of both sides and minimize the downsides of each. For example, in a crisis, effective leaders can BOTH take charge AND build consensus. They can be direct and candid AND diplomatic and tactful.”

It actually is possible to recover and go on to thrive in the aftermath of trauma, assert the authors. But it’s a process—and the process starts long before the disruptive event occurs.

“Don’t be caught unprepared,” advises Dr. Goulston. “When trauma shows up at your front door, the sooner you take action, the sooner you can make things right—and the sooner your employees can be on the road to healing.”

About the authors

Diana Hendel, PharmD

Dr. Diana Hendel is the coauthor of Trauma to Triumph: A Roadmap for Leading Through Disruption and Thriving on the Other Side (HarperCollins Leadership, Spring 2021) and Why Cope When You Can Heal?: How Healthcare Heroes of COVID-19 Can Recover from PTSD (Harper Horizon, December 2020). She is an executive coach and leadership consultant, former hospital CEO, and the author of Responsible: A Memoir, a riveting and deeply personal account of leading during and through the aftermath of a deadly workplace trauma.

Mark Goulston, MD, FAPA

Dr. Mark Goulston is the coauthor of Trauma to Triumph: A Roadmap for Leading Through Disruption and Thriving on the Other Side (HarperCollins Leadership, Spring 2021) and Why Cope When You Can Heal?: How Healthcare Heroes of COVID-19 Can Recover from PTSD (Harper Horizon, December 2020). He is a board-certified psychiatrist, fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, former assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA-NPI, and a former FBI and police hostage negotiation trainer. He is the creator of Theory Y Executive Coaching that he provides to CEOs, presidents, founders, and entrepreneurs, and is a TEDx and international keynote speaker.

About the Book:

Trauma to Triumph: A Roadmap for Leading Through Disruption and Thriving on the Other Side (HarperCollins Leadership, March 2021, ISBN: 978-1-4002-2837-9, $17.99) is available from major online booksellers.

Leadership, Long-Distance Work, Organizational Leadership

Going Back to Old Spaces in a New Way

by Stacy Henry

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s that you can’t go back to where you used to be. This is especially true today. Since 2020, our lives have changed. Our collected experience has given us better understanding, different expectations, and a new direction.

As things are opening up and employees are returning to work, it’s important to recognize a simple truth: that we can’t really “go back.” Although we may long for things to “get back to normal” in all honestly, things will NEVER be the same. The experience of the pandemic has grown us into someone and something entirely different both individually and professionally.

Sure, we may be going back to old spaces, but we’re going back to those old spaces in a new way—and if we aren’t, we should be. Why? Because hybrid work is here to stay and will be an important part of any successful workforce moving forward.

Getting Back to Basics

In order to navigate our old spaces in new ways, we have to get back to the basics and identify the values that matter most. This way, we can root ourselves and our companies in those important values to gain success in a hybrid work environment.

Through my years of experience with both personal and corporate change, there are four values that I believe are vital for a hybrid workforce to help them achieve the greatest growth during this time of transition and change.

Love

The kind of love I’m talking about here is the kind of benevolent love we should have for the people around us. It’s about being well-meaning, respectful, and kind.

Love is the number one value you need in a hybrid work environment. If you can’t be well-meaning, respectful, and kind to your workers, both in the office and virtually, you are going to have a rough time in the transition to a hybrid workforce.

Choosing to be rooted in love means choosing to see people from a lens of kindness and mutual respect. It’s giving them the benefit of the doubt and withholding biased judgements. It’s choosing to see a person’s good qualities and magnifying them, instead of accentuating the bad.

When you root yourself in love, your employees will feel it. This, alone, will compel them to do their very best work for you, regardless of where their office is located.

Relationship

Developing a positive relationship with those who work remotely will be vital to your ability to connect with them—and for them to connect with you.

It’s important for leaders to take the time regularly to meet with hybrid employees, either virtually or in-person, to help them feel connected, valued, and seen. They need to know that their work is valued, their job is secure, and they aren’t being looked over for growth opportunities.

Developing strong relationships within teams is also necessary for a cohesive hybrid workforce. These relationships will keep people connected and caring for one another. Provide opportunities for relationships to develop naturally and instinctively. The best way to accomplish this is to build on common ground. Find what connects people. Set goals and make plans together. Learn from one another, and listen to each other.

Trust

It can be very daunting for a leader to let go of control and trust that an employee will do their best work from a location outside of the office. I get it—in the office there is always a greater sense of control. You can control the atmosphere, you can keep an eye on the work being done, and you can monitor whether or not someone is actually working.

In a hybrid workforce, you have to give up that sense of control and trust your employees to do their work without your eyes on them. That can be a very difficult thing to let go of. But trust is an integral value that you need to get rooted in if you want your hybrid workforce to be successful.

Trust your team members to make decisions on their own. More often than not, they’ll surprise you with their ability to meet and exceed your expectations—and you’ll both grow in the process.

Integrity

When transitioning to a hybrid workforce, make sure you emphasize the value of integrity for both yourself and your employees.

When businesses, individuals, and their leaders are rooted in integrity, every relationship can be strengthened through complete and honest transparency. A major part of living in integrity is simply being honest with ourselves and with others.

Integrity is remaining the same person, no matter what circumstance you find yourself in. If you’re not the same moral person at work that you are at home, you’ve compromised your integrity.

Strive to create an atmosphere where you can share ideas and learn to give and receive constructive feedback. This is also how we foster and develop relationships. It leads to new ideas and new ways of doing things. It’s how we innovate, learn and grow together. It’s also how we develop, nurture, and strengthen our integrity.

Integrity leads to trust, trust leads to better relationships, and better relationships lead to a greater capacity to love. These are the essential values we need to root ourselves in for a successful hybrid workforce. Every root is connected, and each one strengthens the other.

A hybrid workforce is the workforce of the future. We can’t go back to the way things were. But we can go back to old spaces in a new way. Rooting individuals and companies in these four values will do just that. It’s a bold new adventure, but I think we’re up for the challenge.

About the author

Stacy Henry, PCC is the founder of CenterBranch, a consulting and coaching firm dedicated to helping both companies and individuals perform to their highest potential. Visit CenterBranch or connect with Stacy on LinkedIn. For more on how to embrace change, you can find Get Rooted! on Amazon. Learn more from Stacy and other leadership experts at Virtual LeaderCon.

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