A secretary was reprimanded because she read during lunch rather than socializing with the other secretaries. An executive called a meeting of the entire office to yell at them for sending too many emails. An engineer who warned management about defects in a product was assigned to mindless desk work until he left the company.…

How do you know your company culture is positive and on track? Many of the signs are clear: low turnover, a great company reputation among customers and potential employees, and an innovation mindset. Some of the signs are more subtle: leaders interact with employees regularly; rewards recognize individuals by name; and no one tolerates gossip,…

Most companies onboard new employees with a standard review of the company handbook and policies, a tour of the facility that includes expectations of behavior and possibly opportunities available, and an introduction to some available employee who takes the new person to lunch the first day. That first day is supposed to integrate them into…

A basic step often overlooked in measurements of employee engagement is to define what engagement is: what are you measuring? Some companies define employee engagement as commitment to over-delivering on projects and enthusiastically devoting more time to the job—unfortunately, those same traits may lead to stress and burnout. Others define engagement as job satisfaction, a…

An environment of trust affects every part of change management, communications, decision making, problem-solving, and team synergy; it is a fundamental part of an organization’s culture. Trust is not easy to build, especially with individuals and teams that are under stress and struggling to meet personal and professional goals. Moreover, building trust is not a…

The three stages of any project are goal setting, planning, and implementation. If any of these phases are neglected, the project will either go astray or stall. To keep stress low, a person wants to have strengths in all three areas and the self-confidence and self-awareness to ask for help in areas of weakness.  The…

Coping Methods to Reduce Your Stress 1. Time Management to Reduce Situational Stress Learn methods that reduce your day-to-day stressors and make an immediate impact on your stress level.  Situational stress takes external coping methods that directly impact your daily living. There are many advantages to increasing your time management skills: You are constantly planning ahead and…

You Can’t Change What You Don’t Measure It’s easier to ignore the turmoil we have in our lives or the ever present feeling of overwhelm than it is to face it. Yet, every expert in the area of stress management agrees, assessing your stress is a fundamental key in creating an effective plan to reduce…

You want your team to be cohesive and innovative, even when they disagree on what constitutes a great idea, decision, or solution. Yet, you know if you accepted and praised every idea—good, bad, or indifferent—buy-in would be impossible and you would have too few resources to successfully implement any idea. To criticize effectively, the most…

When you are self-aware you understand: What is in your control and what isn’t, including your own and others’ well-being What is your responsibility and what isn’t, including the results of your own and others’ decisions What you want from life and what others want, including goals and priorities. Self-awareness has a clear relationship to…