Are we giving away our power when we show up at work? It’s a question that came to mind following a thought-provoking conversation I had with Kathy Caprino about a recent piece she had written about tapping into our power to achieve a sense of happiness and fulfilment.

Through our discussion, I began to wonder how many of us experience moments where our knowledge, experiences, and insights tell us that the ideas and plans being put forth are missing key details, but we don’t speak up for fear that others will see us – and not their plan or idea – as being problematic.

Although it might be fear that prevents us from taking action and becoming full participants instead of passive observers, the bigger issue is how in each of these moments we’re giving up our power at work.

Now for many of us, this might sound odd. After all, how much power or influence can I possibly have given my place in the organizational organogram, or how much money I have stashed away in my savings account? Surely those in positions of authority and those among the wealthy class have far more power to wield, and consequently more influence to direct what course my organization or my community might take?

The problem, though, is that it’s not a question of position or wealth. Rather, it’s about recognizing that Click here to continue reading »”Do You Give Your Power Away At Work?”

Since writing about the nature of success and failure, I’ve had a number of colleagues express interest in discussing the process of experimentation with me, given my background in the sciences field. While experimentation is certainly a cornerstone in science, these conversations also allowed me to remind others of another valuable skill we can glean from science – that of learning about observation.

The act of observation requires that we look beyond ourselves and what we know, to identify and discover ideas, insights, and lessons that we can learn from those around us and from the surrounding environment. Through observation, we can develop a sense of mindfulness that can help to inform and shape our understanding about a particular situation or process.

It’s an idea that I was reminded of while reading Nobel laureate Dr. James Watson’s book, “Avoid Boring People: Lessons From A Life In Science” and the lessons he shares with the reader from his experiences both in and outside of the lab.

Although the lessons he shares are clearly directed towards those in the sciences field, some of the insights he shares can also benefit leaders in how to become more effective in guiding their organizations in today’s faster-paced and complex world. Click here to continue reading »”Lessons On Effective Leadership From A Nobel Laureate”

In my previous piece, I wrote about how we can ascertain what success really looks like beyond simply attempting to duplicate the efforts or accomplishments of those we admire. Given how much this piece resonated with my readers, I’d like to follow this up by addressing the other side of this equation.

Namely, that if we are to be truthful about the nature of success and the journey we take to achieve it, then we must address its travelling companion – that of failure.

The notion of an interdependence between success and failure – beyond simply being opposing outcomes that arise from our collective efforts – is perhaps best seen when we consider the nature of stories that revolve around a hero-type figure facing a seemingly unstoppable adversary.

As much as we cheer when the story’s protagonist achieves their goal, we feel that sense of elation most when they dust themselves off after they fall and use their failure to not only fuel their resolve, but to improve their understanding of what they need to do to ultimately succeed.

After all, their moments of epiphanies surface not during those heady moments of success, but as a result of what they discover and learn during those dark periods as they struggle with the failure they’ve endured.

When seen from this context, the question then becomes how can we ourselves learn to value failure? How can we move beyond seeing failure as painful and difficult to an opportunity to learn what will help us to move forward and prevail?

As with the nature of success, we first need to understand that Click here to continue reading »”How Can We Learn To Value Failure?”

The following is a guest post by Employee Recognition Director at Hallmark Business Connections, Jonathan McClellan.

A recent global workforce study by Towers Watson suggests that although traditional employee engagement strategies help foster high performance, companies must now also consider how to sustain higher levels of employee engagement over time to avoid a diminishing impact.

In my experience, the most effective long-term engagement strategies build a foundation on which front-line managers feel empowered to create an environment that promotes employee enrichment. Whether you’re just beginning the journey, or you’re evaluating your current strategy, here are five key considerations for strengthening you engagement strategy.

1. Draft a provocative vision and values
The operative word here being, “provocative.” A company’s vision and values should excite and inspire its employees – and, yes… even deter those people that don’t share your beliefs. In combination, they should help you find and attract like-minded loyalists to your organization.

Yet, too often companies weaken their own identities with vision statements and values that suffer from overly safe or generic terminology. Rather than investing in the words that clearly articulate the foundational ideals and beliefs that make the company unique, they opt for Click here to continue reading »”5 Keys For Developing An Employee Engagement Strategy”