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5 Ways to Achieve Work-Life Balance for Happier and Healthier Employees

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 13:24:47 GMT

5 Ways to Achieve Work-Life Balance for Happier and Healthier Employees

We all take on different roles in our personal and professional lives. Think about it. What titles do you take on in your everyday life? Some may include:

· Employee

· Trainer

· Leader

· Partner

· Parent (to a child or a furry friend)

· Friend

The list goes on and on. And sometimes, trying to balance it all can feel like drinking out of a firehose.

So how do we do this? The key is to achieve work-life balance. I doubt this is your first time hearing the term. But what exactly does work-life balance mean, and what actionable steps can we take to help ourselves and our teams achieve it?

What started as a trendy concept in the corporate world has become a highly valued factor that younger generations strongly consider when accepting - and leaving - jobs (Millennials and Gen Z, I’m looking at you).

59% of millennials report feeling worried about finding a career path that will support the lifestyle they hope to live, and Millennials will comprise more than one of three adult Americans by 2020 and 75 percent of the workforce by 2025.

If you consider this, work-life balance has never been more important for talent attraction and retention. Not to mention reducing stress and burnout in the workplace, making for happier and more productive employees.

By implementing work-life balance, it is important to look at the big picture of an individual, rather than simply see them as an employee. Below are some strategies that have worked for us at CTM and many other companies to help employees achieve work-life balance.

1. FLEXIBLE HOURS

Work-life balance is much more than bean bag chairs and ping pong tables (although I certainly wouldn’t say no to that). The purpose of work-life balance is to equally prioritize personal and professional life. This means that needs outside of the workplace can be addressed without too much stress or difficulty. In a recent study , 80 percent of workers in the U.S. said they would choose a job that offered flexible working over a job that didn't, and almost a third of people value being able to choose their work location over an increase in vacation time.

This can mean many different things and creating policies can be based on the needs of your organization. Perhaps this is offering options for time frames in the office such as 8-4 or 9-5 or allowing flexibility on days where employees have certain personal commitments such as appointments or family obligations.

For internet privacy company DuckDuckGo , their philosophy of flexible hours for their workforce is to “work wherever, whenever” , with no core hours. This means employees work when they are most productive and take time off as needed. This proved beneficial to their employees and company as a whole with an average team retention of over 90 percent that's stayed consistent as they have doubled in size. By hosting yearly employee gatherings pre-covid and using technology to communicate, they can create strong connections while still maintaining a work-life balance for their employees.

Considering how incorporating flexible time into your organization can be highly beneficial to not only your employees, but your bottom line.

2. INCLUDE FURRY FRIENDS

While this may depend on the nature of your workplace, the intention holds true no matter what. Having small, enjoyable breaks throughout the day can help you change gears mentally and even increase productivity. Having pets in the office can be an excellent segue to encouraging these breaks.

We can attest to this at CTM, as we all enjoy getting some time with our furry friends throughout the day (shout out to Happy and Jack, our office dogs).

At the Amazon Headquarters in Seattle, their dog-friendly work policy means that there are over 1,000 dogs (you read that right) coming and going every day. Employees credit the policy to bringing them comfort by being able to take small breaks to take their dogs out or play for a few minutes after intense moments at work.

This social support and the ability to own a dog without stressing about missing work to take care of them throughout the day make dog-friendly offices an excellent addition to a team with healthy work-life balance.

If your office can’t support a pet-friendly policy (or you don’t have a physical workspace at all), fear not. Any excuse to take a small break throughout the day from water cooler (or zoom) chats with co-workers can be just as effective.

3. TAKE TIME TO CELEBRATE

Taking time to celebrate as a team can generate some fun and lightheartedness to boost morale and build workplace relationships. By hosting celebrations for your team whether it be for holidays, birthdays, organizational accomplishments, etc., you contribute to building a positive culture. Through this we reduce stress and minimize burnout.

The proof is in the research with this one too. Participants in a 2018 study found that celebrations within their organization increased happiness and inclusivity. It also cultivated stronger relationships that made them more productive in their jobs.

It’s things like workplace celebrations that prove that occasionally taking time to allow your team to have fun can actually boost productivity and improve your bottom line in the long run.

4. SWEAT IT OUT

We all know that exercise has tons of benefits. From increasing happiness, improving overall health, and boosting energy, we can all benefit from fitting moderate exercise into our schedules every week.

However, making time to exercise can be tricky, especially when working full time.

But what if I told you that giving your team time to get fit can lower stress, improve morale, and contribute to providing a better work-life balance to your team? Would you let your team take time out of their workday to do it?

It is definitely worth considering. And what better case study for me to provide to back that up then our own staff at Corporate Training Materials! We go to the gym for group fitness classes twice a week in the mornings. Not only does it make us feel more productive throughout the day, but it gives us all some morale boosting conversation topics when we get to the office.

If our testimonial isn’t enough, the research also says it all. Studies have shown that exercising with people you know reduces stress and improves mental, physical, and emotional health, making for a better quality of life.

Finding ways to incorporate opportunities for your employees to get a workout in is a great and healthy way to contribute to a positive work-life balance.

5. WORK FROM HOME OPTIONS

With the COVID-19 pandemic still impacting employees globally, working from home has become a necessity. Through this, it has proven that more roles than we could even imagine can be done from the comfort of our homes. In the context of the pandemic, working remotely was for the health and safety of employees, but what about implementing remote work in the context of achieving a work-life balance?

Avoiding a long commute is a big one, for starters. The average commute in the United States is about a half hour. What could you do with an extra hour of time in your day not spent commuting by working remotely? You could tend to family commitments, spend more time on hobbies, or even catch up on sleep. Regardless of how you spend it, this contributes to the work-life balance by allowing more free time outside of the set work hours of your organization.

Furthermore, balancing personal tasks can be easier when working remotely. This could mean being home when your children get home from school, being around for a contractor, or even taking a short break to catch up on laundry. Being able to keep up with your personal life by working remotely can create a better balance and allow for a boost in productivity both personally and professionally. It also saves stress by creating more ease through getting everything done in one place.

If there is one thing we can say for certain, working remotely and providing these options for employees has proven beneficial in a multitude of ways, and it is not going away anytime soon. In fact, since the beginning of the pandemic, a 2021 study showed that 74% of companies plan to shift some of their employees to remote working permanently.

Our suggestion? Embrace it, and see how it contributes to allowing your employees to have better work-life balance.

CONCLUSION

Taking some of these ideas into consideration can make for happier and healthier employees. How do you and your team achieve a work-life balance?

Using Social Media to Boost your Professional Development: Dos and Don’ts

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 13:22:40 GMT

Using Social Media to Boost your Professional Development: Dos and Don’ts

Now more than ever, it has never been more important to use the internet to work on your professional development. The power of social media has made it possible to network and recruit with just a few taps on a smart phone. It has never been easier to display your personal brand to millions of people.

But how do we leverage this? Below is our top 5 Dos and Don’ts for using social media to boost your professional development.

DO: LEVERAGE YOUR RECRUITMENT GOALS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA.

Did you know that it is becoming more and more common for people to seek out job opportunities on social media? It’s called social recruiting or social hiring , and its effectiveness is proven when you look at the numbers for LinkedIn .

· 40 million people use LinkedIn to search for jobs every week.

· Three people are hired every minute on LinkedIn.

· There are over 15 million open jobs on LinkedIn Jobs

With over 750 million users and that number growing every day, LinkedIn has changed the way companies hire and recruit. And with the younger generations entering the workforce, it is even more prevalent. In a 2019 survey , 35% of respondents said they research job openings via social media, and 41% of young respondents said social media was the way they were most likely to search for a job. Using this platform ensures there is an optimum number of eyes on your job postings that are relevant to your industry.

DON’T: PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET.

While LinkedIn is a solid and obvious choice for recruiting, it is important we don’t lose sight of the capabilities other social media platforms have for hiring and recruiting. Facebook’s relatively new job posting feature allows you to easily post job openings for free. With 2.8 billion users, Facebook allows you to cast an extremely wide net.

Beyond that, creating traditional social media posts sharing that your company is hiring can target people that already take interest in your brand which can generate quality leads who are passionate about your industry. Furthermore, sharing job postings on your organization’s social media pages shows growth and allows you to demonstrate your success through sharing that you are expanding your team.

DO: ACCELERATE YOUR NETWORKING CAPABILITIES WITH LINKEDIN.

We are living in an exceptional time, and a global pandemic does not make networking easy. Luckily, social media equips us to connect with people in your industry from all over the world.

Search key terms from your industry to find relevant information and connections. Having a presence on LinkedIn is an easy and effective way to show your skills to the right people and maintain your professional image. Your LinkedIn profile serves as an electronic resume and business card you can use to make meaningful connections.

DON’T: NEGLECT YOUR OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES WHEN CONSIDERING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

While LinkedIn gives you a more natural opportunity to show your professional image, your other social media profiles might be a different story. While it may be tempting to wipe your whole Facebook profile or delete your Instagram account, that really isn’t necessary. What is important is keeping a clean, professional image across your social media profiles.

Social media screenings are becoming more and more common for a variety of reasons, just look at the numbers from this CareerBuilder study :

· 58% of employers do social screenings seeking information that supports a candidate's qualifications for the job.

· 50% of employers are ensuring candidate has a professional online persona.

· 34% of employers search for what other people are posting about the candidate.

· 24% of employers search for reasons not to hire someone.

While some employers are looking for red flags through social media screening, it is important to also focus on the opportunities for you to demonstrate your qualifications, professional image, and soft skills like creativity. Take some time every few months and perform your own personal social media screening. What would people find and what does it say about your personal brand?

DO: REACH OUT AND CONNECT WITH PEOPLE.

Make sure to invite people you have met or contacted in a professional context to connect on LinkedIn. This could be from networking events, consultation work, clients/customers (or potential ones), or even informational interviews. You should invite them to connect shortly after meeting while the interaction is fresh in everyone’s mind. Another opportunity for making connections on LinkedIn is former alum from your post secondary education. These can be meaningful connections as your fellow graduates are likely to be at a similar stage in their career path and have insight on your industry.

DON’T: CONNECT WITH PEOPLE WHO AREN’T RELEVANT TO YOUR INDUSTRY.

While it may feel tempting to want to hit that 500+ connection status, remember – when it comes to connections, quality over quantity is crucial. Try to focus on connecting with people whom you can either learn from or mutually benefit from, whether through hiring, consulting, or educational opportunities. This keeps your LinkedIn profile from getting cluttered and allows you to focus in on what matters.

DO: HAVE AN UP TO DATE, PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOT.

Your LinkedIn profile photo is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your personal brand. It is important to make it count. LinkedIn profiles with professional headshots get about 14 times more profile views and are 36 times more likely to receive a message. Many networking or professional development events allows for opportunities to get professional headshots done, be sure to take advantage of these, or consider hiring a corporate photographer for you and your team to get new headshots. You can also ask a colleague to take a photo of you in your work attire in or outside of your workplace. Your headshot should give the essence of professionalism and approachability.

DON’T: USE ANY PHOTO FOR YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE.

While profile pictures for all of your social media accounts should reflect your personal brand, your profile picture for LinkedIn should be held to a high standard for professionalism. Avoid using selfies or intense filters that distract from your profile as a whole. To avoid confusion, use a photo of just you (no group photos). Furthermore, make sure your photo is recent - the last few years or so is reasonable.

DO: SHOW YOUR STORY THROUGH HEADLINES, SUMMARIES, AND EXPERIENCE FEATURES.

LinkedIn provides many opportunities to share your professional background and what you have to offer. Take advantage of this by making the most of the following:

· Headlines – This is shown underneath your name and is one of the first things people read when viewing your profile. Like an email subject line, your headline needs to be brief but impactful. Use it to describe your role, your industry, your vision, and/or what you are looking for on LinkedIn.

· Summary – Your summary is a longer form component of your profile that should show more of your personality and describe your background in more detail. When writing your summary, start with an attention-grabbing opener and utilize key terms from your industry and specialties to attract quality connections.

· Experience – This is the part of your LinkedIn profile that highlights your specific work experience in more detail. Highlight the companies you have experience with and the roles you took on. You should also describe the tasks each role entailed using key words from your industry.

These components of your profile show who you are as a professional and can impact the quality of the connections you attract. Investing time in them will help you stand out and boost your credibility.

DON’T: TELL, RATHER THAN SHOW.

Your LinkedIn profile is not designed be a copy and paste version of your resume, and designing it to pull people in will take time and effort. While it may be tempting to simply plug in your job title and previous roles, it is important to dig deeper. By providing specific details of your professional background, your specializations, and your overall mission and vision, you will better attract mutually beneficial connections.

DO: POST RELEVANT CONTENT AND STAY ACTIVE WITH CONSISTENT POSTS AND ENGAGEMENT.

Being active and engaged on LinkedIn leads to meaningful connections and advancements in your professional development. You can do this in a variety of ways. Search and follow terms in your industry (for example, we follow hashtags like #corporatetraining or #elearning). Engage by liking, sharing, or even commenting your thoughts to start conversations. You can also post your own content. When creating LinkedIn posts, think of what will attract the connections you want to get. Speak out on trends in your profession or industry, and ask your followers to share their thoughts to start meaningful conversations with potential contacts.

DON’T: GO RADIO SILENT

We have all done it: let our social media profiles go to the wayside. This can make for long gaps of inactivity. While you don’t have to feel glued to your profile, consistency is crucial. Investing even just a few minutes every week into engaging with your LinkedIn profile allows you to build a better reputation on the platform. Beyond that, LinkedIn is always talking about the latest trends in virtually every industry, so you may even learn something.

CONCLUSION

By staying up to date on the latest updates in social media and how they pertain to professional development, we can take advantage of the opportunities that arise to improve our personal branding, reputation management, and even recruitment and hiring. Make sure to keep these dos and don’ts in mind as you continue your journey of electronic professional development.

TOP TEN PUBLIC SPEAKING TIPS AND TRICKS

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 13:18:34 GMT

TOP TEN PUBLIC SPEAKING TIPS AND TRICKS

Does the idea of public speaking make your skin crawl and your heart race? If this sounds familiar, you are not alone.

Glossophobia, or the fear of public speaking, affects approximately 75 percent of adults . The statistic is staggering when you consider how many jobs require public speaking skills, whether it’s to pitch a new idea, interact with the media/stakeholders, or even running an internal meeting.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. With a little preparation, the ability to deliver a great presentation can be game changing for your professional development and organization as a whole.

Effectively deliver your key messages and even influence behavior with our public speaking tips and tricks.

1. PREPARATION IS KEY

Many would argue that the most important part of your presentation is what you do before you even walk up to the podium. And they wouldn’t be wrong – according to Business Insider , 90% of the anxiety we feel before making a presentation stems from inadequate preparation.

There are three main components of preparing for your presentation or speech:

· Content/Key messages – This is the overall theme and messages you hope to convey. Consider how you plan to open your speech, what your key messages are, and how you plan to walk your audience through them.

· Slides/handouts – This is the content your audience will be seeing. Your slides should be concise and free of errors.

· Logistics – The logistical parts of delivering your presentation are often overlooked, but crucial to keeping everything running smoothly. This ranges from gathering your materials, ensuring your venue is ready, and making sure any technological aspects of your presentation is working.

By taking all of these into consideration in advance, you can go onto your presentation more confident than ever.

2. WRITING YOUR SPEECH

Writing your notes for your speech ensures you have all your key messages and calls to action in front of you. But where should you start? This would be with an outline. Contrary to what you may assume, your speaking notes are not necessarily a word for word transcript of your presentation – in fact, that should be avoided, as reading your speech word for word can lack the emotion and body language to truly impact your audience.

When writing your speaking notes, consider what your audience is hoping to get out of your presentation. Ensure your notes are organized and your topics are in a logical order. Other components of your speaking notes should be any statistics or facts that you want to ensure are delivered accurately.

3. PRACTICE

They say practice makes perfect, and with public speaking this is no exception. Practicing your speech familiarizes yourself with the content, and gives you the opportunity to see how your speaking notes translate when relaying them out loud. Practicing your presentation gives you a better idea of your run time, which can ensure you don’t go over your allotted time.

Expert communication coach Carmine Gallo says to really take your presentations to the next level, you should practice your speech about ten times. By practicing your speech once a day ten days in advance of the real thing, you significantly boost your confidence and set yourself apart from your peers.

4. CONSIDER TECHNOLOGY USE

It is pretty rare these days for a presentation to not have some component of technology use. Ensuring that all audio/visual (AV) components are working well ahead of time allows you to maintain your momentum as you as you give your presentation. This can range from making sure your slides translate well on-screen and that your sound systems (if needed) are working well.

Considering technology use can also apply to delivering presentations online. If the COVID-19 pandemic has led you to needing to deliver a speech or presentation online, consider the ways you can prepare ahead of time in that context. Check that you have a strong internet connection and practice using relevant features such as screen sharing. While the idea of delivering an important message via a computer screen can feel daunting, the same rules as a regular speech generally apply.

5. MANAGE NERVES

While preparation is the most vital way to minimize nerves before giving a presentation, there are other ways you can also manage your anxieties so it doesn’t take over and impact your delivery.

First and foremost, remembering that feeling nervous before a presentation is very normal. In fact, being nervous can keep your focus sharp and serve as an advantage when public speaking. The goal isn’t to remove the anxiety, but rather strategically channel your nervous energy in a constructive way.

This can be through focusing on positive thoughts. Remember that there is no reason for the people in the audience to feel anything but well-disposed towards you. Additionally, practicing deep breathing exercises before you deliver your speech can help balance out your nerves and keep you focused. Finding constructive ways to manage anxieties surrounding public speaking will empower you, and can even become a tradition in your process for preparing for a presentation.

6. START STRONG

No matter what you are speaking about, the way you open can set the tone for your entire presentation. It gives you the opportunity to pull your audience in, making them more likely to hold on to your key messages.

This can look different depending on your personal preference and the context of your presentation. Some speakers like to start a presentation with a joke to start on a light note and put the audience at ease. If this doesn’t feel like a good fit, asking a rhetorical question, giving people a surprising statistic, or telling a brief anecdote that is related to the topic of the presentation can also be effective.

No matter how you go about it, ensuring you have an impactful opening statement is an ideal way to have an effective presentation as a whole. Furthermore, take advantage of this moment to introduce yourself and establish your credibility on the topic you are discussing. Remember that you are the expert on your presentation topic, and people are looking to you educate them on it.

7. DON’T OVERLOOK THE IMPORTANCE OF BODY LANGUAGE

Your body language can make or break the overall tone of your presentation. It influences your confidence and enthusiasm in what you are saying.

To use your body language to keep your audience engaged, make sure you maintain good posture and keep your body open and facing your audience. Use a balanced amount of hand gestures to keep your audience engaged and focused on you and your visual aids. Another body language technique that keeps your audience engaged is eye contact. Move your eyes around different parts of the room to convey sincerity to your entire audience. Don’t feel like you have to stay at the front of the room through your entire presentation either. If the venue for your presentation allows for it, feel free to move throughout the room as another tactic to keep your audience engaged.

8. USE IMPACTFUL VISUALS

Visuals can help solidify your key messages by highlighting your main ideas or providing visual context to important facts and statistics throughout your presentation. It can also boost retention and make your presentation more memorable.

When using visuals, make sure they are concise and only consist of the most important parts of your presentation. Your visual aids should not be directly read off of in your presentation, but rather serve as a complementary component that adds to your presentation.

To have an optimal impact with your visual aids, maintain a consistent format and use muted colours that will show up well on-screen. To be sure your visuals aids will be effective, test them on the projector you will be using ahead of time to make sure they show up well.

9. KEEP YOUR AUDIENCE ENGAGED

Keeping a degree of interactivity in your presentations for your audience can help keep them engaged and focused on your content. This can be done in several different ways throughout your presentation.

Ask your audience questions about the content you’re presenting, not only to check their understanding, but also to learn more about their thoughts on the topic. Another way to do this is through informal polls related to the topic, which can increase engagement and also help you gauge your audience’s thoughts or assumptions about your topic. If it makes sense to do so, personal stories can also create a more personal connection between you and your audience. Having some anecdotes that tie back to your key messages will be more memorable to your audience than simply relaying the information.

10. BE STRATEGIC WITH YOUR WRAP UP

The way you finish your speech is the final impression you will leave your audience, so it is important that there is thought put behind it. If it feels appropriate, having a question period can allow you to clarify anything that may have been missed due to time constraints. If the unpredictability of a question period makes you uneasy, it can be helpful to prepare ahead of time by thinking about some of the possible questions you could anticipate being asked, and have your answer prepared.

When you finish answering questions, it is important you still properly tie up all the loose ends of your presentation by reminding your audience of the big picture. You can circle back to your key message by saying something along the lines of “If there is anything I hope you take away from this presentation, it’s…” and go back to the number one point you want your audience to remember.

CONCLUSION

By making time for adequate preparation and keeping our tips in mind, you can deliver meaningful presentations that will resonate with your audience. By having strong public speaking skills, you can feel empowered to motivate, lead, influence, and persuade.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX: HOW TO CULTIVATE A CREATIVE WORKPLACE

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 13:14:45 GMT

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX: HOW TO CULTIVATE A CREATIVE WORKPLACE

With all the structured systems and procedures in place at your organization, it can be easy to let creativity fall by the wayside in a corporate setting. But the truth is, creativity is crucial to having your workplace function optimally. Creativity promotes innovations and brings new ideas into your organization that can save time and bring prosperity. Below is our quick guide to thinking outside the box and cultivating a creative workplace.

CREATIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE: MYTH BUSTING

First things first, there are many misconceptions that cause people to hold back on creative potential solutions. To set the record straight, below are some of the most common myths about creativity in the workplace – busted.

Myth #1: “Creativity is an inherited trait.”

People often believe that creativity is a genetic trait with which you either have or don’t have. This is an extremely common misconception. Everyone has the ability to be creative, and by believing that you are not born creative, you hold yourself back from discovering your full potential. When you let go of this myth, you may even surprise yourself with the ideas that can emerge.

Myth #2: “Creativity is only for people in artistic careers.”

Creativity is often thought of to be exclusively linked to artistic expression. Art cannot exist without creativity, but this is also true in the context of business growth and innovative solutions. Creativity is often initially undervalued in fields of study that are not focused on artistic expression, but it is a critical skill required for any organization to grow. A business requires new strategies and products to succeed, which is not possible without creative processes.

Myth #3: “Creative ideas are only thought of and executed by one individual.”

When reflecting on historical breakthrough inventions, this work is commonly accredited to one individual. Creative developments are rarely generated by one person. Most breakthrough creations come from a team effort that requires the diverse knowledge of a collection of individuals. This myth disregards collaborative and supportive efforts that are collectively put together by a team.

Myth #4: “Creative ideas only come from one ‘Breakthrough Moment.’”

It is often believed that the best breakthrough moments happen from a flash of inspiration, or unexpectedly. The truth that breakthroughs stem from information in the early preparation stages of the creative process that remain in the subconscious mind. That “breakthrough moment” actually comes from an extended process of knowledge being gathered, and goals being set.

Myth #5: “Financial Incentives will make my team more creative.”

The idea that bigger incentives will increase motivation and creativity is incorrect. In fact, financial incentives will typically lower creativity and lead to more harm than good. However, if you are hoping to motivate your team to think creatively, there is a strong link between intrinsic motivation and increased creativity. When there are no external pressures, it’s easier to be absorbed in your work instead of being focused on money or praise as an outcome.

FOLLOWING THE CREATIVE PROCESS

As we said, in order to have a breakthrough moment, there is some work that needs to be done first. Creative thinking is a process that goes beyond waiting for an idea to magically appear. The below steps will better prepare you to form proper solutions and effectively solve problems.

Preparation - The first stage in the creative process is the preparation stage. This stage involves gathering background information, and absorbing knowledge from various resources. The consumption of this information will ignite inspiration that will help with accomplishing creative problem solving. This is also the time to clearly define your goals.

Incubation - The second stage in the creative process is the incubation stage. This stage is all about experimentation and reviewing of the ideas accumulated from the previous stage. There is no set time frame for the incubation period; it could be days or months. At this stage, ideas are examined from different perspectives, which will help set the stage for the illumination period.

Illumination - The third stage in the creative process is the illumination stage. It is at this stage the breakthrough occurs, which can even happen while your mind is focused on something else. All of the concepts and information have finally come together to build a big idea that will help you meet the goal that was set.

Evaluation - The fourth stage in the creative process is the evaluation stage. Now that the breakthrough has happened, it is time to reflect and evaluate the solution. It is advantageous to use both self-evaluation, and the opinions of your colleagues to determine the quality of your creative thoughts.

Some questions you can ask yourself that will help with your assessment include:

· What are some changes I can make to this idea?

· Does this solution align with my vision or goal?

· Will this solution benefit my business?

· Has this solution been done before?

Verification - The final stage in the creative process is the verification stage. After considerable review of the solution, the last step is to put the plan into action. This stage may require trial and error; however, strong work ethic will ensure it gets completed. After a long journey of undergoing the creative process, it is rewarding to see a creative idea implemented.

FOSTERING A CREATIVE WORKPLACE: WHERE TO START

You may be wondering where the best place to start is for encouraging creative thinking. Below of some actionable steps you can take to create an environment that supports creative practices:

Diversity - It is evident that innovation requires expertise from various skill sets. Having a team that consists of different world views, experiences, and interests will provide more insight for creative thinking and problem solving. Diverse minds working together can produce the strongest and most optimal outcomes.

Effective Feedback - Feedback is great for learning purposes, for suggesting improvements, and for inspiring creative output. For feedback to be most effective and to spark intrinsic motivation, it should be given in an informational style. This allows for a better learning opportunity that encourages creative growth. It will also help to determine which ideas are most valued for the company.

Choosing Flexibility - Employees require the freedom to think creatively when it comes to innovation. Flexibility allows individuals to view ideas from diverse perspectives and form original ideas. Flexible thinkers will have better reasoning when it comes to seeing alternative sides to an argument or debate. This mindset focuses on gaining insight, and on forming new connections.

The Power of Positivity - Recognition and appreciation are powerful motivators to stimulate creativity. Positivity will help to put employees in a proper state of mind to spark creative thinking and idea generation. A positive attitude will allow you to see more possibilities and broaden your focus on the potential that surrounds you.

Creativity and Collaboration - Collaboration and creative thinking coincide with one another. Collaboration involves a group of team members sharing ideas and building upon those ideas to produce superior solutions. In this setting, each individual will be encouraged to offer their thoughts on the challenge that is presented. It is beneficial to gather talented individuals from various departments, while working on a shared goal.

BENEFITS OF CREATIVE THINKING TRAINING

Creativity opens new doors to various opportunities. Creativity training can provide many benefits that will help you meet your organizational goals such as:

Growth Through Creativity - Creativity will drive personal, professional, and economic growth. Employees gain confidence, happiness, and passion for their work, as well as advance collaborative skills with the team.

Boosted Staff Morale - Staff morale is strongly influenced by creative practices in the workplace. Employees should be assured that they are encouraged to share their ideas. A creative work team will listen to the ideas of their colleagues, and lift them up rather than put them down. Creativity will increase staff morale and inspire a positive work environment.

Engagement and Productivity - Employee engagement and productivity are significantly increased when creativity is encouraged. Creativity will remove the fear of failure, which in turn will encourage employees to take on challenges that support the business. When the brain is exploring new patterns and thinking in a different way, it is ultimately more productive. Encouraging creativity will result in employees being emotionally invested in their work; staying interested and engaged.

Competition - Creativity will make a company stand out from the competition. With the business world always changing, it is essential to be aware and responsive to a competitive market. Determining smarter ways to draw attention to consumers and generating unique ideas that will set you apart from other companies is critical to adapt to changes in the evolving market. Creativity is more important now than ever and should be encouraged if you wish to gain a competitive advantage.

Creative Problem Solving - It is inevitable that challenges are going to be presented in the workplace. A creative team is able to determine new, innovative solutions to the challenges they are faced with. Problem solving is all about finding learning opportunities and ways to progress. When diverse minds are working together to conquer obstacles, wonderful solutions can be found.

CONCLUSION

Has our Creative Thinking in the Workplace Quick Guide inspired you to influence your team to be more creative thinkers? Do the benefits of creative thinking training in the workplace intrigue you? Our newest course, Creativity: Thinking Outside the Box goes into even more detail on how to cultivate a creative workplace. Sign up for this course today and start reaping the benefits of a creative corporate team.

YOUR QUICK GUIDE TO ANGER MANAGEMENT IN THE WORKPLACE

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 13:11:48 GMT

YOUR QUICK GUIDE TO ANGER MANAGEMENT IN THE WORKPLACE

Anger is complex and often a misunderstood emotion that goes beyond simply being mad. Anger is a natural response that follows a pattern of phases, and can transpire from many factors, including other hidden emotions.

Anger Management training in the workplace can help employees increase their self-awareness and self-management when it comes to anger. This can positively contribute to employee morale, conflict resolution, and creating an overall improved workplace culture.

MYTH BUSTING: COMMON MYTHS ABOUT ANGER, DEBUNKED

Anger in a complicated emotions that brings up many different associations and assumptions in people’s minds. For clarity, below is some common myths about anger, debunked:

“Anger needs to be ‘unleashed’ for it to go away.” - It’s true that anger needs to be expressed to relieve symptoms. However, expressing anger in verbally or physically aggressive ways is not the only way to ‘unleash’ anger. Nor is anger an excuse for a person to be aggressive. The expression of anger can be tempered by rationality and forethought. Venting anger does not necessarily result in the anger disappearing, although venting can relieve the symptoms. At times, processing personal experiences, seeing concrete change and genuine forgiveness are needed for anger to go away.
“Ignoring anger will make it go away.” - Generally, all kinds of emotions do not disappear when ignored. The anger just gets temporarily shelved, and will likely find other ways of getting expressed. It can get projected to another person, transformed into a physical symptom, or built up for a bigger future blow up. Some of our behaviors may even be unconscious ways of expressing anger. While there are situations when it’s inadvisable to express your anger immediately, the very least you can do is acknowledge that it exists.
“You can’t control your anger.” - This myth is related to the second one. As discussed earlier, the fight and flight instinct can make anger an overwhelming emotion. However, this instinct does not mean that you’re but a slave to your impulses. Awareness of anger dynamics and a conscious effort to rise above your anger can help you regain control of your reactions.
“If I don’t get angry, people will think I am a pushover.”’- It’s true that a person can lose credibility if they make rules and then ignores violations. However, anger is not the only way a person can show that there are consequences to violations. In fact, the most effective way of instilling discipline in others is to have a calm, non-emotional approach to dealing with rule-breakers. Calm and rationality can communicate strength too.

GETTING TO THE ROOT OF THE ANGER

Anger is a normal response that is often experienced as a secondary emotion. This concept can be represented with the Anger Iceberg. The Anger Iceberg illustrates the idea that emotional reactions are not always one-dimensional, rather there are many hidden causes. Although anger may be presented and expressed on the outside, there are other underlying emotions that give energy to this anger.

Emotions that frequently prompt anger include:

Frustration - When a goal is blocked from reaching the desired result, individuals will become frustrated. This frustration will provoke anger as an emotional response, directed at the object recognized as the cause of the frustration.
Hurt/Loss - Individuals will turn to anger, as a substitute to feeling pain. Anger is a normal stage during a grieving process. This can be done consciously, or unconsciously.
Disrespected - This occurs when individuals are not given the respect that they deserve, or feel that they are always under attack.
Fear - Fear and anger derive from feelings of control; while fear will typically arise from a loss of control, anger is a means of gaining back control.
Shame - Anger is used as a defense response when individuals perceive they are being humiliated, criticized, or rejected. Anger is a way to distract us from feelings of shame.
Guilt - Reacting with anger is used as a way to protect our ego, and remove ourselves from the blame. Unfortunately, this means that blame is taken from within and placed on another individual.
Sadness - When we feel sad, we feel vulnerable and as though we have loss of control. To avoid these feelings of sadness, we will subconsciously shift into an anger mode to mask feelings of disappointment or discouragement.

Anger: Understanding the Cycle

Anger is a natural emotion that usually stems from perceived threat or loss. It’s a pervasive emotion; it affects our body, thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Anger is often described in terms of its intensity, frequency, duration, threshold, and expression.

Anger typically follows a predictable pattern: a cycle. Understanding the cycle of anger can help us understand our own anger reactions, and those of others. It can also help us in considering the most appropriate response.

1. The Trigger Phase

The trigger phase happens when we perceive a threat or loss, and our body prepares to respond. In this phase, there is a subtle change from an individual’s normal/adaptive state into a stressed state. Anger triggers differ from person to person, and can come from both the environment or from our thought processes.

2. The Escalation Phase

In the escalation phase, there is the progressive appearance of the anger response. In this phase, our body prepares for a crisis after perceiving the trigger. This preparation is mostly physical, and is manifested through symptoms like rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and raised blood pressure. Once the escalation phase is reached there is less chance of calming down, as this is the phase where the body prepares for fight or flight.

3. The Crisis Phase

As previously mentioned, the escalation phase is progressive, and it is in the crisis phase that the anger reaction reaches its peak. In the crisis phase our body is on full alert, prepared to take action in response to the trigger. During this phase, logic and rationality may be limited, if not impaired because the anger instinct takes over. In extreme cases, the crisis phase means that a person may be a serious danger to himself or to other people.

4. The Recovery Phase

The recovery phase happens when the anger has been spent, or at least controlled, and there is now a steady return to a person’s normal/ adaptive state. In this stage, reasoning and awareness of one’s self returns. If the right intervention is applied, the return to normalcy progresses smoothly. However, an inappropriate intervention can reignite the anger and serve as a new trigger.

5. The Depression Phase

The depression phase marks a return to a person’s normal/ adaptive ways. Physically, this stage marks below normal vital signs, such as heart rate, so that the body can recover equilibrium. A person’s full use of his faculties return at this point, and the new awareness helps a person assess what just occurred. Consequently, this stage may be marked by embarrassment

After the depression phase is a return to a normal or adaptive phase. A new trigger, however, can start the entire cycle all over again. Some people also skip certain phases, or else they go through them privately and/ or unconsciously.

CONTROLLING ANGER: ACTIONABLE STEPS

Since anger is an instinctive emotion that comes unbidden, we often do not have a choice in whether we would be angry or not. What we can do however, is take control of our anger when it comes. Anger management is not about suppressing your feelings of anger, but rather to find meaning behind your anger and determine healthy ways to express this anger. Uncontrolled anger can be extremely problematic; thus, it is important to find strategies to keep anger in check. The more you practice the strategies of gaining control over your anger, the easier it will become.

Relaxation techniques to control anger include:

Breathing Exercises - Deliberately controlling your breathing can help a person calm down. Ways to do this include: breathing through one’s nose and exhaling through one’s mouth, breathing from one’s diagram, and breathing rhythmically.
Meditation - Meditation is a way of exercising mental discipline. Most meditation techniques involve increasing self-awareness, monitoring thoughts, and focusing. Meditation techniques include prayer, the repetition of a mantra, and relaxing movement or postures.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) - PMR is a technique of stress management that involves mentally inducing your muscles to tense and relax. PMR usually focuses on areas of the body where tension is commonly felt, such as the head, shoulders, and chest area. It’s a way to exercise the power of the mind over the body.
Visualization - Visualization is the use of mental imagery to induce relaxation. Some visualization exercise involves picturing a place of serenity and comfort, such as a beach or a garden. Other visualization exercises involve imagining the release of anger in a metaphorical form. An example of this latter kind of visualization is imagining one’s anger as a ball to be released to space.
Music - Some people find listening to music as very relaxing. The kind of music that’s calming differs from person to person; traditional relaxation music includes classical pieces, acoustic sounds, and even ambient noises.
Art and Crafts - There are people who find working with their hands as a good way to relax. This is especially true for people who feel their tensions in their hands. Drawing pictures, paper construction

CONCLUSION

Anger management is a process. It is impossible to remove anger out of our lives, but it is possible to find healthy outlets for this anger. Anger management involves being informed, self-awareness, taking control, and taking action. These changes take time and practice, however when you stay motivated with controlling your anger, you will have powerful, positive outcomes. Did you enjoy our anger management quick guide? We've just updated our Anger Management course, making it more relevant than ever for your participants. There's no better time to tackle anger management training in your organization.

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LEVERAGE YOUR SALES TEAM WITH THESE TIPS

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 08:49:51 GMT

Seth Rozee – a Senior Account Executive with 10 years of experience selling into the courseware and training industry joins our blog today with his guest post on his tips for successful selling.

The sales department plays a crucial role in the success of any business. The role of sales is to recognize the needs of potential customers and connect them to the product or service the company offers. Sales plays a major role in influencing the success of your organization. It requires building strategic relationships with customers, strong product knowledge, and experience. Below are our top ten sales secrets to increase your organization’s revenue and meet your goals.

1. DEVELOP THE TRAITS OF AN EXCELLENT SALES REPRESENTATIVE

Anyone can be a strong salesperson. However, there are various traits that are highly beneficial to be mindful of when working in sales. Assertiveness is one of these traits. Being assertive has four main components. These include calmness, positivity, enthusiasm, and honesty. Assertiveness is a balancing act for salespeople because it is important to not be too aggressive or pushy, but a good salesperson must also be able to draw in customers with confidence. Furthermore, strong sales representatives require emotional intelligence. Being able to identify, control, and manage emotions is crucial for stressful situations that can come up working in sales. This can also mean being able to solve problems on the fly and remain adaptable.

2. KNOW YOUR CLIENTS

The role of a salesperson includes having the ability to make strong connections with your potential customers. This means having an understanding of your client’s needs. It also means being an expert on the product you are selling and how it can fulfill the needs of your client.

Determining your customer’s needs requires research. This can be done directly by communicating with your potential customers to better understand what they are looking for. By immersing yourself in your customer’s world, you can understand how your product is relevant to customers and better address their needs. Even better, foreseeing challenges that may arise in your client’s future can help you find the right time to step in and tell them how your product can help them. This can be done through timing your calls when they may need your products quickly. Being there in the “nick of time” will help you stand out from the competition. It is also important to understand the customer’s values. This means knowing what they need to be satisfied with their purchase. Some general examples of customer values include ease of doing business, quality of product/service, reliability of product and provider, customer service, and the overall value of money spent.

3. BE AN EXPERT ON YOUR PRODUCT

Before you can sell your product, service, and brand, you must know what you are selling and understand your product inside and out. This ensures that you can answer your potential customer’s questions effectively. Being educated on not only the product you are selling, but also the company you are selling for will increase the customer’s level of trust and credibility. As a promoter for the company, you should express your belief in your company’s product and be an ambassador for it and the brand as a whole. If you believe in your company, your customers will too.

Good sales people aren’t enthusiastic because of the sale; they make the sale because of their enthusiasm. Showing enthusiasm for your product means taking an interest in your company, its vision, its products, etc. If you are not interested, neither will your customers. Enthusiasm also means being knowledgeable. Through your knowledge, you can educate your customer to their options, needs, and future needs. Enthusiasm also stems from motivation. Being enthusiastic means being will to reach out and advocate for your product confidently.

4. BE SMART ABOUT YOUR LEADS

A sales lead is a customer that has a need for your product or service. It is crucial that you spend your time on valuable leads that you are most likely to close deals with. A good sales person is able to sort through leads and prioritize how profitable they are. This means questioning if the potential lead is qualified and interested in making the purchase. If the potential lead is, and the product you are selling is appropriate for their situation, then it may be a good idea to reach out. Having the ability to let go of leads that are not profitable and focusing on positive leads will allow you to make the most of the time you spend contacting them.

5. HAVE AUTHORITY IN YOUR COMPANY AND YOUR INDUSTRY

Sales reps that know their product, company, and industry and are authorities in their field. They have developed expertise in their field that customers can rely on. This also means being open to continuing to learn about your industry, whether it be from other industry leaders or through continual training and education.

To be a leader in your industry, you must know your competition. By knowing and watching your competitors, you can understand their strategies, and sometimes even predict their next move. It is good to be researching your competition consistently so you can stay on top of what is happening in your industry.

Having authority means you can use it to solve problems for your customer. This will build rapport and strengthen your relationships. This requires self-confidence and assertiveness so you can build trust. This can also be through giving your client several options and being willing to assist them in making the best choices for their needs.

6. BUILD TRUST WITH YOUR CLIENTS

Successful sales representatives have the ability to build trust. This brings in customers and keeps them coming back. By being empathetic to your client’s needs and being genuine and honest with how they can benefit from your product, you will be successful in finding the right people to sell too.

Testimonials serve as evidence of the impact of your product. Using these to show potential customers how your product could also serve them. They are an unbiased way to show success in your product and service in an honest and authentic way.

Being genuine and transparent with your clients will go a long way in building trust, which will make for reliable and consistent clients. This in combination with taking your customers point of view will help you understand what is important to them and help you truly meet their needs with your product.

7. BUILD STRONG RELATIONSHIPS

Having the right tools to build mutually beneficial relationships with your customers will have a direct impact on how many sales you can close. Be an active listener by remaining focused and concentrating on what your customers are saying. Watch for body language or tone when you have the opportunity, and avoid interrupting. You should provide consistent communication to express your interest in helping them meet their needs. This can be through follow ups, phone calls/emails, or sending them the latest promotion. Another great sales tool to build relationships is through rewards. This could be providing and upgrade or shipping at a discounted rate, coupons, or promotional product. Hand written notes are also a great way to show that you appreciate your customer’s business. Be sure as you create new relationships, you continue to grow them. Going the extra mile to reach out to everyone will increase the likelihood of making more sales.

8. COMMUNICATION IS KEY

Having strong communication skills will help in many aspects of your professional life. Taking a conversational focused approach to your sales can increase the odds of you making a sale. Avoid being overly scripted and genuinely listen to your customer. Don’t be afraid to use a little bit of humor to break the ice with your client when appropriate to add some personability to your pitch. Being authentically yourself will resonate with your client and allow them to open up to you more to clearly express their needs. This in combination with graciousness and politeness will take you far in your sales.

9. SELF-MOTIVATION = SUCCESS

Keeping yourself motivated can be intimidating, especially when working on daunting tasks. Motivation is a trait that all sales people need to have to meet their objections. This can be done by acknowledging the value of the work that your previous accomplishments. Make a list of the wins you have had recently and use those as motivation to continue your momentum. Be open and ready to using mistakes as learning opportunities to enhance your skillset. Your motivation can also be improved by finding strategies to avoid procrastination. Break your large projects into smaller tasks and scheduling your more challenging tasks at the times of the day your work best.

10. SET STRATEGIC GOALS

Setting goals in sales is crucial to measuring your success. Learning to set “SMART” goals in the long and short term will allow you to analyze your performance and make modifications accordingly. Long-term goals are generally completed more than a year from now and are slowly built-up overtime to meet larger objections within the organization. Short-term goals are goals achieved in less than a year. These goals are usually easier to attain, and can be a steppingstone to the long-term goal. Writing down your goals and ensuring they are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results focused, and Timely) Goals will set the intention to complete your goals. It is important to keep in mind that goals are not laws, and they can be modified at any time to better suit your organizational needs.

CONCLUSION

Our Top Ten Sales Secrets Training Workshop covers more information on how to can better equip your sales team to meet your organizational goals. Learn more about this course to get started on providing quality, professional training to your team.

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MOVE UP THE SUCCESS LADDER WITH SOFT SKILLS TRAINING

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 08:38:14 GMT

Soft skills are a crucial part of what makes a strong employee in any organization. Soft skills impact how we communicate with colleagues, problem-solve, and are a contributing factor to the long-term success of your organization.⁠ After extensive research, psychologist and author Dan Goleman concluded in his book Emotional Intelligence at Work that when IQ and technical skills are similar, soft skills such as emotional intelligence account for 90% of what makes people move up the success ladder. Below are our top ten Soft Skills you should be training your team in to boost their personal and professional development

1. COMMUNICATION

Communicate Skills Training can increase efficiency and productivity within your organization, leading to more constructive interactions. The first thing that we typically associate with communication is spoken and written words. But the words we speak and hear are just one way to communicate, and some studies show that communication takes place in a variety different of ways:

· Nonverbal communication: Communication without words, such as eye contact or posture

· Verbal communication: Communication with words, both written and spoken

· Body language: Communication through gestures, personal space, and touching

Being able to participate in two-way communication will allow you to complete tasks more efficiently and build better relationships.

2. TEAMWORK

Working with others is an inevitable part of being in an organization. Building teams that can complete tasks efficiently and accurately can be challenging but having teams with diverse sets of hard and soft skills will ensure that there are a variety of outlooks when decisions need to be made. There are some basic techniques you can use when working in a team to help create a cohesive unit that leverages everyone’s talents.

Employees with good teamwork skills can work well with others to achieve a common goal. Teams face a unique set of challenges in the digital age, but good teamwork can still take place and contribute to meeting objectives more effectively than individually.

According to the Harvard Business Review , the highest performing teams have these four components in common.

· Compelling direction: Having established goals that are challenging but achievable will motivate teams to meet objectives.

· Strong Structure: Having a team with a balanced set of skills and diverse views/backgrounds encourages creativity.

· Supportive context: Ensuring the team has everything they need to effectively communicate and work towards their objectives together. This is especially important in the increase of digital teamwork.

· Shared mindset: Having a common understanding to promote better collaboration.

Furthermore, evaluating the effectiveness of your team’s ability to collaborate can help you determine how to improve your team building for future projects.

3. PROBLEM-SOLVING

No matter what your industry or your role we all solve big or small problems every day. Having the ability to apply problem-solving skills helps not only to enhance productivity, but also helps to cultivate positive relationships by focusing on shared goals and solutions.

An important part of problem-solving is being able to identify and define problems clearly. Don’t be afraid to speak up when you notice negative patterns in your organization that could be resolved. Being able to effectively problem solve is a transferable skill you can bring to any role or organization. When problem-solving, be sure to generate a variety of alternative and creative solutions so you can move forward with the most ideal option. Once this is implemented you can evaluate how effectively the problem was solved and use that knowledge to better your problem-solving skills going forward.

4. TIME MANAGEMENT

The ability to effectively manage your time is key to productivity. While we all have the same number of hours in a day, our time management skills determine how we make the most out of our time. Taking a moment at the start of your day to determine what is most important, whether in terms of value or completion, will help you better prioritize your tasks. Setting priorities helps ensure that you take care of the things that are most pressing, or which deliver the most value. Scheduling out time blocks for your tasks can also ensure you allocate enough time to complete all your tasks.

Furthermore, noticing and determining your distractions can help you brainstorm solutions to better manage them. Another time management tip growing in popularity is ditching multitasking. Studies have shown that 30-40% more time is spent when you multitask rather than when your mono-task (work on one thing at a time). Multitasking also means your attention is divided, which can lead to miscommunication and errors.

5. ATTITUDE

Being able to maintain a positive attitude not only benefits your organization, but also impacts your productivity and your workplace happiness. People who have a consistently positive attitude can build more effective workplace relationships and breeds resilience when faced with challenges or setbacks.

A positive attitude in the workplace can be fostered by practicing gratitude. Seeing our work and what it provides us in terms of satisfaction, contentment, excitement, and other nonmaterial benefits. Finding ways to love the work you do sets you up for increased professional and personal happiness. Having a positive attitude allows you to build better trust with your colleagues and will make you a more valuable employee.

6. WORK ETHIC

A solid work ethic can also help you find reward in the work you do and shows a dedication not just to goals and outcomes but to your overall professional development. A strong work ethic will contribute to relationships with teammates and superiors.

Having clear goals will allow you to have a strong work ethic towards what you are working for and fully invest in a project or in developing your skills. Take time to clarify what your personal goals are, both in terms of specific projects and your overall career. Set specific goals and then create plans to achieve them. Tie these goals to your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities so that you can keep them in mind.

7. ADAPTABILITY

The ability to effectively respond to changing situations and needs is key to success in the fast-paced workplaces most of us find ourselves in. Change can be intimidating, but learning to adapt is a crucial skill in the workplace.

Showcasing your adaptability at work increases your value in your organization. Some examples of demonstrating flexibility in your organization include:

· Being open to alternative solutions

· Taking on new roles

· Help others generate alternative solutions or plans

· Accepting unexpected changes

· Keeping calm in fast-moving or stressful situations

· Demonstrating confidence in your ability to complete the jobs that require flexibility

8. SELF-CONFIDENCE

Demonstrating self-confidence and the belief that you can handle what comes your way establishes trust with your team. When you show confidence, you make others around you feel confident too. Confidence is not arrogance, but rather a trust in your judgment and abilities. There are many common traits to keep in mind when building your self-confidence. Being willing to listen to other’s ideas, and not be afraid to ask questions or be wrong shows a willingness to learn without fear of looking silly. It also means acknowledging mistakes and learning from them. Employees with self-confidence also follow through on things that are said and promised. Being self-aware of what you are capable of and when you may need to ask for help also demonstrates confidence. While self-confidence in the workplace can take time, it is a highly worthy skill to focus on and train your team in.

9. ABILITY TO LEARN

Self-Confidence falls closely under the ability to learn and accept criticism. Taking criticism can be hard sometimes, but it is a crucial part of professional and personal development. Accepting criticism shows commitment to your growth and increases your value in an organization over time.

By remembering that criticism is offered with a positive intention, we can focus on how it will help us improve. When someone offers you feedback or criticism, listen with an open mind and reflect back to clarify your understanding. Feedback can be analyzed with the help of a third party such as a mentor, to better determine how to proceed with it.

10. NETWORKING

Taking the time to network and build relationships is a key soft skill that expands your professional circle of connections. Networking can happen both within a company and outside your company, and builds mutually beneficial relationships, allowing us to learn from one another.

When taking opportunities to network, ask questions about their current role and organization, along with their overall professional goals and interests. Beyond thinking of how your networks can be beneficial to you, have confidence in what you have to offer to create a strong, powerful network.

Networking can be done in a variety of formats, from a designated event to conferences and of course LinkedIn. No matter the format, you will utilize various soft skills – active listening, self-confidence, and a positive attitude – as you network.

CONCLUSION

These Soft Skills are all covered in our 10 Soft Skills You Need Workshop. Get everything you need to deliver training on virtually any soft skills topic with our Soft Skills Library.

CONCLUSION

Leadership training can not only benefit the managers and supervisors on your team but can be beneficial to anyone as it encourages taking charge and being proactive in any corporate role. Build on your team’s leadership skills with our various training workshops on Leadership and Influence and Servant Leadership. Get started on your corporate training with one of our popular product packages or select individual courses.

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MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM WITH PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP TRAINING

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 08:31:16 GMT

Good leadership at the forefront of an organization can have a major influence on its success for the individuals working there and the company as a whole. It can be easy to assume that certain people are simply naturally good leaders, and while that may be true sometimes, leadership skills can in fact be taught, built, and improved upon overtime.

Leadership has had a variety of different definitions over the years. Forbes defines leadership as “A process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal”. Furthermore, BNET online Business Dictionary defines leadership as “The capacity to establish direction and to influence and align others toward a common goal, motivating and committing them to action and making them responsible for their performance.”

Through many different studies and definitions of leadership, we have seen that there are a variety of attributes and abilities that can make a good leader.

When a leader truly cares about what they are working towards, their strong leadership skills will shine through. The more experience you have acting as a genuine leader, the easier it will get. Taking the lead isn’t always easy, as you will be looked to make difficult decisions and navigate challenges, but it can also be very rewarding and to your organization and yourself. Below are the top five skills corporate leaders should have.

1. CONFIDENCE

Without the self-confidence and belief that you can be an effective leader, there will be a missed connection between you and your team. Confidence gives leaders the ability to make difficult decisions, communicate effectively, and even be better equipped to take on feedback and improve. Finding a strong balance between being confident and humble will give you a solid foundation to be an effective leader.

A confident leader has trust in their team and can properly delegate tasks. This in turn builds confidence in the entire team and gives them the change to take on unique opportunities and build on their skills.

One of the simplest ways to build confidence is through experience. However, to be more deliberate in you and your team’s confidence building, learning tools and skills through corporate training can help you build a stronger framework to increase confidence and be a better leader. Our Assertiveness and Self-Confidence workshop would be a good start to increasing your self-awareness regarding your confidence.

2. LISTENING

Communication is more than just the words you say or the emails you write. Consistent communication of the long and short-term goals you are leading you team towards is crucial to keeping everyone on the right track. Be sure to communicate your expectations or vision for your organization and team, and clarify when those goals evolve.

As a leader, your team will look to you for advice, clarity, and guidance, so you must be clear and direct about what needs to be done and how it should be coordinated to ensure everyone feels confident in what is expected of them.

Along with active communication skills, it is worth considering more passive leadership styles such as Servant Leadership. Servant leadership is a business philosophy that emphasizes the act of the leader, such as a manager or supervisor, focusing on the growth and development of their employees and ensuring their success. In doing so, the leader succeeds when their employees do. In a business team, servant leadership can not only help employees achieve and grow, but it can also benefit their leaders and the company as a whole. You can learn more about this topic in our Servant Leadership Workshop.

3. TRUST

Being a leader means that people will rely on you to guide them towards a goal or objective. Your team must trust that you will lead in a way that is beneficial to everyone involved in an organization. Building trust in your team means being transparent, honest, and having integrity with every decision you make. Building trust with your employees helps you build credibility and will allow you to have influence over your team when developing and communicating your vision.

Trust can be built by having mutual respect for your team. It can also be built by following through on the promises and actions you say you will take. Make sure you can follow through on any expectation’s you team has of you.

Noticing the extra efforts your team makes and recognizing then will go a long way to earning respect. Respect builds loyalty and trust. Mutual respect is the baseline to trust that will allow you to be a more effective leader.

Trust, like confidence, is something that can be built overtime or incorporated in corporate training, such as our Trust Building and Resilience Course.

4. THOUGHTFULNESS

Thoughtfulness in a leader can translate to your team in a number of ways. Making an effort to learn more about your employees and what their roles look like on a daily basis will help you better understand how to lead them and will build rapport.

Being thoughtful can also mean considering things within the organization from different angles. A good leader can find ways to challenge the status quo to find opportunities for improvements. Questioning the norm and coming forward with well thought out proposals on how to increase efficiently or meet goals in a more effective way will help you gain respect as a leader.

Thoughtfulness as a leader is also crucial for making decisions. Being able to take the time to empathize and understand how your decisions will impact your employees and your organization’s stakeholders will allow you to make more mutually beneficial choices. Being a thought leader in your organization will translate well whether you are a manager, or simply an employee within the organization.

5. INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

Having good interpersonal skills can give you a dynamic charisma that can translate well as a leader. Interpersonal skills can make you a better communicator, negotiator, and give you the ability to be memorable and have a positive impact on others.

Being able to skillfully start different types of conversations with others will improve your rapport and give you more insight into your team, which will allow you to be a better leader. The four levels of conversation are:

· Small Talk: This is to establish rapport and includes generic topics, subjects that almost everyone is comfortable discussing such as the weather, the location you’re both in and current events.

· Fact Disclosure: This is to get to know each other, involves sharing facts such as your job, your area of residence, and your interests.

· Viewpoints and Opinions: An offering of what you think about various topics. This can be in the context of the organization or even externally such as politics.

· Personal Feelings: Disclosure and acknowledgment of personal feelings. This stage requires trust and an already established relationship, especially depending on the subject.

To learn more about interpersonal skills and to train your team, check out our Interpersonal Skills Workshop.

CONCLUSION

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Effective leadership is rooted in personal growth.

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:25:56 GMT

Effective leadership is rooted in personal growth.

P.S. I’ll be discussing ways to help you achieve personal growth during my upcoming newsletter: https://clarkgroupcoach.leadingthebest.com/JMTN0003

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Sometimes Later becomes Never

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:25:22 GMT

Don’t put it off any longer—join me for my The Many Forms of Motivation Email Series, and let’s start working toward your goals!

Learn more about this resource and sign up at https://clarkgroupcoach.leadingthebest.com/TMFL0001

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Regaining Control

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:24:48 GMT

You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.” -Dan Millman

#personalgrowth #selfcare

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What is Networking

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:24:15 GMT

Networking goes beyond drink tickets and hors d’oeuvres in a conference room. The term itself refers to any act of maintaining a personal and professional contact list that you can use to help further your career. Basically, anyone who you could potentially turn to for professional assistance or guidance.

With this definition in mind, how do you feel about the state of your current network? Are you feeling pretty secure in its size and scope, or could it use some broadening?

#success #successful #entrepreneurlifestyle #entrepreneurlife #mentorship #entrepreneurs #leadershipdevelopment

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You Deserve Compassion

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:23:08 GMT

“Whatever you’re feeling, it will eventually pass. You won’t feel sad forever. At some point, you will feel happy again. You won’t feel anxious forever. In time, you will feel calm again. You don’t have to fight your feelings or feel guilty for having them. You just have to accept them and be good to yourself while you ride this out.

Resisting your emotions and shaming yourself will only cause you more pain, and you don’t deserve that. You deserve your own love, acceptance, and compassion.” -Lori Deschene

#personalgrowth #selfcare

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When they go low, go high

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:21:06 GMT

When you’re communicating with someone who isn’t showing a lot of compassion toward you, do your best to stay positive and avoid sinking down to their level. While it may be tempting to respond with something snarky, try and remind yourself that you don’t know their intention or situation, so try not to take anything personally and remain kind and compassionate whenever possible.

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How well do you know your colleagues

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:18:50 GMT

If you dedicate time and effort to getting to know your peers in your workplace, you’re setting the groundwork for potential opportunities down the road!

Supervisors can help you write letters of recommendation, managers can give you inside information about new positions opening up, and coworkers can refer you to their new employer.

#success #successful #entrepreneurlifestyle #entrepreneurlife #mentorship #entrepreneurs #leadershipdevelopment

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Every person has an individual set of goals, but each person has the desire to improve in some way.

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:13:43 GMT

Every person has an individual set of goals, but each person has the desire to improve in some way.

Join me for my The Many Forms of Motivation to delve into what motivation is and how to tap into it - https://clarkgroupcoach.leadingthebest.com/TMFL0001

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Happiness isn't something you can find, it's within you waiting to be recognized

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:12:29 GMT

Are you ready to find your happiness?

Opt-in to my email series now at https://clarkgroupcoach.leadingthebest.com/HAES0001

Creativity is a muscle that needs to be exercised. Once you embrace creativity, you can accomplish a lot more than you might realize!

Learn how to incorporate more creativity into your life when you sign up for my Capitalize Your Creativity Email Series. RSVP at https://clarkgroupcoach.leadingthebest.com/CYCE0001

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Self-care ideas for the body

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:11:16 GMT

Make one small, nourishing change to your diet for the week.

Oxygenate by taking three deep breaths.

Get fifteen minutes of sun.

Take a quick nap.

Have a good laugh.

Be still in nature.

#personalgrowth #selfcare

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Focus on the moment

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:09:50 GMT

Being mindful and living in the present allows us to redirect our focus. Negativity and past experiences weigh us down. Nothing can be gained from reliving a moment over and over again in our minds. Set your mind free from pain by living in the present moment.

Start by bringing awareness to routine activities, such as washing dishes, eating lunch, or walking the dog. Paying attention to the physical sensations, sounds, smells, or tastes of these experiences helps you focus. Practice frequently and eventually living in the present will come easier.

#personalgrowth #selfcare

Seeking out opportunities to expand your network is as simple as starting a conversation. One of my favorite tips to give my clients is this: open with a compliment!

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Practice being articulate

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:05:27 GMT

The way we speak in a social setting is different from the way we communicate in a professional setting. When we speak to a friend or acquaintance, there’s a lot of context we take for granted.

In a less personal relationship, we have to be careful to articulate our point in a way that makes sense to a general audience. Be clear, be precise, and be aware of how your words come across. One good way to do this is by reading any written communication out loud.

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You are only confined by the walls you build yourself

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:04:39 GMT

When something seems out of reach, sometimes all you need is a shift in perspective.

Join me for my The Many Forms of Motivation Email Series and gain insight into how to reach your goals once and for all:

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Compliment Their ProfessionalKnow-How

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 09:59:52 GMT

A great way to get the discussion going with a peer is to lead with a compliment and end with a question. Here are a few examples:

“The way you handled that customer the other day was unbelievable! It’s like you knew just what to say. Do you have any pointers?”

“That PowerPoint you delivered last week was awesome. Clearly you spent a lot of time working on it. Did you come across any information or data in your research that really stuck with you?”

#success #successful #entrepreneurlifestyle #entrepreneurlife #mentorship #entrepreneurs #leadershipdevelopment #youthleadership #leadershipcoach #leader #youthcoach #executivecoach #careercoach #NextGenerationleader #Elevateforsuccess #theleadersof tomorrow #virtualspeaker #empower #personalgrowth

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If you can dream it, you can do it!

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 09:38:52 GMT

I find that people who experience mediocrity in life have either chosen NOT to dream or deliberately PREVENT themselves from dreaming. I believe everyone is destined to achieve greatness, but the problem is that too many people quit too soon.

What is your WILD dream? The one that even makes you uncomfortable to think about because it’s so big!!!

#leadership #personalgrowth #success #intentionalliving #Elevate #Thrive #Learning #ExcellenceonPurpose