Did you claim victory over 2020, or did it get you?
How you answer that question has much to do with the kind of game you’re choosing to play: finite or infinite.
2 min read
Whether You Realize It Or Not
Ever feel like you’re being watched? I’m writing this in late October and Halloween decorations are out in full force. It’s the time of year everything gets just a bit spookier. But this isn’t a blog about ghosts and goblins; this is a blog about influence.
When we hear the word “influence,” we might think of a social media account with millions of followers, or maybe a great mentor we’ve had, or perhaps a high-profile leader of an organization.
But the reality is that we all carry some level of influence on the people around us.
Topics: Executive
3 min read
We Overcomplicate The Things We Don’t Understand
Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Jim Coyle, Certified EOS Implementer and Chief Advisor at Nexus Business Solutions. We hope you enjoy Jim’s wisdom and perspective.
“Jim, we just need to make sure we get all the details and every part of the process documented, so people don’t mess it up anymore.”
“I think we just need to give our clients more choices. If we had 10 to 15 options, then they would get exactly what they want.”
“What we need is a more detailed plan, so we are all on the same page.”
Topics: Executive
1 min read
Excellence Is The Next Five Minutes
This year our team has been talking about the Infinite Game, from Simon Sinek’s book. He talks about winning in a totally different fashion than I think we’re all used to.
Winning is about staying in the game, continuing to play, not giving up, and being resilient.
This concept can sometimes feel overwhelming. It got me thinking about another book our team at Gibson drew on in recent years - The Excellence Dividend by Tom Peters. One of things I found most useful in this book was that Tom talks about how excellence is all about the next five minutes.
Topics: Executive
5 min read
Modern Leadership For The Remote Workforce
Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Jon Brickner of HR Collaborative. We hope you enjoy Jon’s wisdom and perspective.
Whether the radical disruption of 2020 thrust your business into fight, flee, or freeze mode, none of us can deny that the way we work will never be the same. And change isn’t done yet. It may never be. Always-on transformation seems to be here to stay.
And while quarantine-required remote work initially boosted productivity, as organizations return to their old ways of working, engagement, collaboration, and business performance are starting to fall again.
But this trend isn’t equally distributed across all companies. At HR Collaborative, we’ve seen “a tale of two cities” this year. The organizations that embraced modern leadership and a remote infrastructure pre-pandemic weathered the storm much better than those that hadn’t.
Topics: Executive
3 min read
The Thrill
I was born into a Green Bay Packers family. I have cheered for the Packers my entire life. There were even a few childhood birthday wishes centered around Green Bay’s success…or Chicago’s failure. I’m proud to say I have successfully made my two daughters into Packers fans. It has been 26 years since I’ve missed watching a game.
So, why the passion…or is it obsession? And what does it have to do with business?
Topics: Executive
3 min read
Building 'Soft Skills' Through The Enneagram
Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Rachel Pritz, Certified Life Coach and Certified Enneagram Coach. We hope you enjoy Rachel’s wisdom and perspective.
Rarely do you see skills like compassionate, self-aware, or emotionally intelligent show up on a resume. These are often called "soft skills", but there's nothing soft about them. It takes daily intention and effort to learn these skills. It's a journey not a destination. No book, podcast, or personality assessment will be a quick solution to building these skills. But the Enneagram personality framework can give you a starting point along with a GPS map for your journey.
Topics: Executive
2 min read
6 Lessons From Our Rebrand
Rebranding is a company strategy.
It is not just a marketing strategy. It takes buy-in from everyone within an organization to launch a successful rebrand. Your brand identity is just as much internal, as it is external. At Gibson we have more than 150 brand advocates and we (the entire company) must make sure we are telling our truth and portraying ourselves in a way that not only we can be proud of, but that our clients can be proud of.
Topics: Executive
2 min read
Study Your Worthy Rivals
Growing up in the world of sales, and especially cutting my teeth during my formative years at an incredibly sales-centric organization, I was taught to greatly dislike my competitors. You might even say from time-to-time that I “hated” them. I suspect many can relate to this.
I was coached to never be around or hang out with the competition. I believe the exact quote was, “They can’t buy any insurance from you, so why would you spend time with them?” I didn’t know why I disliked them, just that I did.
However, as I’ve studied and learned more about the infinite game, I’ve realized that is not who I am. My natural mindset is one of abundance. And being someone who is quite resilient and always focused on the long game, I’ve really connected with Simon Sinek’s
Infinite Game.
Yet unwinding years of training, observation, and mimicking my more experienced sales colleagues took some hard mental work.
Topics: Executive
2 min read
Overcoming Self-Doubt One Light Fixture At A Time
The other weekend I took down and replaced a light fixture in our bathroom. For some, this may seem like nothing or just an average weekend project, but for me, it was one of many new things I have learned how to do and conquer on my own. Six months ago it would have been one of many items on my husbands ‘honey-do list’ as I typically try to avoid tasks where I can get shocked or zapped!