Flashback Friday: Attitude and effort is still what it is all about. Give this popular 2018 blog a read. Are you being open minded and giving your best effort? 

About a year into my tenure at Gibson, I was named to the Leadership Team and responsible for our revenue and growth in a “Chief Growth Officer” role. Not only was I new to Gibson, I previously had no technical knowledge or career experience in two of our three business units. Before my first major meeting with our group, I was already hearing the whispers about this newly created role and my (lack of) qualifications to be in it.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Chris Naylor, EOS Implementer and  Business Coach. We hope you enjoy Chris’ wisdom and perspective.

Do you have too much on your plate? Feeling overwhelmed and unfocused at work? Juggling too many priorities?

If so, now’s the time to schedule a Clarity Break! If you’re not doing them, you’re at a disadvantage – possibly missing opportunities to reach your full potential.

A Clarity Break™  is a regularly scheduled appointment on your calendar with yourself to work ON your business. Clarity Breaks allow you to clear your head, envision the future, think strategically, and focus on what’s most important.

“The true price of leadership is the willingness to place the needs of others above your own. Great leaders genuinely care about those they are privileged to lead and understand that the true cost of the leadership privilege comes at the expense of self-interest.” – Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last

This is from one of my favorite books. It hits on the critical importance of personal sacrifice and its role in leadership.

Modern employees are tired of command and control management. They are looking for flexibility, personal growth, purpose, and a different lifestyle. And it's not just the younger generation. 

We must lead this workforce differently. But how?

Flashback Friday: A popular blog post from 2020 with a message that is just as important today. Is your organization playing the infinite game? What is your Just Cause?

“The true value of an organization is measured by the desire others have to contribute to that organization’s ability to keep succeeding, not just during the time they are there, but well beyond their own tenure.” - Simon Sinek, The Infinite Game

In 2009’s Start With Why, author Simon Sinek makes the point that all organizations and individuals have a “Why.” It’s our origin story, the reason we do what we do.

Why is our purpose, cause, or belief. Our purpose comes from our past. It’s born out of how we were raised and the values we were exposed to.

And, according to Sinek, it’s far more important than how you do it or what you deliver. As he often says, “People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”

Every quarter, our employees meet with their manager to address two very basic questions:

1. What's working?
2. What's not working? 

These questions may not seem like much on the surface. But after thinking through them quarter after quarter, I’ve started to realize just how powerful they can be.

We’ve all heard the clichés:

Today's post is authored by guest blogger Jay Mattern, CEO of Villing+Company and TerraFirma Marketing. We hope you enjoy Jay’s leadership wisdom and insight.

Flashback Friday: I know my parents don't love this story, but it is one of our most popular blogs and the experience taught me some valuable lessons. 

“You know it’s illegal what they’re doing. Making you work and all,” said Larry’s mom. Larry and his family lived next door to my family growing up. He and I were typical neighborhood buddies. While Larry and I liked all the same things boys our age typically did, our parents were anything but similar.

As my 6^th grade year was coming to an end, my Dad made it known that it was time for me to “go to work.” I would have my choice of working around the house every day of my summer break doing various chores, for free; or I could find someone willing to pay me. But either way, I’d be working forty hours per week.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Nancy Owsianowski, Founder of RoundTable Consulting, LLC. We hope you enjoy Nancy’s wisdom and perspective.

What’s getting lost in translation within your organization or between your organization and others? Effective communication is the backbone of a high-performance organization. Statistics reported by Pumble indicate that more than three-quarters of employees and executives attribute workplace failures to a lack of effective communications. Similarly, when teams communicate effectively, productivity could increase by as much as 25%. Onsite, hybrid and remote working options place new demands on everyday communications. In addition, five distinct generations are now present and active in the workforce and need to collaborate.

Take a close look at your own organization. Are your habits of communication building bridges for collaboration and trust or creating barriers that fragment your company culture and undermine mutual respect?