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Category Archives: Leadership
How To Be A Compassionate Hybrid Leader
Although it’s not a particularly new concept, hybrid work setups have become a growing trend in industries across the world. In fact, because most offices have resumed normal operations, up to 74% of companies have said they’re either already using or planning to adopt hybrid setups. This comes as no real surprise considering that studies prove that organized hybrid work is beneficial to output and creativity. These comprehensive studies were based on a diverse range of industries and business scales, which further underscores how hybrid work is the happy medium for both companies and workers.
That said, hybrid work is not without its challenges. For most office leaders, one of the top concerns they have with this model is the lack of access between themselves and their teams. This has led some bosses to worry that their team culture may suffer or their employees will feel isolated. Conversely, 77% of surveyed company leaders have found that compassion can benefit both people and profits. Therefore, while hybrid does reduce face-to-face interactions, leaders can (and should) still exercise compassion through this particular medium. And here’s how:
Image ref: Pexels
Show your employees you appreciate them
While you shouldn’t just toss out empty praises for the sake of it, you shouldn’t hold back on showing your employees appreciation either. This shows employees that you value them and recognize the adversity they’ve overcome so that it empowers your hybrid team no matter how challenging the transition may be. That said, to underscore the sincerity of your appreciation back up your words with actions. This is especially impactful for teams that work mostly remotely as it shows that you appreciate everyone fairly.
To show employees appreciation virtually, say “thank you” through meaningful gestures. This can include sending decorations for home offices, planning a virtual hangout to unwind, or gifting food delivery cards. Through such well-thought-out executions, you show that your appreciation comes from a place of compassion which is inspiring for many workers. In fact, surveys reveal that while 46% of employees left jobs because they felt under-appreciated, 79% said feeling appreciated gave them a boost professionally and personally.Continue reading
3 Leadership Lessons I’ve Learned From Making All The Mistakes: Lesson 1 – Complete Communication
Guest post in our leadership series. I met Paul Pickard, CTO for Korrus, a few months ago, and am so impressed by his appreciation of the human aspects of leading technical teams. Enjoy! – Kimberly
I’ve been meeting people on LunchClub for the past year or so, and it’s given me the opportunity to connect with people with diverse interests and backgrounds from different locations around the country and world. I was recently speaking with an early career software engineer who was mulling over an opportunity to move into a position where she managed people. She asked me for my “top of mind” things to I’ve learned about managing people in my career. After explaining that anything I could relate would come from having made all the mistakes – some of them repeatedly – I came up with three core intentions that I’ve adopted over the years and passed them along. I say intentions because I don’t always exhibit these behaviors, but it is certainly my aspiration to do so. This post covers the first intention. I’ll follow up with the other two in subsequent posts.
#1: Communicate Completely
Shocking Ways Personal Brands Will Make You a Better Leader
Guest post in our leadership series. Enjoy! – Kimberly
Shocking Ways Personal Brands Will Make You a Better Leader creates a thoughtful perspective on the future of leadership development.
After decades worth of studying leadership development and career advancement, there is a powerful truth that presents itself. Anyone in a leadership role that wants to be a better leader should understand this basic principle. Shocking ways personal brands will make you a better leader is the easiest way to command attention from a team regardless of how many people you lead.
Let’s look at leadership from two main perspectives. The first perspective is the individual perspective. This is otherwise known as a personal brand. The second perspective is the collective or team where each individual contributor adds to the greater whole. Somewhere in the middle is where it seems to go off the rails. Good leaders can get distracted when they need to keep it simple. The shocking truth is that being a better leader is easier when you focus on personal brands. Here’s how we do it!
The basic objective in leadership is to get the individual contributors to effectively and productively work toward the common goal with less effort. Turning this complicated task into a simple solution is easy. The right approach leads to simplicity. Let’s consider the shocking ways personal brands will make you a better leader by focusing on personal brands.
Shockingly Simple Ways to Use a Personal Brand to Lead
Anyone in a leadership position may already know the difficulty that comes when leading teams of individual contributors. The bigger the team, the more difficult the task. Using a simple approach repeatedly makes you a better leader.Continue reading
Common Roots: Shifting Context – Leadership Springs from Within
What does a rubber chicken like this one?
Have to do with a book like this one?
Well, Kimberly Wiefling (rubber chicken lady) met Linda Alepin (now author of above book) when they started their study of generative leadership as young professionals.
Kimberly was inspired by the principles of vision, listening, and dreaming to become widely known in the leadership arena, particularly working with innovative Japanese companies.
Linda took the same principles into industry, academia, founding a not for profit that worked with hundreds of people around the globe and, finally, to this book.
Join Linda as the author (and Kimberly as a participant) on Friday, February 4 from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM PST (GMT -8). You will hear stories of people from around the world who are featured in the book.
It’s FREE. Register at bit.ly/shifting-context-launch.
Shifting Context: Leadership Springs from Within is available for pre-sale at Amazon https://amzn.to/3IHdJFS.
Here is what Rayona Sharpnack had to say about the book:
“Shifting Context: Leadership Springs from Within is an important book at an important time in history. Research consistently shows that countries who seriously invest in women’s and girls’ empowerment get a dramatic return on their investment financially, socially, and in all ways that matter for a civil society.
The women featured in this book are exemplars of that important investment!
The book will inspire you, move you, and remind you of the hidden power that women have to make all of our lives better. Kudos to Linda and Barbara for their essential leadership in this movement for social entrepreneurship!”
—Rayona Sharpnack, Founder/CEO at Institute for Gender Partnership and Women’s Leadership, Inc.
These true stories of sheroes and heroes from around the world will inspire you. They demonstrate how leadership that springs from within brings about real social change.
If you are a passionate leader who wants to create greater impact do not miss this book launch and be sure to read the book.
4 Things to Consider Before Going into Business With Someone You Know
Guest post in our entrepreneurial series. Enjoy! – Kimberly
Business partnerships between people who already know each other can be incredibly fruitful. They involve banding together and sharing capital, expertise, and experience to create a thriving enterprise. Partnering up with a friend or family member may seem like an excellent idea. However, you need to exercise caution when going into business with someone you are close to. Business partnership and friends do not always mix, and incompatibility in business can lead to strained relationships and broken friendships. Here are a few things that you should consider before choosing a business partner.
Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels
Do You Share a Similar Vision?
If you are considering starting a business, you probably already have some idea about the product or service you would like to provide, the industry you want to be in, and the type of business you want to run. When it comes down to company identity, it is essential that you both share a similar vision for your brand. In order for it to succeed, business partners need to unify to fulfill brand promises, enforce standards and live up to the company beliefs and values.
Have You Worked With Them Before?
Having a strong connection with someone in a personal way does not always mean you will work well together in business. Being comfortable with your business partner and having the ability to be honest and straight with them is important. However, possessing existing experience working with them already will help you gauge their work style and what they will be like as a partner. If you lack this experience, try working together on a smaller project to see how you work together as a team.Continue reading
Leadership Tricks that you Can Learn From the NBA
Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly
The sports industry is one of the biggest industries in the world with a global market of $390 billion in 2020, and it is expecting to grow to $440 billion this year. This shows that sports are more than just teams competing for prestige and money. In fact, they are so impactful that can change many people’s lives only by following the same principles.
We can learn a lot of things from sports that we can use in our everyday lives, especially from the NBA, such as:
- Having a strong will
- Be a team player
- Networking
- Having confidence
- Overcoming mental health issues
- And being a good leader
Having leadership skills is crucial in the NBA, especially if you want to be one of the top players in the league. With that said, the NBA can teach us many things about leadership and in today’s article, we will highlight some of the things that you should absorb from this sport in order to improve your life on every level.
Lead by Example
Being a good leader is all about taking responsibilities and holding yourself accountable before you can hold someone else. This is also the difference between a manager and a leader. Leaders will ask themselves before asking others, and managers only give out orders.
If you expect players to give 100% and always be on time, you should do that yourself. That is the best way to set an example that everyone follows. Continue reading
Tech Fluency
Contributed article by Yvonne Burton of Burton Consulting International and Silicon Valley Alliance Associate.
Technological fluency is a major part of global business skills and in the age of remote work, the need for companies to have Tech Fluency has become more and more apparent. I work mainly with Japanese companies and although many major corporations are proactive in utilizing technology to the fullest, I find that an equal number are not. Whether, small, medium, or large, many Japanese companies are behind in using technology tools for maximum benefit and suffering for it.
This first article provides a general introduction to the theme, a look at what is missing and the state that a lot of companies found themselves in when the pandemic propelled all of the world into remote work. Some companies seamlessly adapted, but for many others, it was and continues to be more of a challenge. Going forward, I will be writing more on this theme and what companies can and should be doing to increase fluency.
‘Tech Fluency’ was first published on JapanCulture-NYC where, as Business Editor, I write a bi-monthly column. I am re-posting the complete article here.
Technological Fluency
That is a mouthful. I call it Tech Fluency.
What is Tech Fluency?
Let me define it by looking at its components.
Technology: Techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives.
Fluency: The quality or condition of being fluent. In addition, it is also defined as the ability to express oneself easily and articulately. It is usually applied to languages.
In this article, I am taking creative license and applying fluency to the language of technology to describe the level of proficiency and/or comfort in using the technological tools and applications that are needed to perform work responsibilities.Continue reading
Seven Main Ways Millennials are Changing the Definition of Leadership in 2020
Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly
Millennials are “rebellious path-breakers” who shun everything traditional and believe in making their path. And over the years, it is the millennials have collectively transformed the way we communicate and conduct business.
This is the generation that reconciles logic and emotions. The millennials are both educated and empathic, and they want to make the world a better place. And it is this optimism that reflects the way they lead business ventures as well.
Here are seven ways in which Millennials are redefining leadership in 2020
REF: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-woman-wearing-eyeglasses-3184405/
Personalised Professional Workplaces
Gone are the days when people separated their personal and professional spaces. The millennial work culture is more flexible, intuitive, and interactive. And the office spaces and workstations are an extension of this attitude.
Most of the start-ups that we see around have a very vibrant, friendly vide to it. Even big shot corporations like Google have incorporated the millennial culture. A millennial leader is not dogmatic or dominating. Instead, they focus on building a personal connection with their team.
However, that being said, millennial work culture also stresses on work-life balance. Effective time management, flexible working hours, home-based working options are more prevalent than ever.