Category Archives: Professional Development

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

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→

Beginning Your Job Search: Tips to Find a Job Easily

Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

People who keep saying they can’t find a job, aren’t that serious about getting one. In this transient market, new positions come and go every day.

For anyone looking for a job, there are three ways to go about it. Go online, get in touch with a recruiter, or do it old style.

Online

By far, the most popular way to look for a job is to go online. There are so many options, though, so it can be a bit daunting.

There are loads of websites that introduce job seekers with companies who are looking, from sites that cover every possible industry out there, to niche markets. Here’s a great place to get started.

For professionals, you could set up a profile on a site like LinkedIn. It’s the ideal networking tool to make contacts in your industry.

Be careful not to spam companies with job applications. If they offer several positions, apply for the one you’re most suited for. Multiple attempts make you look undecided, and a little too willing to take on anything.Continue reading→

5 Tips for Building the Perfect Resume

Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

Attracting the attention of a potential employer is something most job seekers are adamant about. The first chance you have to make a great impression on a business owner or hiring manager is with your resume. Did you realize the average job post receives nearly 250 resumes? With this many resumes, it will be difficult to get the attention you crave from a hiring manager.

The only way to gain your spot at the top of the resume pile is by optimizing this document. Using tools like ResumeBuild is a great idea. This website provides you with a host of resume templates. These templates are designed to make your resume more readable and appealing. Be sure to visit ResumeBuild to find out more about the services they provide. If you are trying to build the perfect resume, consider the helpful tips below.

Source-Pixabay

1. Focus on Quality Over Quantity

One of the main things a potential employer will notice about your resume is how it is formatted. If your resume features large blocks of text with no headers, bullet points or numbered lists, it can make this document look very unappealing. A hiring manager will only glance at a resume for a few seconds before deciding to keep reading or discard it. Rather than gumming up your resume with wordy descriptions and large blocks of text, you need to focus on quality over quantity.Continue reading→

Make Smart Mistakes To Achieve Impossible Goals

Originally published on Forbes 14 Oct. 2014.

Author: Kimberly Wiefling

Like most kids, I was taught to avoid mistakes. Perfection was the goal, and errors were punished—sometimes with lower grades, and occasionally with a swat on the behind. Imperfection wasn’t rewarded in adulthood either, where a narrow definition of beauty left me wishing I had a supermodel figure and a more attractive face. Then came the innovation era in the business world. Suddenly we were supposed to cast off years of perfectionism and become wildly creative.

Unfortunately, a famous NASA study showed that the typical 98% creativity scores of five-year-olds falls to a mere 2% by the time these same children become adults. Creativity is messy! The creative path is dotted with imperfection and temporary setbacks, sometimes called failure. We learn to avoid mistakes, and thus stop expressing our creativity, in order to survive in our families, at school, and at work.

Here are five ways to breathe new life into the creativity with which you were born. (For the rest of this, please see the full article on Forbes here.)

How to Look Chic in a Dressed Down Workplace

Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

Casual office dress codes are now pretty much the norm in some industries, particularly if you work in tech or media and are not in a client facing role. Some other offices do keep a business casual dress code, but have dress down days on Fridays as a weekly thing for staff to look forward to.

However, for some people, the casual environment can actually be harder to dress for than a smarter one! If you are someone who feels more ‘ready to work’ when they are wearing professional looking clothes than when they are in comfy jeans, or someone who just prefers a more glamorous style whatever they are doing, then putting on the casual work staples of jeans and a sweater or t-shirt can feel quite uninspiring. After all, work is where you spend a good amount of your time and have many of your social interactions, so you want it to be somewhere you can show off your own personal style if that is something important to you!

If you are looking to upgrade your work wardrobe to a more chic look without feeling out of place in your casual workplace, here are some ideas:Continue reading→

How to Go Self-Employed and Work From Home

Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

Many people like the idea of working for themselves but don’t want to or are unable to make the investment into setting up a business with all the overheads of renting premises and employing staff. Fortunately, the Internet has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for you to work from home, an approach that requires only modest investment and is full of opportunities for self-employed work.

If you have the desire and the drive to be successfully self-employed, it can be a highly rewarding lifestyle, and once you’re established, you can quickly expand into running a more extensive business if you so wish. In order to make a decent living from your self-employed work, you just need to make sure there is a market for your offer, and that you have the skills to manage to be your own boss.

Identifying Your Skills

Everyone has a skill set they’ve built up, but not all of them are adaptable to working from home. There are two key factors to consider before you decide what kind of work to take on.Continue reading→