I’ve been diving deep into research on trust lately. When trust is present in an organization great things happen. There’s less anxiety. There’s more comfort in…
In thriving healthcare organizations, trusting relationships are a foundational piece of the culture. Trust is mutual: we tend to trust people who also trust us. That’s…
Looking to spark a trust-building conversation with someone you lead? Start with a question. Asking (not telling) builds rapport, fosters psychological safety, and makes…
Each week now for several years I have written this column. I normally take one or two topics to address. This column will be different. It is a mix of thoughts, sayings, and/or advice that I have found and still find helpful. I hope you find these helpful. When the student is ready, the teacher appears. I was never a good student in school or a good student of life. At 31, something clicked. An…
I recently had the pleasure of spending time with a group of nurses who are in leadership positions at Mercy Health˗Springfield Regional Medical Center in Springfield, Ohio. My style is to ask the person in charge of such an event/meeting to poll the attendees and ask them what they want to leave with. This way it is the attendees’ agenda, not mine. The group provided several items. Two of the takeaways they wanted were “How…
The Human Capital Ecosystem™ is a framework to help organizations attract, retain, and engage talent. An “ecosystem” is a system of interdependent pieces. Like an ecosystem in nature, many interconnecting components are linked together. They interact with each other and with their environment to create fully engaged individuals. This is why an organic approach to engagement is so powerful. For years we’ve heard, “Employees don’t leave their job; they leave their boss.” While that comment…
Getting and keeping good people has always been one of the biggest challenges for business owners. Finding the right person to join the team has been especially tricky these past few years. The shortage of candidates and the growing competition for those staffing resources has created a sense of urgency. Business owners need to find the right person for the job, and it needs to happen quickly. The interview process may feel a lot like…
It’s great getting to work with different types of people. Diversity is a wonderful thing. If we all worked and thought the same way, and had the same strengths, weaknesses, temperaments, and preferences, the workplace would be unbalanced. Imagine if everyone brainstormed nonstop and there was nobody to sit down and execute a plan. Or if you had an organization full of “executers” and no creative types to infuse fresh ideas. It’s crucial to understand…
The Great Resignation is still going on, and many individuals and business owners are dealing with job change. Whether one is thinking of leaving a job or is a leader dealing with the loss of a good employee, these are often complicated, emotional issues. It can be hard to know what to do. This past week I experienced three situations that involved career decisions. While they were all different, they were also similar in some…
How we “show up” at work matters. It matters for everyone, but especially for leaders as we are in a position to influence so many others. Are we fully present and engaged…or distracted? Are we calm, centered, and focused…or scattered? Positive and optimistic…or skeptical? Open and accessible…or unapproachable? Energized and ready to work…or passive? As leaders, everything we do and say is amplified. Our words and actions have a tremendous impact on the daily experience…
It is hard to believe 2022 is half over already. Yet here we are in the middle of June. That means at Studer Family of Companies (SFOC), it is time for mid-year reviews. Many times, companies schedule annual performance reviews. They have one-on-one meetings, and they have department meetings. This column is about adding a mid-year conversation. Employees are hard to come by these days. We need to do everything possible to engage and retain…
My writings are based on experiences, either my own or those I hear about from others. Today I’d like to write about that ability one achieves to be able to not confuse effort with results. Yes, I admire effort. Yes, effort often leads to results. Effort can be a very good thing. However, it is possible to put forth a lot of effort and still fall short on the desired outcome. This does not mean…
All jobs have their good points and their moments of challenge. To me, one of the most challenging roles of all is done by those who work in middle management. A middle manager is not in the senior role and not in the hourly role. They are sandwiched in between and are expected to meet the needs of both groups. As discussed in this column a few years ago, the best organizations tend to be…