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Leading teams effectively in this new COVID-19 World by @LeadToInspireC1

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by Crystal Smith

Within a matter of weeks many of us have been forced to manage our teams in this new virtual world because of the COVID 19 pandemic. In just three short weeks I have witnessed teams overcome the challenges extremely well. I have also witnessed teams crumble at the core. There are many leaders in my field that I follow on social media platforms who I admire and respect. Their ability to transform and pivot their organizations ranged from phenomenal and timely, to inefficient and too late. In my first week working in this virtual environment, I had a team member who resigned, a team member who needed accommodations because they were unable to perform in the work-from-home environment, and I introduced team members to two new platforms that allowed us to stay connected. What are the biggest takeaways thus far from this forced work from home environment?

  1. Leaders are the same people in the virtual world that they are in the brick and mortar world. In other words, we cannot expect people who were poor communicators, not engaged with their teams and unapproachable, to all of a sudden become amazing at all of these skills because we are now working virtually. These areas of deficiency will actually become more evident in this new world because the curtain has been pulled back and there is no office door where they can close and hide. The lesson – leaders, like all employees, should be evaluated and have 360 assessments from their teams in order to identify their areas of strengths and areas of improvement regularly. If these things are not done, when any other disaster or emergency takes place, these inefficiencies will be more challenging to overcome for the leader and for the team.
  2. Leaders don’t have to duplicate what was done when we were in buildings and offices. In other words, just because we met every Tuesday and Thursday at a designated time, doesn’t mean we have to do the same in a virtual environment. Quite honestly, many of my face to face meetings were not productive. In this new world we can re-evaluate what meetings are important and what can be sent in an email. So many of my meetings have been cancelled in this new virtual world and people are beginning to realize that not everything is “urgent”. We can also introduce new meeting platforms that allow us to meet using technology (Zoom, Skype for Business, Microsoft 365 Team, etc.). The lesson – we can use this tragedy as an opportunity to re-imagine the way we lead and do our work that is productive for our teams, our customers and our personal lives.
  3. Leaders may want to limit the “reply all” emails and ask team members to send a message to the leader first to determine if it is “reply all” worthy. I realized within two days that some people confused this “out of sight” experience as an opportunity to lead the ship that already had a captain – that captain was me. The request to the team to send all “reply all” messages to me first allowed messaging to be streamlined. During chaos and confusion, emails are often coming from everywhere, and it is easy to have messages become lost in translation. The lesson – it is important to control some of the messaging during times of uncertainty.
  4. Leaders should identify tools/apps that are useful to help teams stay engaged and stay connected. The tool that was most helpful for me in the beginning and continues to be useful, is Slido.com. It allows me to establish a platform for questions to be asked and I can answer as the moderator. Everyone can see the questions and responses. This limits the constant back and forth emails and provides a place for team members to go for quick questions that need to be answered. It also allows me to create polls that became fun activities. I created word clouds with simple questions like “How would you describe your first week working virtually in ONE word”. It was truly a learning process to gauge how the team was doing that first week in a visual word cloud. I also used a platform called FlipGrid that allowed team members to create quick 2 minute videos and respond with fun and engaging videos. We were able to laugh and connect in ways that were similar to visiting our offices throughout the day. The lesson – people still need to see people and connect beyond meetings and emails.

The quote on my office door says “leadership is a verb”. This is true whether in a building or in this new virtual world of work where many of us currently live.

 

 

Crystal Smith is a lifelong educator who currently serves as an administrator at a community college on the east coast. Crystal is a graduate of both Hampton University and The College of William and Mary, where she received her bachelors and master’s degree in Sociology. Her area of expertise is in the fields of family and gender studies and research and development.

Crystal started her career in human resources and worked with several Fortune 500 companies, including Lockheed Martin and Arthur Anderson Consulting. This work led her to consider education and teaching as a possible career goal. After an amazing career teaching in the K-12 system for five years, she decided to pursue a career in higher education. Crystal has been a higher education professional for over 17 years and this work led her to start her own consulting firm that specializes in leadership development, strategic planning and branding development.

The Secret To Thriving In Your Daily Routine by Meg Rohs of @nine56_studio

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by Meg Rohs

Maybe it was the postpartum hormones or the fact that I was in quarantine while being on maternity leave making me a little crazy, but I was determined to do more than just survive my days working from home. I wanted to thrive in them.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge believer in not trying to do it all or be it all during the postpartum period. After all, the most important thing is to focus on healing your body and taking care of your baby. But for me, creating an intentional daily routine wasn’t about getting more done, it was about showing up as my best to do the things I needed to do well. And more than just hurrying through them to move onto the next thing, actually enjoying them (answering emails, changing diapers, and cleaning the kitchen included).

The secret to thriving in your daily routine isn’t just for postpartum mamas. I built a work-from-home routine that not only allowed me take care of my baby, but also myself, and my business. Here’s how:

Design your day in blocks.

Our days can lose purpose and direction when they don’t have structure but we can also get really discouraged and frustrated when we try to adhere to a strict schedule that we can’t keep up with. Blocking is a technique I use to create both structure and flexibility in my routine.

The technique of blocking consists of dividing your day into blocks of similar amounts of time and filling those blocks of time with activities that work well together. This is a great way to bring both variety and structure to every day. The magic of blocking is that it allows you to easily adapt to different needs the day brings without losing your rhythm.

Here’s an example of how I block my days taking care of a new baby and running a business.

Block one. I’m focused on getting some work done for my business. I love sipping my morning coffee, creating content for my brand, and snuggly my babe next to my chest as he snoozes in his wrap (of course sometimes he’s screaming and I don’t get any work done, but those moments are going to happen too). I write the top three things that I want to get done for my business the night before so I can dive right in and make the most of these morning hours.

Block two. Here’s when we usually go on a walk and I’ll try to get a short exercise in. I also make myself a smoothie during this time (yes, even something as small as making a healthy smoothie for myself is part of my routine because otherwise I don’t take the time to do it). I found I’m much more likely to enjoy exercise after having a slow morning first. I tried to be the gal who jumped out of bed and got her workout in right away but it just didn’t feel productive to me. To block your routine in an effective way, you need to pay attention to which tasks flow best for you in which parts of your day.

Block three. This time I spend on miscellaneous tasks that I want to get done. This can look like bath time, taking photos for Instagram content, cleaning the house, ordering household supplies, anything that needs to get done. It’s important for me to block time for this kind of stuff every day. Otherwise they sit at the bottom of my to-do list and accumulate until I’m really bogged down.

Block four. I’m focused on getting dinner ready, cleaning the kitchen from the day, and getting ready for the next day. After I nurse my baby around 8pm we start our bedtime routine and are sleeping as soon as we can be after that. What I love about building my routine with blocks is that it keeps me focused on my priorities for this season but it’s also designed to evolve. So as my baby gets older and and our priorities change, our rhythm can easily change with them.

 

 

Meg Rohs is a small town mama, loungewear enthusiast, and total homebody who gives women tools to own their worth. She’s the founder of Nine56 Studio, a luxury loungewear brand for work-from-home mamas, dream builders, and homebodies like herself. Sign up for her weekly tips on connecting your clothing to your lifestyle and stories from her simple life in rural Wisconsin.

5 Things You Need to Know About Making Money Through Instagram

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Photo credit: @virtuallydone Instagram

by Jemma Broadstock

With marketing budgets increasingly being spent on digital marketing, you aren’t alone if you’re running around like a headless chicken trying to understand the ins and outs of using Instagram for your business.

So if you have no idea how to make money through your Instagram, here’s are 5 key things to bare in mind:

 

1. Consistency is Key

If you think posting an image every now and again is going to do it, you’re wrong. You need to be showing up consistently, not only on your feed, but on your stories too.

The message in your captions, stories, bio and hashtags all needs to make sense. If the content isn’t consistently sharing the same message or your content isn’t consistently being shared, people won’t become familiar with you as a brand.

You want to get to the point where people see a quote graphic you created pop up on their feed and they know it’s you before they’ve seen your name because the message, fonts and colours are all consistent with what they have seen from you before.

In an ideal world, people should be seeing something from you daily. This doesn’t mean you have to post something new and exciting every day, instead you can show up on your stories. Share an insight into your day, or upload your to do list – people love behind the scenes content, and this will keep your engagement up on the days you don’t post.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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2. Make sales easy⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

This might seem like an obvious point, but it’s a mistake I see way too often.

The average consumer attention span is 8 seconds. Someone should be able to click onto your profile and know within those 8 seconds who you are, what you do, and who your product or service is for. Your biography should explain this clearly and concisely, with a specific call to action and a link for people to click if they want to learn more.

“Mystical goddess helping millennial women do amazing things” might sound cool to you, but no one will know what that means. Who are you? What do you do? Who do you help? If you don’t answer these questions, they will not take the time to DM and ask you, they’ll simply click off your profile.

Your copy doesn’t need to be complex; it just needs to be simple and easy to understand.

 

3. Creating connections is everything

People often talk about the dreaded ‘algorithm’ which underlies some of the curious things Instagram does such as showing or not showing our account to other people.

Don’t let this scare you! Instagram is based on connection. If you engage with your target audience, and by engage, I mean follow, DM, comment and like, Instagram will connect you with more of those types of people.

This doesn’t mean you should be downloading ‘engagement’ apps or joining ‘engagement pods’. Instagram is clever and will punish you for any unnatural or fake engagement. Instead, each day spend some time genuinely connecting with people within your network. Vote on their story polls and send them a DM if you love what they are doing. This really is the secret to success on Instagram!

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4. Being vulnerable works

You might feel that everything on your Instagram has to remain 10/10 professional at all times BUT this stops connections from being made.

As we all know, people buy from people, and to build that like, know and trust factor, you need to show your human side. You can do this by uploading pictures of yourself, running mini trainings on your stories, or writing captions that give an insight into your life.

Sharing video content has become huge on Instagram lately and with 4 in 5 consumers admitting they would rather learn about a product through a video, it’s no wonder why!

By being vulnerable and sharing the person behind the business, people feel more connected to you. Whatever your story, share an insight into your life and it will make a huge difference to the way your followers engage with you.

On the flip side, if you make your life look perfect, people can’t relate. Instead, show the ups and downs of your business. Talk about your insecurities. Share your journey. You’ll be amazed how many people DM you and tell you they can relate.

Miss the last post and panicking? Share it!

Spilt coffee down your shirt before a big meeting? Share it!

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5. Good things take time

It might not be what you want to hear, but you won’t get 10k followers overnight or get clients with your first Instagram post. A successful social media profile takes months of hard work and good content to build up.

Be patient and it will pay off.

 

 

 

Jemma Broadstock is a Virtual Assistant and Social Media Manager specialising in using Instagram for online businesses. As well as working as a Virtual Assistant and Social Media Manager, Jemma also runs Virtually Done, an online platform for those wanting to learn how to be VAs.

Connect with Jemma on Instagram.

Learn more about her services here.

 

Why right now is the best time to start your online coaching business, and 5 steps to get you started

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by Rakel Chafir

With everything that’s going on in the world, starting a new business may sound counter intuitive. However, if we give ourselves permission to place our anxiety on hold just long enough to take a deep breath, we might be able to recognize this moment as an excellent opportunity to both reflect and take action.

With millions of people confined to their homes in the effort to contain the spread of the virus, the Internet today offers the only option to continue working, learning, and connecting with the outside world. Figures show an increase in global Internet traffic up to 50% in the last three months alone. More people than ever before are spending more time on a variety of websites and social media apps that share your potential target market.

And if that wasn’t enough of a reason to start thinking that maybe this might be a great time to give your dream of being a successful online coach some serious thoughts, think about the other undeniable phenomenon that is happening at this moment. People are struggling to cope with fear and confinement, and whether you want to be a life coach, an online fitness trainer, or a wellness guru, they can really use your help.

While economic uncertainty is never a desirable situation, the inherent agility of an online coaching business will allow you to get started and come out on top.

 

Here are the first 5 steps to get you on your way:

 

 

Step 1: Define your ideal customer avatar:

Your Ideal customer avatar represents either an existing or potential customer who wants and needs your content, your product, or your services. This person may be one of your current clients, a friend you have been helping pro bono, or even yourself. Get clear on your ICA’s likes, aspirations, fears, and daily challenges. For example, Is your ideal client a single millennial or a new mom over 40? An Introvert or an extrovert? An overwhelmed business owner or a full-time employee? The more you know about your ICAs, the more you’ll be able to create solutions to their wants and needs.

Step 2: Define your message: 

Rather than compare yourself to other online entrepreneurs, and feel like you need to have the same offers and qualifications they do, think about what makes you unique. You might have a personal success story that got you started on your wellness journey, and now you may feel called to share it with others. Or perhaps, you are an executive who has found balance and joy in life after years of burn out, so now you can other corporate leaders get there as well. Whatever it may be, your unique story will fuel your desire to make a difference in another person’s life and enable you to establish an authentic connection with prospective clients.

STEP 3: Initiate authentic connections:

The great thing about the Internet is that your audience is already there, congregating in existing websites, reading blogs, meeting in Facebook groups. Once you know who your ICA is (Step 1), you can research the online platforms where she/he interacts and join them yourself. You want to spend time studying these platforms, getting familiar with the conversations that are taking place there, and initiating authentic communication aimed at building trust and connection with your ideal customers.

STEP 4: Change your inner dialogue:

Go from “who am I to do this?” to “who am I to doubt my heart-felt desires?”.  If you have been raised to find value in hard work, you might resist the idea that you can take ownership of what you want without first having to prove you have enough credentials and accomplishments. However, the simple fact that you wholeheartedly desire to start your online coaching business and have an impact in the world is enough of a reason to give yourself permission to go for it.

STEP 5: Make wise investments:

One of the biggest mistakes I see coaches make is investing in expensive programs at the beginning of their careers. I am not knocking down any particular one here, but unless you are looking into a specific coaching field that requires certification, you don’t need that piece of paper to get started. Instead, begin by hiring a coach or a mentor who can help you set up weekly and monthly objectives, and offer you a first-hand experience of the very support you wish to offer others.

The five steps above will help you get the clarity you need to identify your path and initiate interactions with your prospective clients. There are many other things you’ll need to do next, but none of them will work unless you first get clear and give yourself permission to honor your desire fully.

 

 

Rakel Chafir is a body confidence expert and success coach who teaches women how to heal their relationship with their body so they can reach their full potential in life. Her signature approach combines physical movement, resilience training and spiritual principles to help clients let go of unwanted weight, eliminate addictive behaviors, and more. Rakel has worked in some of New York City’s most elite studios as a certified personal trainer and also has an extensive background in health and wellness that includes being a Precision Nutrition Certified Coach, a Master Expert in Hypopressive Abdominal Method and more. Her expertise has been featured on Thrive Global, Addicted2Success and CEOWorld Magazine. Rakel is the author of the forthcoming Free Your Body: 7 Steps To Get The Freedom You Deserve and the Body You Desire (November 2020).

Working From Home? 3 Easy Ways to Level Up Your Loungewear by Sandra Martinelli of @shopdelicora

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by Sandra Martinelli

Calling all quaran-queens: It’s time to level up your loungewear. We’ve all heard it before… “Dressing up makes you feel better.” I agree. However, if you are one of the millions currently working from home during the shelter in place, you know how difficult it is to get out of your yoga pants. If you haven’t put on a pair of jeans in weeks, I’m here to say “that’s okay!” This is coming from someone who struts into the office in her cheetah print Giuseppe Zanotti stilettos on a random Tuesday. I’ll never knock dressing up, but a happy medium exists!

Here are 3 easy ways to level up your loungewear and become the athleisure boss I know you are.

1. Adopt a long sweater

Find a long sweater to pull together to your everyday top and yoga pants. Not only will the perfect sweater keep you cozy, but playing around with different lengths will add dimension to your whole look. I found my long sweater through a local boutique currently making deliveries.

If you have a favorite local boutique, I’d highly recommend giving them a follow via Instagram or Facebook and supporting them in any way you can. Chances are that they are experiencing challenges due to COVID-19. This is especially true if they don’t have an e-commerce presence, so be sure to reach out if possible! If you’d prefer to shop online, here are some online retailers I absolutely love.
Choosy
Poshmark (I love shopping consignment!)
Vici Dolls
Nordstrom
Lulus
Asos

 

 

2. Keep your jewelry game on point

As a jewelry designer, I simply believe jewelry gives you superpowers. Have you ever felt naked without earrings or your favorite necklace? Have you ever put on your jewelry ensemble and your reflection does a double take? Of course you have! It is time to layer, sister girl. Lay out your collection and start wearing your go to pieces. In the mood to treat yourself? Head to Delicora and find your next favorite piece of jewelry. I founded Delicora to offer fun, unique, lightweight, and high quality jewelry at fair prices. I have incredibly sensitive skin with an aggressive allergic reaction to nickel, so I built a line that is 100% nickel free. You’ll find 14k gold filled, sterling silver, and gold vermeil options throughout the site.

These are the pieces I’m rocking in this leveled up loungewear look.
Laguna Hoops ($48)
Sandra Necklace ($48)
Lanikai Looped Lariat ($98)

Starting June 2019, we began a partnership with the Feeding America non-profit supporting children and families suffering from food scarcity. Every Delicora item sold also contributes 20 meals to Feeding America. During this time of sheltering in place, families will be depending on local food banks more than ever. Consider making a donation to Feeding America and learn about the programs set to help those in need during this time.

3. Bring on the lipstick

Someone once told me, “All a girl ever really needs is a great pair of earrings and her lipstick.” This strikes a chord. I completely agree! Top your entire look off by wearing a little lipstick! Many of you may be giving your skin some breathing time, and I think that is simply fabulous. I believe great skin starts with a discipline routine and going light on your foundation. While you let your skin breathe, add just a touch of lip color to brighten your face. I personally love Nars Cosmetics. I’m wearing the Nars Lipstick in Tolede and the Nars Precision Lip Liner in Vence.

I also love Nars:
Satin Lip Pencils (I have 8 different colors I play around with!)
Afterglow Lip Balm (for the ladies who don’t do lipstick)

I hope you found this helpful, and level up your look without compromising comfort! Just remember, there’s a happy medium out there and you and strike the perfect balance.

 

 

 

Processed with MOLDIV

Sandra Martinelli is the founder and designer of Delicora Jewelry based in Northern California who has been featured in PopSugar, Reader’s Digest, and more. Delicora is dedicated to offering high quality jewelry keeping sensitive skin in mind. ​Sign up​ for Delicora’s VIP list and be the first to find out about new releases and receive special promos

Demonstrating Persistence And Consistency In The New Global Culture by @coachlorimcneil

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by Lori McNeil

There are a few times in a women’s life that make such a substantial impact on them to which they will never forget. Your wedding day. Your first child. Your first love. Your first break up. The list could go on. However, as it relates to business there is one day that no one will forget. The day that the world changed globally. 2020 has begun with some amazing changes in how businesses are showing up for their clients, but more importantly, themselves and their families.

One of the greatest asset’s female entrepreneurs have is utilizing our natural ability to multi-task life into the business world. This new global culture is paying attention more intently than ever before, and women business owners have never been better positioned to lead this new economy.

Two concepts come to the forefront in order to accomplish this: Persistence and Consistency.

 

Persistence is Power

Persistence in its simplest terms is sustained action. Action creates movement. Momentum moves mountains. That movement is powerful. Alongside of that power comes influence. One of the purest emotions is influence because no one knows just how deep their influence goes. Because of that there is a sustained humility that often comes with persistency. Every entrepreneur knows the importance of influence and women take that emotion to heart in every moment.

For persistence to gain traction and momentum one must first show up. Remembering next to never give up. Accepting the fact that laziness is nothing more than manifested excuses and the end result of persistency is in how it blesses others, is a great leveling and positioning tool. Operating in the global culture demands for sustained action. This action fuels consistency.

 

Consistency Carries the Control

Showing up and pushing through challenges (there are always challenges along the way) is the fruit of persistence. In other words, is consistency lets others know your serious. The rhyme and reason for your consistency is your own. Whether you show up once a month, once a week, or once a day is not as important as just showing up. Consistency is like visiting your great grandmothers house knowing that each time you do she has hot, homemade cookies ready for you to devour.

Consistency says that you value other people enough to give of your time for them. As others see the value you bring, they will reciprocate. This is where the control is. Not a control as in power but a control that brings people into alignment. That alignment allows for relationships to grow and prosper.

 

The Voice Of Reason And Truth

The new global culture is screaming for authenticity and honesty from all four directions. What sets a person apart from another is their calling card. The stronger your foundation is, the easier it is to maintain the momentum of persistence.

 

Allow consistency to be your calling card.

Would you like to learn how to maintain persistence or create consistency? Let us know in the comments below. We would love to hear from you.

 

 

International Educator, Speaker, Author, and Business Coach, Lori helps entrepreneurs and organizations focus on foundational tools needed for sustained success. As a Curriculum Designer and Business Professor, Lori has helped grow hundreds of organizations organically to build a true, long-lasting purpose. Lori has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, & various regional markets. She has authored / co-authored several books and works globally to support literacy, cancer research, young entrepreneurship, and military programs. Helping raise over three million dollars for literacy, Lori was awarded the Lifetime Presidential Service Award for her work. For more info visit www.lorimcneil.com.

Women Entrepreneurs Debunk Sustainable Business Myths by Claudia Nikolova of @enterpriseleag1

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by Claudia Nikolova

Sustainability has become a true buzz word in recent years.”

Sustainability has become a true buzz word in recent years. Even large corporations with foundations well built on traditional (read unsustainable) practices have started to proclaim themselves green. Instead of greenwashing, they’re brainwashing consumers.

However, that doesn’t mean sustainability is the wrong path to take. We had the chance to talk to four incredible women entrepreneurs running revolutionary conscious fashion brands: Sabinna, Flair Atelier, Fabric for Freedom, Conscious House London. Each of them spoke openly about their experience with sustainability. And all of them agreed there are certain myths that hurt the reputation of green business.

 

Sustainability is budget-friendly

One thing is for sure: certificates cost a lot. Small companies can hardly afford them. The owner can go above and beyond to make the supply chain sustainable but without the certificates it’s virtually pointless. Additionally, the initial costs for eco-friendly technology and materials are higher compared to non-green alternatives.

Nonetheless, research shows that ROI is also higher. All things considered, it’s expensive to found a sustainable business but once you survive the critical period benefits will start to show.

 

Your business can be 100% sustainable

Like one of the ladies put it “You have to choose your battles.” In order to stay open and profitable you have to play the sustainability cards wisely. Fairness of labor, CO2 pollution, equality, plastic pollution, transparency etc. – you can’t win them all. You must priorities depending on your brand identity, mission, budget and goals.

Businesses claiming to be completely green and ethical are simply deluding their customers and the public. It’s not rare that sustainability is used for marketing purposes.

 

Vegan fashion is sustainable

Sabinna’s founder, a vegan, declared she’d rather wear leather than vegan clothes. We know how vegans are hard-core in their beliefs so when a vegan admits that vegan fashion is bad for the environment, you have to take it seriously. The main problem lies in fabrics used for production, which are often non biodegradable. Even when fabrics are plant-based, the means and methods for their production are rarely environmentally friendly or ethical.

 

Each myth can be an article in itself. Would you like to learn more about debunking sustainable business myths? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Claudia Nikolova A Millennial with an old soul who was born with a passion to make a difference in the world. Currently working for a revolutionary startup because its founders recognized a potential in me I wasn’t aware of. Jumping from content creation, to marketing, selling and what else, I’ve learned versatility suits my character.

 

 

Transitioning From Entrepreneurial Business To Company: Why You Need Leadership Development Now by @jenlongmore

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by Jennifer Longmore

The difference between running an entrepreneurial business and a company is significant. When you’re in the entrepreneurial stage, you’re working predominantly with contractors, you may or may not have run a team before, and your systems are likely lacking or nonexistent. A company is run differently. The systems, policies, procedures, and protocols are in place (even if they’re consistently being revamped or added to). The teams have clear leadership, and there’s a lot more structure to what you’re building.

This transition takes time, and while there’s a lot to do to make the transition successful, this is the time to put an emphasis on leadership development. Because becoming a great leader and CEO will require you to think differently, and you can either learn by trial under fire (where the burns are real) or you can learn through intentionally developing the skills you need. Here’s what leadership development will help you accomplish when you explore it intentionally.

 

Set The Tone

How your leadership team acts sets the tone for the culture and the company. Even if your leadership team is just you right now, it’s important to know exactly what makes a strong, respected leader and how to lead a conscious company into the future. The problem with putting leadership development off is it is much more difficult to change a company culture than it is to start off strong. So by diving into leadership development now and maintaining it from here on out, you’re heading off problems before they can rear their ugly heads (basically it’s the difference between playing whack-a-mole or hitting the bullseye).

 

Create Loyalty With Your Employees

If you’ve ever been afraid that your employees will run away with your secrets to a competitor or start their own business, then leadership development is something you should dive into. Leadership isn’t about effectively telling people what to do, how to do it, or getting them in line. That’s old school thinking that can make it hard to keep people on your team. When you learn effective leadership skills, you develop an understanding of what behaviors, policies, and practices keep your employees motivated and productive, while earning their loyalty. Much like trust, loyalty is something you earn from an employee—it’s not something freely given. The best leaders are the ones who hold their boundaries, while remembering that their power comes from the faith, trust, and loyalty of their people. Without it, they fall. In business, it’s no different.

 

Create a Space of Fulfillment For Your Employees

Leadership development, at its core, is about understanding and delivering on the needs of your people so that everyone is working together for a common goal or mission. When you immerse yourself in developing your leadership abilities, you learn how to become more in tune with your employees. Your emotional intelligence matures, and you create ways to check in with your team to ensure their needs are being met, pre-empting potential upsets. This allows you to create a culture that fosters inclusion, collaboration, and commitment, so that your people choose to stay and grow with the company.

 

Communicate & Make Decisions as the Leader

Leaders hold the vision, stay on mission, and emotionally enroll employees into their cause. The way you communicate and make decisions as a leader is different than when you’re in the trenches. You’re responsible for taking the information your team is sharing with you, and playing out the potential outcomes so you can make the strongest decisions for the company, with the mission in mind. For example, if there’s a choice to make an immediately profitable decision that could hurt the team or a choice to put the team first and have more of a slow burn, it’s the leader’s job to make the right decision that upholds the vision, values, and legacy of the company. Strong leaders will put their team (and clients) first consistently, showing the team that their loyalty is well placed. As the leader, you’re responsible for the legacy of the company. How you think through each challenge and decision will shape that legacy.

 

 

 

Jennifer is a high performance leadership consultant, working with organizations to create loyal, innovative, creative, and productive cultures that increase profits, using the Forensic Transformation Method™.

Jennifer’s over 15 years of experience in forensic investigation, emotional intelligence development, and team dynamics helps her create innovative solutions that organizations need to become 21st century change agents and increase their profitability.

Her genius has been featured in media outlets such as Fox News, ABC, Global News, Bustle, the LA Times, and more.

Competition vs collaboration: survival of the fairest? by @NiaFaraway

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How the Move towards Better Business is Part of an Evolutionary Species Milestone

by Nia Davies

The Long-term health of free enterprise capitalism will depend on delivering profit with purpose. Companies will come to understand that this combination serves their self-interest, as well as their customers and employees… At times, as the historian and politician Thomas Babington Macaulay wisely noted, it is necessary to reform in order to persevere. Today, the world has reached that moment. It is time for a reset’ – Lionel Barber of the Financial Times

They say that nature can be as cruel as it is kind. In a ‘dog-eat-dog world’, where survival of the fittest mentality prevails, outdoing the competition at all costs can often mean that those willing to morally bend the rules have come out on top. The result is a zero-sum game in which we have all lost, with people and planet affected by a system that can no longer sustain itself.

It’s no exaggeration to say that a pressing challenge facing our species if we are to survive the threat of climate change and mass extinction, is to evolve beyond our most basic survival instincts, and to develop a wider empathy and altruism that has the power to create change from the roots up.

Competition can be healthy, but science shows it’s co-operation, not struggle for survival that allows a species to truly flourish. Darwin understood that evolution is the story of how different species developed increasingly better methods of collaborating. However it is a perspective that has become slightly lost amongst the cut-throat ethos of a competitive market place, corrupt political landscape, and a culture that worships individual success.

If humans are the most advanced species, it’s because we have the most advanced means of collaborating. We have been able to blunt nature’s fangs by increasingly trying to care for the most vulnerable, the sick, the elderly and impoverished. Although it may not always seem like it according to the news, 2019 was the best decade in human history. Extreme poverty has fallen below 10% of the world’s population for the first time, global inequality has been plunging and child mortality has also fallen to record low levels.

There’s no denying that technological advancement has vastly improved our overall standards of living, but somewhere along the way, we have forgotten, and become increasingly disconnected from our roots. Hippie-talk aside, the fact is that we do not exist in isolation as a species, biologically sharing a symbiotic relationship with the wider world, from the bacteria that inhabit our gut, to the constant air exchange with the foliage around us.

Symbiotic relationships take 3 main forms: Mutualism where both parties benefit, Commensalism where only one species benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed, and Parasitism where one organism gains while the host is suffers.

Humans are arguably at a stage where our symbiosis with the environment, and occasionally each-other, has become Parasitic, we have reduced mortality not just with antibiotics (which microbes eventually develop resistance against), but also by drawing down on natural resources at rates exceeding those of natural replenishment.

Resilience theorists would say we are entering the ‘release phase’ of the adaptive cycle that characterises systemic development: ‘a rapid, chaotic period during which capitals (natural, human, socials, built and financial) tend to be lost and novelty can succeed.’ Forgoing out-dated systems that no longer serve us and switching to models of better business and innovation can benefit us, but we need to act fast.

One of the main challenges to this restructure and the relatively slow pace of change, considering that such suggestions have been on the table for over a decade, is overcoming the powerful interests of groups that benefit from the status quo, along with the scale of the problem.

‘Meanwhile, the populace seems incapable of raising the alarm or responding to it, consisting as it does, of a large under-class that is overfed but undernourished, extensively entertained but misinformed, over-indebted and under-skilled. Ruled by a much smaller elite that often practice financial predation.’ – Richard Heinberg

Laying the groundwork for reorganisation will require building resilience and purpose into all our social structures and infrastructures in the decades ahead. Re-designing how we do business requires placing a common goal before our individual needs and becoming a part of something greater than ourselves. This mind-set shift is described in ‘The Infinite Game’ by Simon Sinek, which details the need to define the cause, build trusting teams, and continually make courageous decisions as part of this process.

Spaces like x+why in London, find themselves at the forefront of such change, by nurturing an environment that brings like-minded spirits and enterprise under one roof, inspiring and enhancing creativity, as well as legitimising efforts to adhere to strong social and environmental standards through programmes like Why B and B Corporation certification.

Changes at the individual level are of equal importance. When there are two main means of survival on the collaboration-competition spectrum: to react with fear, separation, malice and selfishness in times of scarcity, or to get to know our neighbours, share the sacrifice, remember our place as organisms that are part of a larger whole, and to collectively work towards a better future for all, the choice is ours to make.

We have the potential to be a regenerative presence in ecosystems and the biosphere, but should we chose not to evolve and adapt, then planet earth need not worry, she has the capacity to carry on without us…

‘Profit and purpose are not mutually exclusive, if you choose to do it right.’ – Rupert Dean, CEO at x+why, City AM

 

 

Nia studied medical science at Imperial College London and is the founder of holistic CBD wellness brand Yugenial, which seeks to contribute to a movement changing perceptions around integrative health, plant medicines and drug law.