Self Development Archives - Page 8 of 9

4 Leadership Tips Regardless of Your Title

November 20, 2014December 3, 2014 Shannon Cassidy 1 Comment

You don’t have to be a supervisor to be a leader. Neither do you have to be in a very high position within a company. The best leaders are the ones who started leading even though they weren’t told to do so. If you take the initiative and assume responsibility, you will be appreciated even if your job doesn’t require you to do so. You may soon find yourself moving up the ranks.

Here are a few tips for leaders:

Express Your Opinion. This is a key part of being a leader. Have something important to contribute to your team? Let the higher ups know. Speak up at meetings or prepare a proposal so that your ideas get heard.
Follow Through. It’s not enough to just tell people your ideas. If they agree that your ideas are worth pursuing, you’re going to have to be the person who follows through with the suggestions. You may be tasked with putting together a team, approaching clients or drafting letters and preparing spreadsheets. Keep in mind that following through is as important as having the idea.
Maintaining Your Team’s Morale. It’s rare to find a workplace where there are absolutely no problems. People are always going to have some complaints or feel discouraged from time to time. As a leader, you have to learn to manage people so that they keep on going. Keep in mind that rewards work better than punishments. Reward your team with praise and small tokens of appreciation from the company.
Be a Role Model. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Want your team to be punctual? Come to the office on time. Want them to be enthusiastic? Stop complaining. Want them to communicate well? Take the time to talk to them about what’s going on.

4 Examples of Small Changes to Inspire You

November 14, 2014December 1, 2014 Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

The best things in life are free. This is a proverb you might have heard. You may even have experienced it yourself. Sometimes, happiness strikes you at the oddest times—when you’re shopping for little things, writing a letter or taking a walk during the first snowfall of the season.

These are the times when you feel like you’ve stepped out of your life. You’re on vacation from yourself, so to speak. You’re not thinking about any of the usual things. In fact, your mind is probably a blank.

Is there a way to incorporate more of these joyful moments into your life, either at work or at home? Being completely happy, even for a few minutes a day, can help to improve your overall sense of well-being. Think about making the following small changes for overall big results in happiness:

Take a walk. During a walk, you’re focused on the physical activity and on getting from one place to another. So you can let your mind wander and just take in the things around you. It helps if you take a walk somewhere pretty, like a park or a waterfront. Why not do this during your lunch break or in the evening, after work?
Get some light. Getting a bit of natural light during the day can also brighten your mood. Sit near a window if you can or go for a walk or a run.
Buy yourself some flowers. Why wait for someone to give you flowers when you can buy them yourself and keep them on your desk? Anytime you need a moment, you can always turn your eyes from your computer to your vase.
Incorporate some art. Making art can be really therapeutic and looking at a work of art can help you step out of yourself and go to a different destination. So try either of the two. A calendar with artwork will be a practical and pretty addition to your work desk.

What’s one simple thing you do – just for you – to bring a little joy into your life?

The Quick Guide to Improving Your Emotional Intelligence

November 11, 2014August 16, 2017 Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

Emotional Intelligence ➳ a phrase that’s become one of the latest business buzzwords. Articles and books are popping up about the importance of emotional intelligence and how it may rival your on the job knowledge. Here are three ways to enhance emotional intelligence in the workplace:

Enhance Your Emotional Intelligence with Awareness

First, it’s important to be aware of your own emotions. You must become more self-aware and know how you’re feeling, how to recognize those feelings and how to find a way to appropriately deal with them in the workplace. Not recognizing your feelings and/or repressing them in your day-to-day nine to five can be detrimental to your emotional intelligence and thus make you less focused on the work.

Improve Emotional Intelligence by Asking the Right Questions

Secondly, you must learn to ask the appropriate questions to gauge how others are feeling. Learn how to read the people you work with daily first. Then, learn how to read others that you may do business with less frequently. It’s also important, in today’s working world, to recognize tonal cues that a person may give as much business today is done remotely.

Leverage Empathy & Motivation for Greater Emotional Intelligence

Finally, you must use your heightened emotional intelligence to react to others through both empathy and motivation when appropriate. A nod or conversation that says you understand will be just as helpful as a pick-me-up when used in the right situations. If we all heightened our emotional intelligence levels in the workplace, we could go a long way to improving our businesses from the inside out.

We found another helpful post from the folks at Advanced Systems Inc, with more information on how EQ can improve your business –> Emotional intelligence and the Future of Work.

How is your organization incorporating EQ? We’d love to hear. If we can help you and your team improve relationships, work performance, and hone your emotional intelligence to achieve greater levels of personal and professional success, please contact us.

Three Components of Emotional Intelligence

November 5, 2014December 1, 2014 Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

For a long time, intelligence was divided into “book learning” and “street smarts.” People now come realize the importance of emotional intelligence. A person with emotional intelligence produces better work, knows how to relieve stress, manages emotions well, and forges stronger relationships. They also get along better with people and can work well as team members and leaders alternately. Whether your particular brand of intelligence involves book learning or street smarts, you can still develop emotional intelligence and become successful in your field.

See the Glass as Half Full. A key component of emotional intelligence on which everything else depends. How do you develop the talent of seeing the positive side? One excellent way is by watching what you say. If you find that you are a critical person who tends to see the glass as half empty, make an effort to see things the other way while you’re talking to people. Instead of saying, “Bill never finishes anything on time,” you might say, “Bill is a very detail-oriented person who takes his time doing things. However, he does them well.”
Make Yourself Happy. Oftentimes people focus on keeping others happy. You may spend a lot of time doing the things others want you to do. As you go through your day, you need to ask yourself if the things you’re doing are making you happy. In the eastern traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, this is called mindfulness. In truth, it’s using self-awareness. Ask yourself how you feel and use your feelings as a map.
Stay Healthy. As any psychologist will tell you, physical health is an important constituent of mental health. If your body is unhealthy, your mind is also going to be unhealthy. Your very first priority in life should be your physical health. Make an effort to eat healthy and exercise every day. Keep in mind that you don’t have to push yourself more than absolutely necessary. If you’d rather take a brisk walk than do weights, then by all means, take a brisk walk.
Surround Yourself with Positivity. You can literally surround yourself with positivity by changing your surroundings. Paint your walls a cheery color. Hang paintings or posters that you like. Buy books that appeal to you. Listen to music that recharges your batteries. Make friends who are also positive so that you can learn from their example. Work in a place that you find encourages positivity. Honing your social awareness will enable you interact well in groups by recognizing dynamics and picking up on social cues.

Where are areas you want to improve your emotional intelligence?

4 Skills An Effective Business Leader Must Possess

October 21, 2014October 21, 2014 Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

Though there are many skills an effective leader possesses, we will discuss four that our particularly useful in the workplace.

The Power of No

The ability to say “no” is crucial in both managing a team and managing expectations of clients or other leaders. It is a powerful tool against inferior work as well as unrealistic timelines. By saying “No” it opens up the ability to say “Yes” to the things that you want and are beneficial to the organization.

Delegation

The sensibility to delegate is important for a leader in order to keep from being overwhelmed by smaller tasks which would them unable to focus on the bigger picture. While a manager must be aware of daily processes, there is no rule that says they must do these tasks. Delegating also helps train the next set of employees to become leaders. It allows a leader to optimize their productivity and concentrate on the small set of actions that will have enormous results.

Adaptability

A business leader must be adaptable in order to deal with ever-changing team dynamics and business requests to get work delivered efficiently and effectively. Today’s workplace is a non-stop, demanding place to function in and to thrive in such a space, leaders must be able to change with whatever the team, the weather, the clients or the internet throws at them.

Communication

Lastly, strong communication skills—both speaking/writing and listening—are a skill that leaders of all levels must not only posses, but also constantly improve upon, to guarantee that their teams, clients and partners feel respected, “looped in” and heard. Clear communication is the basis for trust in the workplace and an open dialogue between all parties fosters a sense of community.

By adhering and growing their skills in these foundational principles, you can cultivate your business leadership acumen and be a guiding light for your organization.

Please contact us to learn more about leadership and its impact on your business operations.