As we wrap up 2016, I have a special end of year gift for you! Five tips to catapult employee engagement and satisfaction during the holiday season. As John F. Kennedy said “One person can make a difference and everyone should try”. Why not try at least one of these tips before December 31, 2016? Reflect on and recognize full year achievements: Take the time to ponder all of the contributions of your team and cross-functional colleagues and surface those that deserve special recognition. This could take many forms including phone calls, emails, hand written notes or formal awards. The most important thing is toRead More →

As I called out in a blog post I wrote in 2012, “5 Best Practices for Building Trust With Employees”, there is no silver bullet or quick fix that will create a positive, trusting work environment.  Leaders must deliberately set a tone of authenticity and transparency, and one of the best methods to achieve this is via consistent, ongoing and direct communication. Fast forward to 2016, I feel more passionate about this topic than ever before. Even with more than 20 years of leadership experience under my belt, I am still un-pleasantly surprised when managers attempt to leverage “forced fun” or corporate speak to connectRead More →