From “that’s just me” to “I can do better.”

Life is fast. Loud. Nonstop. Hybrid schedules, constant alerts, a calendar that needs a vacation. We’re all sprinting and rarely stop long enough to notice whether we’re even running in the right direction. Thinking gets pushed to the back burner. Thinking is productivity. Thinking is strategy. Thinking is growth.  And self-reflection is where we sharpen the edges that matter. Self-reflection is the moment you pause and ask: What’s really going on with me? And what needs adjusting?

Let’s use impatience as an example. Maybe you jump in too quickly. Maybe you finish someone’s thought before they finish their sentence. Maybe you rush people who don’t move at your pace. You’re aware of it—great. But self-awareness is just the headline. Self-reflection is the deep dive:

• Why does this behavior show up?
• What’s the ripple effect?
• What does “better” look like to me?
• And what small shift can I make today?

That’s how you recalibrate—not by beating yourself up, but by being honest enough to choose differently. Self-reflection keeps your inner compass pointed in the right direction. It’s your reset. Your grounding. Your way of checking, “Am I aligned with who I want to be—or am I drifting?”

And because the world is evolving fast, the questions we ask ourselves need to evolve too:

• Did I show up today as the person I want to be?
• What energized me? What drained me?
• What story did I tell myself that might not be true?
• Did I protect my boundaries—or let them slide?
• What’s one small thing I can do differently tomorrow?

This week, give your inner compass some attention. Grab your favorite beverage. Take ten minutes. Pick one moment or one behavior and reflect on it. That pause? That’s your tune-up. And it might be exactly what you need to recalibrate, reset, and move forward with clarity.

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Your Inner Compass Needs a Tune-Up appeared first on PeopleThink.

Here are several steps that leaders and individual employees can take to normalize accountability:

• Set the Tone at the Top: If you never accept personal responsibility for something, how can you expect your team to? Leaders serve as role models, and their behavior and actions set the standard for the entire organization.
• Create a trusting environment : Encourage open communication where all team members are encouraged to share successes and failures for the purpose of learning and continuous improvement.
• Find (and share) the lesson in failure : What could you have done better? What will you change? Acknowledge the impact that your actions (or lack of action) had. Embracing accountability means acknowledging mistakes and learning from them.
• Align Goals and Values : When leaders consistently uphold their commitments and demonstrate accountability, it reinforces the importance of the organization’s values, creating a shared sense of purpose among team members. Be sure those are clearly defined and understood.
• Avoid the blame game : Leaders who take responsibility for their actions set the expectation that the focus can be on problem-solving and improvement rather than assigning blame. Ditch the excuses. Take the blame. Apply what you learned. And do better next time.

In summary, leadership accountability serves as a cornerstone for a positive organizational culture by shaping behaviors, fostering trust, encouraging learning, and promoting values that contribute to the overall success and well-being of the organization.

Want to learn more about how you can practice and encourage accountability in the workplace? Check out my Keep It Real Leadership program!

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Thriving Together: Cultivating a Positive Culture through Accountability appeared first on PeopleThink.

But how do you create that special magic that results in not just an effective team but a high-performing team?

Here are six proven strategies to build and foster a strong team:

• Establish a clear purpose and specific goals: A high-performing team is defined by individuals who not only comprehend the shared purpose and milestones but also collaboratively contribute to defining the means to reach those goals. Clear communication of team goals, objectives, and expectations ensures alignment among members, fostering a deeper commitment to the common purpose and enhancing overall performance.
• Create a sense of mutual accountability: Be sure everyone clearly understands expectations. Challenge your team to higher performance goals and establish an environment where they hold themselves – and each other – accountable for results. Include regular progress reports, open sharing of mistakes made and lessons learned, and team discussions on moving through roadblocks.
• Encourage open communication and constructive feedback: The key to building a high-performing team lies in continuous communication. Foster a culture of open communication, encouraging team members to share ideas, concerns, and feedback while actively listening and promoting collaborative discussions.
• Build Trust: Trust is the foundation of any successful team. Be transparent, honest, and reliable in your interactions. Trust is earned through consistent actions, so demonstrate your commitment to the team’s success.
• Promote Team Bonding:Organize team-building activities or events to help team members get to know each other personally. This can improve communication, understanding, and collaboration among team members.
• Recognize and Celebrate Achievements: Acknowledge and celebrate both individual and team achievements. Recognition boosts morale and motivates team members to continue working hard. It also reinforces a positive and supportive team culture.

Remember that effective team building is an ongoing process that requires continuous attention and effort. By investing time and energy into these strategies, you can create a positive and cohesive team that thrives and achieves its goals.

To learn more about effective team building, check out our Keep It Real Leadership program! Keep It Real Leadership is a human-centered program that nurtures leaders to embrace their strengths and deliver on their goals. Together, we can take you and your team to the next level!

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post 6 Strategies to Build and Foster Strong Teams appeared first on PeopleThink.

Self-awareness is the foundation upon which trust is cultivated, decisions are made with more clarity, and personal and professional goals can be achieved. It involves understanding your strengths, limitations, values, beliefs, and emotions and how these factors influence your behavior, interactions, and decision-making with people around you. Being self-aware can help you to communicate efficiently, resolve conflict, and overall, be a successful leader.

Here are four steps to start your self-awareness journey:

• Understand Your Strengths and Limitations: Understanding your competencies, accomplishments, and those behaviors or beliefs that have worked against you is the first step on your journey to becoming a leader. Recognizing your limitations allows you to work on them and seek support or assistance where necessary.
• Embrace Your Authentic Self: Authentic leadership is built on being true to yourself. Self-awareness helps you understand who you are and define your values, allowing you to lead with authenticity. This is an extremely important step in clarifying who you are or want to become as a leader.
• Work on Your Emotional Intelligence (EI): Leaders with high EI can understand and manage their emotions effectively, which is essential for building strong relationships and leading with empathy. It allows you to empathize with the people you lead, fostering stronger connections and trust.
• Prioritize Self-Development and Growth: Self-awareness is an ongoing process that allows you to develop and grow as a leader continually. By recognizing areas for improvement, you can actively seek out opportunities for personal and professional development.

Self-awareness is a fundamental aspect of effective leadership. It enables you to understand yourself, your emotions, and your impact on others, ultimately leading to more authentic, empathetic, and successful leadership.

With the Keep It Real Leadership program, you can get the right coaching to help you through your self-awareness journey! Keep It Real Leadership is a human-centered program that nurtures leaders to embrace their strengths and deliver on their goals. Together we can take your leadership journey to the next level!

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Self-Awareness is a Super Power! appeared first on PeopleThink.

According to LinkedIn, the benefits of self-reflection for leaders are:

• Strategic thinking
• Self-awareness
• Nurturing empathy and relationships
• Learning and growth
• Enhanced decision-making

But what exactly does self-reflection look like?

Making time for self-reflection may seem awkward at first (especially if you are an extrovert), but it’s worth it to take the time. Here’s how that might look.

Let’s use the example of the behavior “impatience.” You’ve gotten feedback from others that you tend to be impatient with people who don’t think and speak at the same pace as you. You know this about yourself and even, on occasion, cut someone off by saying, “just get to the bottom line.”

Next, you have to take the time to look inside and ask yourself why you react that way, how it impacts those around you, and what you can do to change the behavior. Self-reflection means being vulnerable, being willing to admit the behaviors that are working against you, and clarifying a plan to move beyond the behavior.

Self-reflection is also a way to ensure that you are living and working according to your values and what you want to achieve. It’s a way to level set if you’ve gotten off course.

Here are 10 questions as a starting point for self-reflection:

• Am I using my time wisely?
• Am I taking anything for granted?
• Am I employing a healthy perspective?
• Am I living true to myself?
• Am I waking up in the morning ready to take on the day?
• Am I thinking negative thoughts before I fall asleep?
• Am I putting enough effort into my relationships?
• Am I taking care of myself physically?
• Am I letting matters that are out of my control stress me out?
• Am I achieving the goals that I’ve set for myself?

Sometime this week, grab your favorite beverage and set aside some time to reflect on a behavior you want to change or to just do a general reset. Take a pause that refreshes you.

With the Keep It Real Leadership program, you could get the right coaching to help you through your self-reflection process! Keep It Real Leadership is a human-centered program that nurtures leaders to become more self-aware, embrace their strengths, and deliver in their business leaders. Together we can take your leadership journey to the next level!

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post The Art of Self-Reflection appeared first on PeopleThink.

Here’s a reality check. There’s always more to learn.

Stanford University Psychology Professor Carol Dweck has done extensive research on achievement and success. In this work, she discovered that people tend to have one of two mindsets – a growth mindset or a fixed mindset.

People with a fixed mindset believe that their innate qualities, such as intelligence or talent, are fixed traits and that any success they achieve is directly attributable to those qualities. Conversely, people with a growth mindset believe that their innate qualities are just a starting point and that those qualities can be further developed through hard work and dedication.

Dweck found that cultivating a growth mindset can be transformative in various aspects of life, including personal development, career advancement, and — most importantly — leadership.

The best leaders are those who commit themselves to continuous learning and development. Great leaders commit to learning beyond just skills. It’s about identifying and developing the personal behaviors to help you lead effectively.

So how do you do it?

• Adopt the right mindset. Be curious and admit that you still have room for improvement. Recognize that investing the time to do so will not only benefit you but will also benefit your team.
• Reflect and identify gaps. What are the areas you need to develop to become the leader you want (and need) to be? Do some self-reflection to make a list, and then get some feedback from others (here’s where you develop “accepting feedback.”)
• Create a plan. Select one or two areas that you will focus on in the next three months. Do some research to find resources and opportunities to develop and practice those skills/behaviors. Carve out and schedule the time.
• Seek mentorship and coaching. Enroll in leadership development programs, workshops, and online courses. Find a mentor or coach who can provide guidance, feedback, and support in your leadership journey. Regularly engage in mentorship conversations to gain insights and wisdom from experienced leaders.

Remember that learning is an ongoing process, and there is always room for growth and improvement. As a leader, your commitment to learning not only benefits you personally but also positively impacts your team and organization as you continuously evolve and adapt to the changing landscape of leadership and business.

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post The Power of Learning – Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset! appeared first on PeopleThink.

Company culture plays a key role in retaining employees. A great culture, one that provides challenging work, opportunities for growth, connections, respect, and recognition is more likely to retain employees than the one that takes it for granted.

Nowadays with hybrid and fully-remote workspaces, establishing a strong culture can be a little challenging. Many employees who have been hired in the past three years have never met their co-workers or even their leader in person. They might be feeling adrift or disconnected.

How can leaders help employees be connected and engaged and become part of their company’s culture?

Develop a clear and consistent definition of the culture. A great culture is more than after-work events (in person or zoom), wellness programs, and catchy slogans. It’s how employees, customers and the outside world perceive an organization based on its attitudes and behaviors. It’s where employees feel valued, connected, challenged, and recognized. And it stems from leadership behavior at all organizational levels.

Communicate the culture. Make it easy to describe. Make it real. Do a periodic check-up to ensure that all parts of your culture are healthy and if not, review, adjust and get back on track. Every new hire (including remote ones) should receive an orientation that includes a discussion about company culture, vision, mission, and values. Consider having long-term (positive) employees/leaders describe the culture and give examples of how they’ve seen it demonstrated in their experience.

Demonstrate the culture. Make it an expectation that all interactions leader-leader, leader-employee, employee-employee align with the company values and promote the culture. Give new hires a strong start by helping them understand how their role contributes to the overall success of their team and the organization.

And last, but certainly not least, remember that it’s about the PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE. Hiring the brightest and the best does you no good if you don’t take care of them. Be clear about their roles and responsibilities. Help them understand the values and the culture. Keep developing them, provide them with new challenges, and develop a work environment where every level of the organization is valued, connected, challenged, and recognized.

If you would like to learn more about how you can build a culture to attract, develop, and retain your top talent, join me for my next Leadership Power Hour webinar. You can register here for free.

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Building A Great Culture – Winning from Within appeared first on PeopleThink.

In recent years, long working hours and isolation have led to burnout and as a result, an increase in depression and anxiety. According to the World Health Organization, in the U.S. there has been a loss of $1 trillion dollars in productivity.

Post-pandemic, a majority of companies still have hybrid work conditions and employees are continuing to feel stressed. The American Institute of Stress found that:

• 55% of Americans are stressed during the day
• 63% of employees want to leave their job to avoid stress
• 76% said their workplace stress is affecting their personal relationships
• 35% of employees said their bosses are the main source of stress
• And 39% report their workload causes them stress

It’s no wonder that droves of employees are heading toward the door and making a decision to leave their current employment.

Here are some suggestions on how Leaders can address workplace stress:

• Hold a workshop to identify common stressors and brainstorm possible solutions for managers and employees.
• Align company policies with best practices for preventing stress and burnout.
• Educate employees about available stress management and mental health resources, including your EAP (Employee Assistance Program) and health plan.
• Offer activities like meditation and yoga, mindfulness programs or apps, or resilience training.
• Continue asking for feedback and improving so that stress management becomes integral to your culture.

It’s also important for employees to feel empowered and to know when to say “when.”

Here are some tips for employees:

1) It’s okay not to be okay. There’s no shame in admitting you’re overwhelmed or overworked or simply burned out. We saw some great examples of this in the recent Olympics when several athletes prioritized their mental health over others’ expectations and accolades.

2) Take frequent breaks during the day. Breaks are even more important in a remote and hybrid world, according to Dr. Mary Donohue, Founder of Digital Wellness. “In the digital age, information is overwhelming and can lead to a constant state of panic. You need to make a quiet space in your day to allow your brain to distill the constant flow of information.”

3) Talk to your leader. Explain what’s going on and work together to co-create a solution and learn about resources for help. Some time off, a flexible schedule, taking advantage of the EAP program, for example.

4) Make time to feed your soul. Whatever makes you happy, makes you laugh, calms you down, just do it. On a regular basis.

5) Use your vacation time. And TOTALLY disconnect.

Remember, if you don’t take care of yourself, you’re not going to be good for anyone or anything!

Find even more stress busters in my Stress for Success podcast series.

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Workplace Stress: How Can Leaders & Employees Avoid Burnout? appeared first on PeopleThink.

Here are 5 common team challenges and ideas on what a leader can do to navigate these challenges.

1) Lack of trust. This refers to trust in you and in each other. A lack of trust impairs productivity and may lead to missed deadlines, milestones and even project failure.

Solution: Build trust by being very clear about team purpose, individual roles, and expectations. Be open, honest and consistent. Be willing to tackle tough issues and to stand up for the team. Demonstrate empathy. And demonstrate that you trust the members of your team.

2) Poor communication. Infrequent, incomplete or disrespectful communication impacts employee engagement and may lead to errors or intra-team conflict, ultimately affecting productivity and goals.

Solution: Communicate clearly and regularly. Share as much as you can, especially about business information that may impact the team or their work. Listen. Ask for feedback, ideas, solutions. Model open, honest and respectful communication so the team will mirror that among themselves.

3) Lack of accountability. When people aren’t held accountable for the quality and timeliness of their work others may have to pick up the slack resulting in conflict or missed deadlines or – at worst – project failure.

Solution: Be sure everyone clearly understands expectations and the impact of not meeting those expectations. Challenge your team to higher performance goals and establish an environment where they hold themselves – and each other – accountable for results.  Include regular progress reports, open sharing of mistakes and lessons learned, and team discussions on how to move through roadblocks.

4) Conflict and tension. Some conflict is good for airing different ideas. However, when left unchecked or unmanaged, it can lead to distrust in the leader and impair team progress.

Solution: Harness the power of diverse thinking. Create an environment that encourages fresh ideas and approaches. Reach out to those who are less vocal to ensure that their ideas get added to the mix. When everyone feels heard and appreciated, “conflicts” become productive discussions. When tension arises between team members, facilitate a discussion to get to the root of the problem. Overlap of responsibilities, perceived lack of effort or contribution by a team member, and personality differences are common causes.

5) Working in silos. When team members each march to their own drum, chaos ensues, wasting precious time and resources.

Solution: Be sure everyone has a clear understanding of their role, other team members’ roles and the importance and interdependence of each role and task in achieving team goals. Establishing this knowledge up front will prevent duplication of effort, project delays and team conflict.

And remember, the best teams bring diverse personalities, skills and experience to the table. Recognizing the value that each individual’s skills and traits contribute to the team and how they complement each other will help you lay the groundwork for a well-functioning, high-performing team. To learn more on how to lead efficiently, register for my monthly Leadership Power Hour.

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Leading Through Hybrid Workplace Challenges appeared first on PeopleThink.

It’s great for you to become aware that a certain behavior – impatience, for example – is holding you back, but unless you make a conscious decision to do something about it, you’re missing an important growth opportunity. That’s where self-reflection comes in.

We live in a culture obsessed with being productive by DOING. Yet we can also be productive by allowing ourselves time for some THINKING. Thinking can lead to creative ideas, new ways to approach a problem, and insight about opportunities for personal growth (AKA self-reflection).

Here’s how that might look. Let’s say you’ve gotten feedback from others that you tend to be impatient with people who don’t think and speak at the same pace as you. You know this about yourself and have even on occasion cut someone off by saying, “just get to the bottom line.” Self-reflection means taking the time to look inside and ask yourself why you react that way, what the impact is (damaged relationships, people not wanting to talk to you), and what you can do to change the behavior.

Self-reflection means being vulnerable, being willing to admit the behaviors that are working against you and clarifying a plan to move beyond the behavior.

Self-reflection is also a way to ensure that you are living and working according to your values and what you want to achieve. It’s a way to level set if you’ve gotten off course.  A recent Positive Psychology article suggests 10 questions as a starting point for self-reflection.

1. Am I using my time wisely?
2. Am I taking anything for granted?
3. Am I employing a healthy perspective?
4. Am I living true to myself?
5. Am I waking up in the morning ready to take on the day?
6. Am I thinking negative thoughts before I fall asleep?
7. Am I putting enough effort into my relationships?
8. Am I taking care of myself physically?
9. Am I letting matters that are out of my control stress me out?
10. Am I achieving the goals that I’ve set for myself?

Sometime this week, grab your favorite beverage and set aside some time to reflect on a behavior you want to change or to just do a general reset. Take the pause that refreshes.

For more on the benefits of self-reflection, check out my podcast conversation with senior executive Mike Mansbach about the important role self-reflection has played in his growth as a leader.

Till next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Self-Awareness is Not Enough – Take the Next Step appeared first on PeopleThink.

I say this over and over because we cannot be anyone except who we are. This is validated every time I interview a different leader for my leadership podcast series, Let’s TAWK Leadership.

It’s fascinating.  

Of course, there are common threads – the importance of integrity, for example – and the belief that being a manager and being a leader are distinct – but each leader I have spoken with has their own personal definition of leadership.

Michael Martin, for example, who is co-founder of Avenue 8, a residential real estate platform, told me that being a great leader is like being a great chef.  You have to select the right ingredients (build a team), know how to follow a recipe (the plan), and know how to improvise when you don’t have all the ingredients. He compared being a financial leader to baking – you have to be very precise. Conversely, being a product strategy or brand leader is like grilling – you can improvise and experiment. And finally, the customer experience is like plating, or presentation – we eat with our eyes first.

Now THAT conversation certainly got me thinking about leadership in a different way.

Senior executive Mike Mansbach made the connection between being a leader and being a husband and father. He talked about the importance of self-reflection – being self-aware and then digging deeper to determine “where does my personal baggage get in the way?” Self-reflection is an active feedback loop that opens the door to continuous learning and growth. And he gave an amusing example of how one of his sons participated in that feedback loop. The ultimate reflection.

Other words of wisdom I’ve gathered about leadership along the way:

• The responsibility of a leader is to drive with purpose.
• As a leader you have to stay curious.
• It’s okay not to be perfect.
• Leaders need to be as accessible as anyone – keep the door open
• Strong leaders give control.
• Communicate the good and the bad so your team will trust you.
• A strong leader needs to be vulnerable and capable of getting out of the way!
• How do you act when no one is looking?  That’s integrity.
• Do what you say you are going to do – accountability and achievement.
• A leader must be clear about their communication, set expectations, and lead with their head and their heart.
• A leader needs to be a “whole” person – head and heart.
• IQ and EQ are equally important.
• Lead by example.
• Be true to yourself.
• Do the right thing.
• The “why” is so important for everyone – individuals and organizations.
• Be clear about your purpose.

Listen to more of our Let’s TAWK Leadership insightful conversations with leaders and get inspired to become the leader only YOU can be!

Till next time. Keep it real.

Karen

The post How Do You Define Leadership? appeared first on PeopleThink.

Steve Jobs famously advised graduates in his 2005 Stanford University commencement speech: “You’ve got to find what you love. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle!”

Seriously? Does that mean you need to step away from all other opportunities that may fulfill a need (rent, food, personal development, for example) in a singular pursuit of your passion???

Do you really need THAT pressure?!

Not according to scientists, who say that it’s more important to develop your passion(s) rather than focusing your time and energy on finding the one thing that you perceive as your life’s purpose and source of ultimate happiness. In fact, by “putting all your eggs in one basket” you may be setting yourself up for failure when that basket becomes too heavy a load.

And you limit yourself, the quality of your life, and your opportunity for happiness by thinking that there’s only one path (fixed approach) rather than multiple paths (growth approach) to that end.

In an article and TED talk for TED’s “How to Be a Better Human” series, author Cleo Wade asks, “Why are we putting the pressure on ourselves to have one purpose or one passion?”

“Our 9-to-5 jobs do not have to be how we identify ourselves. They can be, but are not always, the place we feel our greatest sense of purpose or passion. Sometimes a job is just how we pay our bills, which is absolutely fine. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

I firmly believe that you can like what you do, maybe even love what you do, without having to sacrifice the rest of your life. You can have a full life where you love multiple areas and not just your work.

Want to learn how? Listen to my podcast, Passion and Work – Is It Possible? for a very easy exercise in finding what you love in ALL areas of your life.

Till next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Passion and Work – Is it Possible? appeared first on PeopleThink.