Feedback is Everywhere
Leaders, As it’s time to prepare for the mid-term performance evaluations with your teams, I thought it might be worthwhile sharing as to what could enhance the effectiveness of your feedback discussions. I will talk about formal and informal feedback in this blog post. Giving feedback can be one of the hardest leadership tasks. To be perfectly honest, I haven’t found one that is harder during my managerial career. Anxiety easily comes into play: You don’t want to injure the relationship, you might fear an emotional reaction of your team member or you might be afraid that the data that you used for the evaluation will be questioned; and you might be cautious because of the potential impact of your feedback. This spring, I designed and facilitated a leadership development workshop for a client, an international Switzerland-based company in the financial services industry. Around 50 line managers participated; they had [...]
Anger Management: Take control and express yourself
„Whenever anger comes up, take out a mirror and look at yourself. When you are angry, you are not very beautiful.“ Thich Nhat Hanh, Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames Recently, my little 6-year-old niece, had a fit of rage. She burst out with fury out of the blue when she was at my parents’. She cried, yelled, and screamed at my mum who could not calm her down. She worked herself up without any obvious reason. My dad who was disturbed by the noise, came out of his study, and was deeply moved to see my mum in tears, and asked his granddaughter “What is going on, sweetheart? What is this dispute about?” My niece just said “Grandpa, I do not know what to do with my anger.” And my dad answered in a very strict tone “When you are irked, peeved or angry, the first thing you do [...]
A secret energy source: Discovering and respecting other’s differences
Leaders, Have you ever found another mind that exactly thinks like you? When was your tolerant mindset challenged last? Is respecting other’s differences already part and parcel of your organizational DNA? What are the secret ingredients that you foster and encourage for a tolerant workplace? […]
Wishing you much happiness this year!
I just got off the phone with a friend and fellow board member of the network for tolerance (www.netzwerk-toleranz.de) whose story truly inspires me. Let me tell you why. Jens is in his twenties and totally into social media, developing software, websites and apps. After a rough start, it took us a while to understand that – though our language and our approaches are different – we actually want the same. Last year, Jens was accepted as stem cell donor. And it didn’t take long for the DKMS (German association for bone marrow donations) to call that he would be the perfect blood match for a severely ill person suffering from leukemia. Jens went through all the medical procedures including minor surgery; and he was pretty much impaired by the consequences. When he shares this experience, though, he always focuses on how good it feels to help someone, realizing that [...]
Have a very happy Holiday Season and a wonderful New Year
Dear Clients, Colleagues, Friends, and Family, As the year 2013 draws to a close, we are taking the time to reflect on its highlights and challenges. It has been a year full of learning, change, and joy. Inspired Executives has two Managing Partners now, issued an eBook on change management, and immersed in more coaching-relevant training activities. And above all, we have worked with more new clients; whose transformation is our success. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. We wouldn’t be who we are without you. We are looking forward to new projects and to collaborating with you in 2014. With all our heart we wish you, your teams and your families a delightful, cozy, and inspiring holiday season. May the new year be crowned with success, growth and opportunities for you. Yours, Annette B. Czernik & Heike W. Maurer Inspired Executives annually donate to not-for-profit initiatives that [...]
Is your focus on your top priorities?
At the beginning of a New Year, we are presented with another opportunity to get things “right”. It is entirely up to you what you define as your personal criteria for success. Neuroscientists have proven that multi-tasking is an illusion; and time to achieve what you desire is limited (365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes per year). Now, what is it that you want to do with the rest of your precious life? And what key goals and achievements would contribute to your overall vision this year? Here is a three-step process that supports you to discover your important goals and priorities: 1 - Create To get your thoughts started, please take a look at the different areas of your life. What area or role requires your special attention and some change effort? Career & Business Financial Freedom Health & Well-Being Fun & Joy Relationships (social & intimate) Family [...]