Thinking Outside of the Box!

Many times as we approach problems we tend to place an imaginary frame around the problem or situation. This framework that we establish may limit our ability to find alternative choices or solutions to the problem. Check out this short (3 Minute) video on problem solving and thinking outside of the box!

Leadership and Risk

Risk taking is one of the most fundamental aspects of leadership, yet sometimes formal leaders are only moderate risk takers. In some regards, true leaders may also have some identity crisis with the rebel stereotype. While this may sound extreme, it often is not too far off. True leaders are willing to take risk.

In our workplaces we may sometimes take a risk as simple as speaking up in a meeting or during a decision making process, in other cases the risk may be much more involved and with serious consequences. Risk in our workplace should be reasonable, calculated, and manageable.

Are you leading?

Find out more about leadership and risk by watching this short video clip:

Decision Making and Problem Solving

Economic woes have organizations scrambling to find ways to improve employee performance. Some employees are claiming burn-out after having to pick up work loads of other employees who have been laid off or otherwise have left the organization and their position has not been replaced. In other workplace struggles harmful conflict situations are building, in some cases they are being recognized by organization leaders and some are going seemingly unnoticed. Regardless, workplace teams often express a desire to work better together but simply cannot close the gap on conflict or negative feelings.

If the success of your organization depends on the effectiveness of your employees how are you encouraging good communication and perhaps more importantly how are the employees solving workplace problems? Are they solving them in a vacuum? Are they making group decisions?

How people work together to solve problems can make the difference between a good decision, and a harmful one. Are workplace teams responsible to make decisions and solve problems in your organization? How effective are the teams at making good choices?

Tough Times, Tough Actions!

During an economic slowdown organizations should consider how they can change or adapt to different market conditions. In workshops on change management, innovation, or strategic planning I often discuss the idea of “you cannot just do things differently, you must do different things!” Individuals, departments, or the entire organization need to re-think old behaviors and traditions.

Naturally, we are more predisposed to function in our comfort zones and to rely on our past experiences to guide us. Certainly this is not all bad, and should always be taken into consideration. The heart of this matter lies in the idea of, what are you going to do that is new, innovative, or refreshed? Don’t get caught in the trap of “we tried that before and it didn’t work.” Perhaps it didn’t, and more importantly perhaps it won’t, but don’t be afraid to take some reasonable risk and discover new strategies.

What will you do differently to survive in our “new” economy?

Tough Times Mean More Workplace Conflict

During times when many organizations are tightening their belt, some leaders believe conflict decreases, but does it? Watch this 2 minute video to learn more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPznQsR9wSs

Does conflict exist in your workplace?