How To Build a Culture of Continuous Improvement
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How To Build a Culture of Continuous Improvement

BySonya Shelton

Organizations can always improve something. Nothing is ever flawless, no matter how much we wish it could be. If you accept this reality, you can help your team create an environment of continuous improvement. When we accept that flaws exist, we provide the freedom to focus on improvement. When someone makes a mistake, correct it and continue on toward your objectives. Encourage…

Effective Leaders Foster Open Communication
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Effective Leaders Foster Open Communication

BySonya Shelton

As a leader, you want your team to follow you. To follow you, they need to trust you. To trust you, they need to believe what you say, and they want to know you care. It’s even better when you trust them too. Part of developing that trust, respect, and rapport you need to lead is open communication. It doesn’t just…

3 Steps to Solve Problems More Effectively
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3 Steps to Solve Problems More Effectively

BySonya Shelton

You can tell the effectiveness of a leader by the size of the problems they tackle. More responsibility brings greater problems and bigger decisions. If the problem was easy to solve, someone else would have already solved it. As a leader, you already understand the value of solving problems. Now it’s up to you to help others solve problems more effectively….

How Executive Leaders Make Tough Decisions
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How Executive Leaders Make Tough Decisions

BySonya Shelton

Making clear decisions is a critical factor to effective leadership. However, many executives suffer from decidophobia, the fear of making tough decisions. Decisions take courage, and courage means taking intelligent risks to move the organization in the direction of the vision. It’s important to gather data and perspectives, and you can use several decision-making models to help you do it well. However,…

The Most Effective Leaders Never Stop Learning
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The Most Effective Leaders Never Stop Learning

BySonya Shelton

Great leaders are great learners. Getting feedback from others allows you to continue to learn and grow. Just like you want your team and your organization to improve, you also want to improve yourself. Ask others for feedback on a regular basis. Some leaders make the mistake of thinking they need to have all the answers. Successful leaders never stop learning —…

5 Ways to Encourage New Ideas In Your Business
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5 Ways to Encourage New Ideas In Your Business

BySonya Shelton

  Leaders create positive change. You don’t always have to be the creator or innovator, but it’s important to recognize and support good ideas. It doesn’t matter whether you came up with them or not. The difference between your success and failure could be just one idea. Here are some ways to encourage new ideas in your workplace: Talk with…

Are You Challenging Assumptions In Your Workplace?
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Are You Challenging Assumptions In Your Workplace?

BySonya Shelton

A successful leader once shared that he constantly asks himself one question: “What am I not seeing?” Assumptions are one of the areas that may be a blind spot, and leadership requires us to challenge them repeatedly. What used to work yesterday may no longer apply today, and it’s important for leaders to question and challenge those assumptions. The hardest part about…

5 Tips to Effectively Reward Performance
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5 Tips to Effectively Reward Performance

BySonya Shelton

Celebrate the behaviors you want to see more often. When you discourage mediocrity and reward performance, you create a high-performing culture. Strong performers need to be recognized as such, and they need to be developed even further. Here are 5 tips to consider when rewarding great performance. 1.When most managers think of rewarding employees, they think about raises, bonuses, and perks. And…

Executive Leaders Encourage Dialogue
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Executive Leaders Encourage Dialogue

BySonya Shelton

  Often, great ideas come from healthy debate. When team members exchange ideas and opinions, new ideas can emerge. Working collaboratively always produces better results than working competitively. When people compete within an organization, they don’t support each other toward the shared vision. This creates a culture of self-interest, rather than organizational interest. Competition is healthy for competitors, not for team members. Imagine…

Are You Giving Effective Feedback?
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Are You Giving Effective Feedback?

BySonya Shelton

Because managers and executives struggle with the process, feedback has developed a negative reputation. Feedback doesn’t equal criticism. Feedback is providing someone with observations that influence their performance. Since influence is your number-one job as a leader, it stands to reason that giving feedback is an important part of your role. People want to know how they’re doing, and they want to hear…