Meeting Kindred Spirits and Fighting Toxicity with Love
A keynote speech delivered by Dr. Julie Pham at "The Spirit of Work" book launch You never know when, where, or how you will meet a kindred spirit. That is how I feel about Dr. Marie Gervais. We met three months ago, when she interviewed me for her podcast, after I...
Reversing Incivility With Intent To Be And Do Good
Do a search on incivility and rudeness in the workplace and you will come up with hundred shifts of posts. It's a hot topic for a reason... As you’re looking for answers on how to improve your workplace climate, you’ll find a ton of great courses, resources and tips....
Imagining a Workplace Culture With No Prejudice!
When my friend from Cameroon walked down the hallway of the accounting firm where she worked, nobody smiled at her. Every person she greeted appeared to have not heard her and sometimes even bumped into her as if she were invisible. Although they said good morning to...
I Was Writing A Book But Didn’t Know It
It was my first date on my first job as a teacher and nobody greeted me. I had to ask at the office where my classroom was and request a key - no tour offered. The class had a storage room that had never been cleaned and no supplies had been ordered for the year....
A Foundation for Workplace Interactions: Soul-Enhancing Words and Actions
We need a new way to think about workplace interactions Ask any employee or manager what their workplace needs to improve, and the most likely answer will be “communication”. Next inline on the “must-improve” list will be “accountability” then, “dealing better with...
Why You Need Your Heart To Work
Why you need your heart to work Since this month features Valentine’s Day, it seems timely to talk about the link between emotions and decision making at work. There is a strong link between emotional self-awareness and ability to solve problems at work. Increasingly,...
How Leaders Can Be More Compassionate to Employees
How Leaders Can Be More Compassionate to Employees (a guest blog) by Rose Julian When asked where acts of compassion regularly occur, the office would probably be last on your mind! Professional environments are focused on advancement and economic outcomes to achieve...
10 Ways to Survive the New Supervisor Nightmare
So your time has come and you're officially the new supervisor! Of course you are feeling both excited and perhaps a bit scared at the same time. You want to make a good impression and you want people to like you, but you recognize a need for discipline and want to...
Leadership and Management Plus COVID-19
What has changed for leadership and management since COVID-19? You may be wondering what has changed for managers since the experience of a global pandemic and widespread economic upheaval. From my perspective, the basics of management continue to be the foundation...
Why do people follow bad leaders and what can you do about it?
Most of us have either experienced or currently work with bad leaders who are incompetent, tyrannical or vindictive. You may have asked yourself how someone so incompetent ended up in a position of power. Or you may wonder why everyone seems to put up with the tyranny...
What is the Difference Between Training and Coaching?
There can be confusion between the terms training and coaching. When an organization approaches me for training or coaching, there can be confusion between the terms training and coaching and what to expect for each. I thought it might be helpful to clarify how I see...
Moving Effectively from Operations to Supervision
Often people who are great employees are promoted to supervisory positions. After all who doesn’t want to promote a loyal, capable and dedicated employee who is well-liked by the team? Being a part of a team and knowing how to do your job well are important...
Beyond Protesting and Donating: 5 Practical Ways to Support BLM
Other than protesting, donating or signing a petition, what can you do – what could you do that would show support for #BlackLivesMatter (BLM)?
Why People Procrastinate and What to Do About It – everything you need to know!
We procrastinate because of emotional regulation issues, not time management. ~ Dr. Tim Pychyl According to Dr. Tim Pychyl of the Procrastination Research Group (as quoted in the New York Times), we procrastinate because of emotional regulation issues, not time...
Establishing your authority: A step by step guide for moving from operations to management thinking
When you are first promoted to a supervisory position, it can be a shock to your system! Your promotion caused you to change spots in the hierarchy of the organization. In terms of interpersonal relationships, the ground under your feet will have shifted. This means...
Managing Diverse Workforce: 2 Incidents
Can you handle managing a diverse workforce? Read this article to find out the different things you should watch out for in managing a diverse workforce.
A 2020 Vision for the Future of Work
Overview of the future of work trends Let’s recap on the future of work using the most recent OECD statistics. We already know that automation is on the rise, but that on a high skill level, it will only affect between 13-14% of new jobs in the labour force....
Workplace Politics and Me: Do I have to play this game?
You may have encountered politics at your workplace in some way or form. If you are like most people, you probably associate a negative connotation to workplace politics, and would like to stay as far away from it as you can. However, workplace politics need not be a...
Workplace Politics: The Good, the Bad and the In-between
Workplace politics takes on different meanings in different situations, and may be positive in some situations, and negative in others. People understand workplace politics to be the 'dark side' of workplace culture. The Link Between Workplace Culture and Politics...
Workplace Politics: The Basics
Workplace politics is a part of life, and the more informed you are, the better prepared you will be to navigate the ocean of politics at your workplace. Especially as a newcomer to Canada, knowledge can prove to be powerful, helping you make informed decisions. Read...
Lipstick and Beer. Business in tough times
In times of economic duress businesses close, people lose their jobs and there is a climate of fear. The three most common reactions to a downturn in the economy are freeze, flee and fight. During the freeze period, spending is down. Then there is massive exit for...
The Future of Work II: Is There a Relationship Between Industry 4.0 and Emotional Labour?
Introduction People, production and profit. These are the three primary gears in the machine that Industry 4.0 claims to revolutionize with the most significant disruptor to the future of work since the first industrial revolution. [bctt tweet="Through artificial...
Self-Awareness Can Make You A Better Leader
3 ways you can use self-awareness to develop ethical decision-making I. Two stories of leadership – which one would you rather be known for? I was at a construction manager’s meeting not so long ago when I heard these two presentations. The vice president of one of...
Removing Obstacles To Team Success
You may be an inspiring leader who can motivate anyone to do anything. But if you can’t identify and remove the obstacles to individual and team success, it is all empty words that don’t build authority or credibility. [bctt tweet="A great leader knows the...
Pre-influencing your team for great attitude
I have been reading Robert Cialdini’s most recent book Pre-Suasion. It's about how people are triggered to behave in certain ways under certain conditions. The short version is that people are influenced by reciprocity, social proof, likeability, consistency, scarcity...
Unity In Diversity Is A Universal Law. For Business And Life.
Why are we here? Two years...
Three Things Your Supervisors Are Doing Wrong And How To Fix Them
“I can’t get anything done because I’m always firefighting!” Heard that before?Most supervisors are promoted from operations because they are good at their jobs.As supervisors however, they typically struggle by focusing on tasks without strategy, lack of people-savvy...
Are Limiting Beliefs About Managers Holding You Back?
Feeling stuck? This post is for you! Read on... I work with a lot of supervisors in my supervisory leadership program. Some of them surge ahead and embrace the course, others struggle but start to move forward in their supervisor jobs as they see the power of setting...
Why your supervisors don’t lead (and what to do about it)
A common complaint managers have about their supervisors is that they “don’t lead”. Usually, that means that they don’t take initiative, solve problems, provide direction, or set clear expectations with follow-up. Before looking at the supervisory responsibilities for...
Is your supervisory leadership training effective? Let’s check.
Once this is in place,...
How to diversify your network!
“A stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet” Anonymous Most people find networking events stressful. The idea of spending an afternoon after work or evening with a bunch of strangers trying to make awkward conversation doesn’t seem like most people’s idea of a good...
What is managers’ #1 complaint? Hint: Same as employees’ #1 complaint!
"The reason people blame things on the previous generation is that there's only one other choice." -- Doug Larson If you guessed, “getting people to do their jobs without being nagged”, you would be right. The number one complaint of managers is that their team...
Why people don’t follow procedures and what to do about it
You have been through this before. An employee seems to know what to do. You have communicated the procedure, and probably explained the steps. And…it isn’t done. Or it isn’t done right. You could tear your hair out! Ranting and raving, getting mad and frustrated or...
“I love my company!” Group pride, inclusion and employee engagement
“I love my company!” Group pride, inclusion and employee engagement How an inclusion opportunity came up at Fenceline and what happened when they took it on. Marie Gervais, Shift Management Inc. “Never underestimate your ability to make someone else’s life...
Want to elevate employee engagement? Try this simple idea (consistently!)
Does employee engagement have to be tricky? Developing a collaborative workspace with commitment to purpose and goals can be helped along with one, simple, consistent check in. The side benefits? Increased engagement and stronger sense of belonging. The other day I...
“I love working here!” Real examples of inclusive workplaces
Belonging: The antidote to toxicity and the elixir of engagement! Recently I ran a web training session about successfully addressing toxic workplaces. I asked, as I usually do, for any workplace experiences, attendees might like to send me in advance so I could...
Supervisory survival basics: Giving direction
Being good at your job has its downside. People usually come into their first managerial positions because they are good at what they are already doing. Decision makers identify them as responsible, committed and technically competent. With those company-friendly...
4 ways to motivate others using your experience
What motivates people? The first response of almost everyone you ask this question is “money”. Yet in study after study, money has only proven to be a motivator when someone is in grinding poverty or in a situation of narcissistic hoarding. Even then, as soon as the...
Increase your leadership attraction: Your backstory
Did you know that leadership attraction and marketing are related? You couldn’t control how your story started, but you can write a few good pages in there ― Mustafa Saifuddin As I was reading Russell’s most recent book called Dotcom Secrets, something really jumped...
Channeling Your Inner “Scary Leader”
Lots of people come to me with their workplace issues and management dilemmas. I listen patiently and help them come to a few conclusions about their next steps. Upon reflection, I would say that 99% of the managers seeking my advice have problems because they have an...
Keeping your diverse employees
It is tough to find quality workers these days. You probably have invested quite a bit in recruiting, hiring and setting up for skilled employees from diverse backgrounds for your company. But how do you keep them? Many skilled workers from other countries will take...
What is the difference between culture, personality, wellness, and performance issues?
Let me tell you a story... An employment counsellor told me about a client - an immigrant who had come to Canada as a refugee - who quit and immediately walked away from a very good job on a Friday. The client said he was offended by the three month review he had just...
How to be a better you: Changing your habits with “If/when…then”
Have you felt frustrated with yourself for not being able to change habits? Maybe you’ve heard yourself saying, “Just this one chocolate bar,” or, “Tomorrow I’ll get serious about this,” when you are trying to make a lifestyle or workplace change. When struggling to...
Bringing out the talents of your team: Survey and you shall receive
I recently did a communication training for an organization whose leadership spent two hours beforehand explaining to me that their employees were "all under-performing, irresponsible and unresponsive." I didn’t believe them then, and I believed them even less when I...
How to get strategic and START putting out fires in your business or team
Do you spend most of your time at work dealing with emergencies?... Does your business day revolve around putting out fire after fire, and are you constantly working to respond to client needs (or demands) because you are worried that you will lose your customer to a...
3 Typical workplace communication problems you can actually do something about
Workplace communication is a two-way street. It involves people listening to each other and responding, where ideas are shared and then collaboratively built out over time. So, when workplace interactions evolve from poor communication, it is no surprise that a...
Stop spending 80% of your time on one bad egg
Ever notice how there are those "bad eggs" on your team who, like vacuums, seem to suck not only your energy, but everyone's energy? Learning to deal with the "bad eggs" on our teams can feel like a trap. [bctt tweet="It's easy to think that with just a little more...
Live your work life as if you could die tomorrow
Recently I have been reminded of the importance of death... When we think about our own death and what might be our legacy after we have left this world, it can have a big impact on how we live daily. It has a lot of weight on how we treat people at work, in our...
The spirit of work: How courtesy, respect and thoughtfulness create the foundation for all other work success
Recipes for success at work are printed everywhere…articles, textbooks, templates, and checklists. Ready for a different approach? Find how Marie’s 3 key values can ignite your team and enable you to light the way for others.
Courageous conversations you wish you’d had
Have you ever found yourself wishing you would have had a conversation that could have made a difference for you and for the other person? Maybe you wish you had told that wonderful colleague you appreciated her but were afraid it might be taken the wrong way or “go...
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