Emerging Trends

The Great Resignation, the Great Reshuffle, The Great Migration. The media is awash with coverage about stats that indicate workers are on the move in numbers previously unseen in the U.S. labor market. No matter what it’s called, this workplace trend affects leaders all over our country as employees leave their current employers in droves. What does it mean to managers struggling to maintain staffing levels? Let’s break down this movement called the Great Resignation to help you sort out its leadership implications.  What Is the  “Great Resignation”? The term “Great Resignation” is credited to Anthony Klotz, a professor of management at Mays Business School of Texas A&M University. Klotz used this terminology to describe the large, voluntary exodus of (primarily) American workers in response to a variety of workplace-related concerns and grievances brought on (or exacerbated) by the pandemic.  The Great Resignation is typically framed in terms of economic impacts to employers. But, as Dan Newman writes in his blog post, this trend can also be viewed from the standpoint of  workers seeking better employment (The Great …

Have you ever been in a meeting and the leader of the group says, “Hey, I have an idea!” and then proceeds to outline a suggestion that they clearly think is marvelous. But  you’re not convinced it’s marvelous. So the group sits there in awkward silence, trying to think of a diplomatic way to proceed. This is an opportunity to practice what Phil Buckley, author of Change on the Run calls, “testing a leader’s thinking.” Being able to test a leader’s thinking is a critical people equation skill because in order for your project to move forward, you need your leader’s support and buy-in. And if they’re proposing an idea that will take your project off track, it requires deft communication skills to navigate your way through the conversation.  The greater a leader’s enthusiasm for their solution, the more difficult it is to influence their thinkingPhil Buckley – Author, Change on the Run Phil invited me to join him for a 30 minute chat on his Change on the Run podcast, in which we discussed this very thing: …

    Phil is the president of a mid-size company that has a huge safety problem. If you were to tell him this, Phil would scoff and proudly show you his company’s OSHA records. It’s true that Phil’s company does a great job protecting the physical safety of his workers. However, it’s an entirely different type of “safety” in the workplace that’s lacking, and it’s being driven by Phil’s own actions, even though he doesn’t realize it. Sadly, Phil’s behavior creates an environment where it doesn’t feel safe to speak up.  The Story of a Leader Whose Actions Create Silence and Avoidance, Not Collaboration Like many leaders, Phil is constantly on the lookout for ways to improve his company— possible new products, ideas for process improvement and innovative ways to engage his workforce. In fact, Phil likes new ideas a little too much. New ideas represent possibility to Phil and he eagerly listens to anything that may have the promise of bringing in business for the company. When he hears an idea he likes, he immediately dispatches a …

I am the offspring of two very different personality types: a gregarious extrovert and a studious introvert. My youth was shaped by my mother’s extroverted style. She had a positive, upbeat energy and effortless charm in social situations. From her, I learned how to thrive outside the safety of my home. But in my heart of hearts, I was a solitary girl who preferred long silent walks in the woods of southwest Michigan. Many a Saturday afternoon was spent reading in my bedroom. The quiet suited me. And I was always very comfortable in the protracted silence that marked time spent with my introverted father.  We were both quite fond of sitting together, with nothing more than “just being” as our objective. Introversion and Extroversion is a Continuum  Fast-forward to 2012 when Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking published. By this time, I was already well-versed in the differences between introverts and extroverts. Not only had I grown up with the stark personality contrast of my two parents, I also had …

What determines if a newly promoted leader will be successful? Of course, there are many factors. One consistent element I’ve observed in my leadership development role is this: new leaders often emulate their bosses. And this may be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on the example the more seasoned leaders provide.  Leaders as Rule Enforcers or Role Models? Consider this social experiment conducted by author Daniel Pink for his TV show Crowd Control, as reported on the blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree . Pink and his team painted two lanes on a sidewalk, one for people talking on their cell phones, the other for non-cell-phone users. Then he positioned actors as “lane guides” that told people where to walk, based on their cell phone usage. You can probably imagine how well that went over: not very. People were highly resistant to being told where to walk. A simple change-up in the process had a shocking result: when the actors simply posed as “regular people” and walked in the “correct” lanes based on their cell …

When Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner wrote their now-classic book “The Leadership Challenge”,  a foundational piece of their research focused on leaders as role models. In the authors’ article Model the Way, they write, “Exemplary leaders know that it’s their behavior that earns them respect. The real test is whether they do what they say; whether their words and deeds are consistent. Leaders set an example and build commitment through simple, daily acts that create progress and build momentum.” The Research on Leaders Who are Role Models These authors—and countless other experts—tell us that to be a great leader one must also be a positive role model. This seems rather intuitive, doesn’t it? We can all recall (perhaps, even all the way back to childhood) a person whose example led us down a beneficial path. But what does the research tell us about leaders as role models? Do their actions really matter?  Indeed they do. Here are some interesting (and surprising) ways in which a leader’s actions have far-reaching influence on those around them.  A Leader’s First Impression …

I If you’ve ever held a leadership position, you’ve probably already figured this out: you are held to a higher standard. You are expected to be more. More authentic, more compassionate and most importantly, more ethical than the average working Joe or Jane in your office. Your daily actions are intensely scrutinized. Author S. Chris Edmonds, author of the book The Culture Engine, and Good Comes First (with co-author Mark Babbitt) jokingly tells his coaching clients, “Now that you’re a leader, you’ll never be able to run a yellow light in this town again.” There is No Such Thing as a Perfect Leader I agree with Chris on this point. Taking on a leadership role is a huge responsibility and the scrutiny is intense. Is it fair? No. But it’s the responsibility of leadership. If you’re to lead well, learning to be a positive role model is essential if you are to have a thriving, healthy culture for your department. (Or, for your business unit or organization, if you have a wider scope of responsibility.) Here’s the rub: …