Most people cringe when they think about conflict. The response is natural. Conflict imposes a danger and the human brain is wired to escape danger. You may have heard of the expression "fight-or-flight mode." Our response can be ad hoc, defensive, or even inflated. We want harmonious relationships so we can collaborate and get things done, even in a competitive environment. What do you do when conflict arises in your team? What do you do when you are in the middle of it? You can be the peacemaker, the problem-solver, the power-player, the diplomat, the ignorant, or pick a different role - even a hybrid version. It is worth examining your habitual response while observing how others handle conflict. What is working well for you - and others? This may differ by organization, depending on their culture. What works in one organization may not work in another. Even teams differ. Why does this matter? As you rise in your career, managing conflict is a recurring topic and a leadership skillset that can make or break your career. To read more about how to manage conflict and how to turn it into growth and innovation, or to learn about other #leadership #skills, subscribe to the newsletter (link in bio). #leadershipskills #leadershipdevelopment #conflict #conflictmanagement #growth #innovation #mindset

By this time of the year, work is moving at a fast pace for most leaders. We're long past the holidays and past setting plans. We're directing, aligning, enabling, achieving, reporting, challenging, problem solving, and making decisions along the way. It can make us dizzy or throw us of track if we don't remain alert. This week's Leading Choices talks about keeping focus when you're in a storm or when the business train is running at a mind-blowing speed. Sometimes the best way to make progress is to take regular time to stop, reflect and plan with clarity. Sounds counterintuitive, doesn't it? Constant running doesn’t allow you to assess whether you are on the right track, or are using the right approach, or have missed a stop sign. At best, it trains you to be reactionary like a good knee-jerk, not level-headed like a great leader. To make great decisions in the middle of a storm or when business is running at a fast speed, you need to know your foundation. Your foundation is comprised of your values, company priorities, your team priorities and clarity on where you are headed and how you will get there. How can you set a great foundation and stay focused so your day-to-day activities are freed up to make confident decisions, and repeatedly fast ones? Reserve regular time for stops. This may be the end of your day or week. Subscribe to the Leading Choices newsletter to get reflection questions to recalibrate and stay focused when high-speed business activities are prone to side-track you or suck you into reactionary thinking. #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #strategicthinking #habits #decisions #focus

Have you ever wondered how much influence you can have on your career or your leadership? How many decisions are made by external factors? Quite frankly, it hardly matters. That's because you have the power of choice. Even if you are hit by unfavorable circumstances, you can choose to respond in different ways. Indecision and passiveness are choices, too. Why does this matter? The more you decide not to make a choice, the harder it gets to make a choice when it counts. Many people choose inaction and stay in careers that do not suit them or do not fulfill them. Or, they tolerate behaviors in their organization until the impact on the culture this behavior creates is hard to reverse. #choice #destiny #decisions #career #leadershipdevelopment

When people share concerns about time escaping them, they often view it as something that makes a decision to walk away. But time is a constant: every day has the same 24 hours. The sun rises and sets. What you do alongside of this timeline is entirely in your hands. Of course, there are exceptions. There are things beyond your reach like extreme weather, accidents, or health emergencies. Outside of that, you have the choice of what goes on your calendar, how much of it, and how frequently. I'm not sure why we call it time management. What it really is has more to do with our values, which inform our priorities, which inform our decisions about what gets our time. Boundaries are then what erects a protection around those blocks of time. Let's trace it back: Your calendar, in essence, is filled with decisions around your priorities. Some are influenced by others, like your work responsibilities. If you find a large portion of your day not leading you to these priorities, reassess your calendar and where you chose to spend your most precious commodity, time. To claim back power over your time, you need to have clarity about what the time should be spent on. Time doesn't escape you, it goes where you send it. To learn more, subscribe to the Leading Choices newsletter (link in bio). #leadershipdevelopment #leadership #timemanagement #boundaries #expectations

Once you chase your dream it’s called a goal. It’s the point you’ve decided to wake up from dreaming and talking about the things you dreamed about to turning them into reality. The reason dreamers never see their dreams fulfilled is because they decide to continue dreaming. Realize that a dream is the special gift of God giving you vision. Without it, we have nothing to chase and cherish, we perish as a result. If there’s nothing to live for, we begin to doubt life is worth living. Come alive, get up and chase your dreams. Don’t be afraid to fail or you’ll later@regret never having tried at all. Only dreamers are safe because they never try. Dreamers think they can’t fail, not realizing that failing to try is failing their own calling. . #dreams #passion #vision #comealive #daretolive #motivation #inspiration

The world may seem to drown you. The amount of information isn’t the problem. Not even the negative information or our exposure. Limiting your exposure, isolation, or avoidance are not options for you in leadership. It wouldn’t work for long anyways because you are in this world and part of it. Be clear who you are and want to be and don’t want to be. You don’t have to contribute to the problems of this world. As a leader, you have a responsibility for yourself and others. Start with yourself and by stuffing the holes in your own ship (as a form of self-awareness and self-care). Then you won’t drown and will be ready to take others with you. Self-awareness and self-care will benefit your leadership (those you serve the through it). . #leadership #change #awareness #clarity #influence #transformation #leadershipdevelopment #leadershiptransformation #servantleadership

Five Ways to Motivate Your Team With Empathy and Authority #leadership

...and we’re heading in the direction we focus on. If you’re trying to move forward, reflect back but look forward. #future #transformation #change #changeyourlife #personaltransformation #personalgrowth #mindsetshift #forwardmovement #getup #getunstuck

Before you make a long-term purchase decision that locks you in with a software vendor, read this comparison article. There is plenty of coaching software out there. Not all are created equal. I have spent over a year assessing different tools and comparing them side-by-side against criteria they will all have to match to be what they should be: excellent support for coaches running their businesses. In this 2020 edition, I have added and removed providers. Not to sound like an insurance commercial, but this is a 15-minute read that will save you a headache and "learning money." https://medium.com/@corinnahagen/coaching-sw-2020-3d7376f40e7c #coaching #coachingsoftware #virtualcoach #remotecoach #digitalcoach #virtualoffice #coachingtools