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No, it’s not all leadership’s fault; however, as leaders, knowing WHY they are disengaged and HOW to help them shift to highly engaged is your responsibility. Disengagement, at best, leads to employees leaving your organization. Why do we say “at best”? Because despite the high costs associated with turnover, the costs associated with disengaged employees…

A supervisor influenced the company president to change a decision. An intern influenced a senior designer with a fresh idea. A millennial persuaded her baby boomer manager to get back into regular exercise. A son influenced his father to be more patient. A college graduate convinced an entrepreneur to take a chance and hire him.…

Think Empowerment, Not Delegation. Growing your team and your leadership is largely about how you share and handle work projects and tasks. As a leader, we need to inspire and trust our team members; as team members, we need someone who will champion our efforts and believe we can do and give so much more…

The “curiosity” idea for this blog stemmed from a client interaction a couple months ago. During our leadership development session with her team, our client reflected on her interactions with others and the fact that she is always curious about why people think, feel, and act the way they do. And I thought, what a…

Will Wise’s book, “Ask Powerful Questions,” was one of my summer reads this year, and once started, I couldn’t put it down. If you’ve read any of my previous book summary blogs, you will notice that three things typically hook me about new books: 1) the subtitle (it’s got to be catchy and relatable); 2)…

We are hoping that the next book, seminar, or vacation will somehow be the answer to whatever ails us. But we come to learn that they are not. We are looking for answers outside of self, that never did or never will exist. We are unconsciously taking our cues from others without examining whether or…

Have you ever really, really, really, wanted something so bad that you could taste it. It seemed to occupy your every waking moment, evolving into an unhealthy attachment that ultimately pushed the item, thing, or person farther away. This could be said for some of us as it relates to our use of social media.…

I believe I always intuitively knew that the way we treat people has a profound and lasting impact on their performance, and that the way we treat the one is the way that we are capable of treating the many. So ask yourself, how are you treating everybody you interact with – in your company,…

I was recently approached by a client with a question; he is a high-level leader in a medium-sized organization, and the question was, “Why does everyone think that they can lead?” When I asked for some clarity, he shared a story: “The Operations Department is going through some restructuring. We communicated what we planned to…

I am energized by the outdoors, nature and specifically trees. I need to live near them, and I am fortunate enough to have an enormous, 130-year-old white oak right outside my office window while I write this book review. It sprawls across the road, reaching for our neighbor’s sunlight, while remaining heavily rooted 100 feet…

According to Marketwatch1, the average U.S. employee who receives paid vacation has only taken about half (54 percent) of those days in the past 12 months. Additionally, another challenge – new to the digital age – is the number of people who take their vacation time but continue to work, checking emails, voicemails, etc. This…

I have been a student of effectiveness for over 30 years and have always been curious about the rituals or routines that people perform on a daily basis. So when I spotted the book, “My Morning Routine – How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired,” I was intrigued. Secretly I was interested in seeing how…

The subtitle of Carol Dweck’s book, “Mindset,” says it all: ”How we can learn to fulfill our potential.” In my work with clients, I am continually studying and learning about how we can all increase our potential. This book describes and gives numerous examples of how changing our mindset can and will do just that.…

When I did a book search on Amazon using the word “leadership,” there were more than 50,000 results. I was kind of surprised, however; I thought there’d be more. As many of you know, we at Emergent immerse ourselves (and maybe sometimes too much so) in reading – but with very positive and helpful intentions.…

We come together in teams and organizations for many reasons. One over-arching reason is that we can accomplish more together than we can as individuals. We’re often left with the sense that teams are critically important towards greater accomplishments and we are reminded that even the examples of seemingly singular heroes, entrepreneurs and “lone wolf”…

Imagine conducting performance reviews that are not only effective but engaging – reviews that are embraced by every leader and employee in your organization. Impossible? Not in our experience. The key is continual open dialogue. Very different than the typical annual event, effective performance management reviews are less about the paperwork and more about the…

In our practice, we believe in the unlimited potential of every leader, so the title of this book – “The Art of Possibility” –  really piqued my interest. It was recommended by a friend who is an adjunct faculty member at NYU. This book is one of the required readings of her graduate class, where…

Leading is required in all areas of our lives – home, work, family and relationships – and yet we often forget that leadership is not a title; it is an action. The concept that Emergent calls LeadUP is defined by speaking and influencing from any position or project in which we are involved. The concept…

Illness was no doubt the final cause Of the whole urge to create; By creating, I could recover; By creating, I became healthy. – German poet Heine imagines God explaining Creation We come together in teams and organizations for many reasons. One foundational reason is that we know we can achieve certain goals with others…

The Power of Eight by Lynne McTaggart turns the self-development paradigm on its ear. The book describes a number of scientifically validated studies of the healing power of intention, but more importantly also reveals the mirroring positive impact that the sending of good intentions has on the sender of these intentions. People from across the…

A common challenge when working with organizations, teams, and leaders for developing more sustainable leadership performance is understanding emotional intelligence. We can define it, and most people know they need more of it, but we are often stymied by the area/competence called “Emotional Self-Control.” When not correctly understood, this competency often makes leaders feel they…

Ralph Simone is on a mission to help people become more effective. That mission was recently advanced with an interview by Stan Linhorst of the Syracuse Newspapers, in which Ralph’s leadership and personal life philosophies were explored. Ralph reflects on the impact of life experiences – from newspaper deliveries to sports to Sweetheart Market –…

Like so many of our clients, I have struggled with meditation practices. It can be challenging to learn how to get our minds to quiet down and simply not think, and when we don’t immediately find success, we label our attempts as “failures.” This cycle of disappointment can often prevent us from wanting to try…

I have always been fascinated with the concept of integration – as opposed to balance – in terms of time spent inside and outside of work. Gandhi’s quote, “We are one indivisible whole,” recently caused me to challenge the artificial separation that the concept of “work-life balance” implies. That challenge was reinforced by an interview…