If you are not laughing, you're likely not paying attention. Good humor is a part of a good life. But many leaders fail to take it seriously. After a couple of decades of working in talent management, I get it. There are more than a few good reasons why leaders should think twice before using humor at work. But new research suggests that humor during times of crisis significantly improves employee engagement and organizational performance. It seems like an understatement to describe the current business environment as stressful. Executive leadership teams are talking about navigating burnout and a growing concern for the emotional well-being of employees. Effective leadership requires more than perks and pay. Here's a four-ingredient recipe to get humor right and avoid the dark side. What is humor? Whether humor is a stimulus, a cognitive process, an emotional or behavioral response, or all of these remains somewhat of a debate among researchers. However, humor is generally defined as intentionally amusing verbal and nonverbal communication that is perceived as amusing. A day without laughter is a day wasted. Charlie Chaplin Humor can be considered a social skill, emotion, cognitive ability, interpersonal communication behavior, behavioral response, habit, perspective about life, or coping strategy. Having a sense of humor is considered a personality trait. Research identifies five fundamental styles of humor categorized as either positive or negative to yourself and others: Affiliative humor (positive, others): non-threatening joking around used to enhance social interactions Self-enhancing humor (positive, self): humor to enhance the leader's self-image Aggressive humor (negative, others): humor used to manipulate others by threats or ridicule Mild-aggressive humor (negative, others): is satire and teasing with a humorous tone Self-defeating humor (negative, self): humor is used to lower the leader's social status so as to be more approachable Much of the positive influence of humor is due to a biochemical response. Laughing reduces cortisol levels which have a calming effect, increases endorphins creating a runner's high, and increases oxytocin which creates warm feelings toward others. The benefits of humor If you are a little skeptical about the benefits of humor, you are not alone. However, beyond the obvious benefit of reducing tension, humor translates to business results. Numerous studies link positive humor with many individual, team, and organizational benefits, including: Job satisfaction Engagement Resiliency Improved team cohesion Communication Creativity Organizational culture Employee performance Employee wellbeing Decreased stress and burnout Being approachable is important for any leader because silence is costly. Also, the higher your role in a company, the greater the power distance is created between you and followers in the organization. This distance makes it harder to get needed feedback. Evidence suggests that humor reduces power distance by creating similarities between people. Also, leaders with a sense of humor are more motivating and admired than those that don't. In this TEDx, Karyn Buxman expands on the science of humor. The Dark Side of humor "But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression…the dark side of the Force are they, easily they flow." - Yoda. Not all humor styles are beneficial, and humor does not have to be intentionally negative to offend. As to be expected, evidence suggests that aggressive and self-defeating humor comes with a high cost, including: Trauma-related symptoms Depressive symptoms Neuroticism Social anxiety A leadership recipe for using humor The recipe for getting humor right at work includes four ingredients. Humor Ingredient #1: Know Your Audience Creating a sense of shared social identity is a prerequisite for good communication and humor. A social identity study found that perceived similarity facilitated communication quality, and perceived differences lowered communication quality. When it comes to humor and social identity, perceptions matter. It is best to understand the audience and company culture before trying to be understood. Humor Ingredient #2: Keep it Positive Ask yourself, how will this make others feel? Avoid an aggressive style of humor that tears others down, especially those in lower positions of authority. Never laugh at people, rather, laugh with them. Humor Ingredient #3: Keep it Close Check your distance to the topic. If you are like me, you learned the importance of keeping it close on the playground. I can make fun of my family, but not someone else's family. Humor Ingredient #4: Know Yourself Studies suggest that our traits influence our natural humor style. The better you understand yourself, the better you will understand how to leverage your strengths and be aware of potential blind spots. Here is a link to a short self-assessment that helps identify your preferred humor style and delivery: Like with learning any skill, it is best to start small, be patient, reflect along the way, and ask for feedback from those you know will be honest. Don't learn in a vacuum, rely solely on the input from one person, or assume that it is going to feel natural quickly. Conclusion: Do you have to be a serious leader to be seriously effective in a crisis? Addressing the concerns in the business about exhaustion, burnout, and emotional well-being goes beyond perks and pay. And failing to navigate a crisis well threatens business viability. Emerging research demonstrates that effective leaders use humor during times of crisis to achieve business results. However, not all humor styles are beneficial, and humor does not have to be intentionally negative to offend. A recipe for getting humor right at work includes these four ingredients: Know your audience Keep it positive Keep it close Know yourself What's your real challenge with using humor in the workplace? References: Aaker, J., & Bagdonas, N. (2021). How to be funny at work. Harvard Business Review. Decker, W. (1987). Managerial humor and subordinate satisfaction. Social Behavior and Personality. Vol. 15 (2). 225-232. Guidice, Mesmer-Magnus, J., Barnes, D. C., & Scribner, L. L. (2022). Service amid crisis: the role of supervisor humor and discretionary organizational support. The Journal of Services Marketing. Mesmer‐Magnus, J., Glew, D. J., & Viswesvaran, C. (2012). A meta‐analysis of positive humor in the workplace. Journal of Managerial Psychology. Romero, E. J., & Cruthirds, K. W. (2006). The use of humor in the workplace. Academy of management perspectives, 20(2), 58-69.

A constant in life and business is change. Handle change well and win; handle it poorly and fail. After reviewing 40 years of data analytics from 1,435 companies, Jim Collins concluded that "good is the enemy of great." In an environment of perpetual change, the enemy of great change leadership is good change management. Good change management involves minimizing disruptions, avoiding costly mistakes, and control. In contrast, great change leadership maximizes business speed, efficiency, and innovation. Like a fast driver and a car capable of high speed, businesses with leaders that possess these two attributes can win and set the pace for others to follow. Leadership Attributes Matter There are always two games at play: an inner game that no one sees and an outer game that others observe And, it is the inner game that is silently controlling the outer game. In a seven-year study of 9,000 employees and 84 executive leaders in Fortune 500 and 100 organizations, evidence suggested that leaders with higher character ratings had a return on net assets of nearly five times those rated lower. In another study involving 2,000 manufacturing companies, researchers discovered that virtues had a more significant positive impact on organizational performance and quality than management control processes. Personal story: Years ago, I was making a succession planning and leadership development presentation to a senior leadership team. My leader wasn't a part of the meeting. But, my boss's leader was. My goal was to review the past year's outcomes and make a pitch for future talent management investments. I was nervously waiting outside the executive board room, going through the presentation in my head. My boss's boss stepped out of the board room, told me a joke, and walked in with me. The presentation went well. However, I misspoke at one point, and my boss's leader quickly chimed in to cover me. I remember feeling humbled by his kindness and servant's heart. Outer game habits like that don't just happen. Unlocking your inner game attributes maximizes your leadership potential. The following two attributes are proven to create a change engine: 1. Selfless Love Can you name the five wealthiest people in the world? How about five people who taught you something worthwhile? People who make the most difference in our lives often do not have the most credentials, money, or awards. They are the ones who care the most about us and are closest to us. Love enhances relationships that matter. However, selfless love can be a complex topic to understand, especially within the context of the workplace and leadership. Selfless love, simply stated, is about doing the right thing at the right time and for the right reasons. It leads to making sacrifices in the best interest of followers and the team mission. The benefits of leaders applying selfless love in the workplace include: A better workplace climate. Modern leaders in companies of all sizes face challenges attracting, hiring, and retaining the right team. All you have to do is drive down any street or walk through your local retail district to see signs for "help wanted." Having an excellent workplace climate is a proven talent magnet and boosts employee morale. Enhanced organizational commitment. Research has directly connected higher levels of organizational commitment with lower intent to leave measures. Strengthening organizational commitment maximizes employee productivity, job performance, and emotional well-being. Increased employee creativity. No organization is looking to stay the same year over year. Innovation is required to remain relevant and be successful in business. When leaders display selfless love, it increases creativity during change. 2. Vision You are driving through the mountains, and you come around a bend in the road, and suddenly without warning, there is a blanket of fog on the road. What do you do? Are you able to go faster when it is foggy or clear? The answer is obvious. Everyone can go faster when it is clear. We live in uncertain times! People want to follow a leader that can share a vision of a better future and help rise above the fog. Too often in the chaos of the moment, change is often approached from a mindset of what is wrong. The opportunity to connect with followers on what might be is missed. Effective change leadership envisions hope for a better future. It can be challenging to balance creating value for customers, followers, and the organization. For example, what is the appropriate reaction when technology pushes alignment and consistency and the market pulls for customer focus? Change leadership discourages either/or thinking and encourages both/and thinking. Change leaders ask questions like: What can be done with the SAP implementation to serve our customers better? What can be done with the customer to improve the SAP implementation? This paradoxical thinking requires perseverance grounded in motivation for better customers, communities, organizations, and futures for followers. Change leaders find solutions in shifting from linear to cyclical thinking between apparent opposites. Ultimately, a leader's vision can be accepted or rejected by team members and stakeholders. This fact is a tough pill for most any leader to swallow. Great change leaders know how to inspire others through their words. 1 Fundamental Change Leadership Good Habit An essential practice of great change leadership involves making critical reflection a leadership habit. A study of 486 companies over two and a half years demonstrated that organizations with a higher percentage of self-aware leaders outperformed organizations with a lower rate. Poor-performing businesses had 20 percent more leaders with blind spots than high-performing businesses. These three ideas can help you turn critical reflection into a leadership habit. Journaling. Use a journaling app like Day Oneservant'sto capture your thoughts, feelings, successes, and frustrations. This approach is demonstrdon'tted to be incredibly impactful on leader-follower relationships, clarity of purpose, and improving new skills. Like building any habit, start small and tie the new habit to an existing practice, such as your routine before you leave the office for the day. Soliciting follower feedback. Critical reflection should be a social process. It is proven to be most successful when collaborative. Leaders benefit from understanding how followers perceive their actions. Using questions grounded in curiosity improves critical reflection. Also, 360 leadership surveys that gather feedback from your leader, peers, and direct reports create the opportunity to identify hidden strengths and blind spots as well as comparisons between yourself and others. Learning from thought leaders. Books, articles, and assessments on leadership can enable leaders to examine different points of view, supporting your critical reflection. Thought leadership grounded in research provides leaders with proven solutions that can be applied and short cycle the learning process. If you are not a skilled speed reader, you may be surprised to know that you can learn how to read a book in an hour. Like any other skill, there are tips and tricks to increase your speed and retention. Change leadership is like an engine maximizing speed, efficiency, and innovation. Leaders overcome the enemy of great by applying the attributes of selfless love and vision. What would help you the most right now to establish better relationships and a vision of hope for a better future? References: Ferris, R. (1988). How organizational love can improve leadership. Organizational Dynamics, 16(4), 41-51. Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (Seventh Edition ed.). Patterson, K. (2003, October 16). Servant leadership: A theoretical model [PDF]. van Dierendonck, D., & Patterson, K. (2015). Compassionate love as a cornerstone of servant leadership: An integration of previous theorizing and research. Winston, B. E., & Patterson, K. (2006). An integrative definition of leadership. International Journal of Leadership Studies, 1(2), 6-66. Winston, B. E. (2002). Be a leader for sake: From Values to Behaviors (Rev. ed.).

Sometimes it is easy to spot the difference between a leadership bad habit and a good one. Take communication. While ineffective leaders avoid difficult conversations and blame their teams when issues don't go away, effective leaders know their responsibility is to lean in with vulnerability. Years ago, I was making a succession planning and leadership development presentation to the board of directors. My leader wasn't there. But, my boss's leader was. My goal was to review the past year's outcomes and make a pitch for future talent management investments. I was nervously waiting outside the executive board room, going through the presentation in my head. My boss's boss stepped out of the board room, told me a joke, and walked in with me. The presentation went well. However, I misspoke at one point, and he quickly chimed in to cover me. I remember feeling humbled by his kindness and servant's heart. Here's the reality: Outer game habits like that don't just happen. Unlocking your inner game maximizes leadership potential. Why Unlocking Your Inner Game is Important? Leadership creates defining moments; situations where choices must be made between right and right. It is in these moments that your inner game guides how you respond. While your leadership behaviors (outer game) prescribe what you should do in a given situation, your character (inner game) will decide what you do. Evidence suggests that effective leadership involves a combination of competence and character applied to challenging work. "Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." Viktor Frankl Studies reveal that executive leaders with high character scores outperform leaders with low character scores on business financial measures. In a study of executive leaders and their organizations over a two-year period, CEOs who scored high on aspects of character had an average return on assets (ROA) of 9.35%, in contrast to CEOs with low ratings who had a ROA of 1.93%. Character determines how leaders apply competence, and it shapes decisions. How to GROW Your Inner Game The GROW model is one of the most popular frameworks used by executive coaches to unlock inner game potential and maximize leadership performance. The framework was first written about by Formula 1 driver Sir John Whitmore and has become a go-to approach applied in executive coaching research. Given that your ultimate goal is changing, the GROW model relies on questions rather than instruction. Tapping into client-centered critical thinking, the model invokes improved self-awareness and leads to increased personal responsibility for change. In this two-minute video Sir Whitmore reflects on the question, what is the GROW model? The GROW framework represents a journey that begins with the client clarifying an inspiring and challenging goal from their point of view. Then the client's current reality, barriers to change, and available options are explored. The framework is based on the belief that imagination creates breakthroughs to change. The final step is connecting the client's motivation for change with a clear path forward. Specific timebound actions tied to commitments and accountability create transformation. This step involves the client deciding which steps they will take and when to achieve their goals. 2 Key Skills To Unlock the Inner Game Too often, everyone is talking. Time and attention get spent on urgent and surface-level topics in a digital full-speed world. At the same time, opportunities for talking about what matters most are missed. Being honestly heard is rare. The hybrid workplace has not helped. Due to technology limitations, leaders communicating with a remote workforce receive less context and fewer cues. The art of active listening and smart questioning skills are two keys to unlocking the inner game. 1. Active Listening is the ability to hear and improve mutual understanding. Hearing is not a synonym for listening. When you actively listen, you pay attention, show interest, suspend judgment, reflect, clarify, summarize, and share to gain clarity and understanding. When you are practicing active listening, you are available to the other person. Active listening builds trust and improves the creativity needed for exploring available options and motivation for change. Active listening skills include verbal, nonverbal, and empathic listening: Verbal listening is paraphrasing, reflecting feelings, assumption checking, and questioning. Nonverbal listening refers to your body language. Eye contact, leaning forward, and an open body position all provide cues of affirmation. Empathic listening involves sensing the explicit and implicit feelings being communicated. 2. Smart Questioning is grounded in curiosity and creates understanding. Because these questions have no expected answers, they open minds and enhance creativity. There are three levels of smart questions: Level 1: Yes or no questions. Are you OK with implementing the new leadership development program for the operations team? Level 2: Provocative questions. I am excited about the new leadership development program that you created. I can tell it will add a lot of value to the operations team. How are you thinking about it? What is the real challenge in implementing leadership development? Level 3: Catalytic questions. Which parts of the leadership development program will produce the most significant value? How would you describe success in implementing the new leadership development program? What assumptions do you have? A GROW conversation typically begins with level one questions, intending to get the conversation to the highest level possible. Conclusion: Unlocking Your Inner Game Outer game habits like that don't just happen. Unlocking your inner game maximizes your leadership potential during defining moments. Many people are good talkers. However, few are skilled listeners, and the hybrid workplace is making it more challenging. The GROW model is a proven executive coaching framework. This framework relies on the art of active listening and smart questioning skills to enhance trust and creativity. Skillfully applied, like an acorn can become an oak tree, your inner game potential can maximize your leadership performance. How could the GROW model help you maximize your potential or develop those you lead? References Bazerman, M. H., & Tenbrunsel, A. E. (2011). Blind spots: Why we fail to do what's right and what to do about it. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. Glaser, J. (2014). Conversational intelligence: How great leaders build trust and get extraordinary results. Bibliomotion. Seijts, G., Crossan, M., & Carleton, E. (2017). Embedding leader character into HR practices to achieve sustained excellence. Organizational Dynamics, 46(1), 30-39. doi:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2017.02.001

You have a vision for developing your team. But as a leader, the more coaching you provide, the more likely two-edge issues will happen. No matter how hard you try, true coaching complicates the leader-follower relationship. Unhealthy leader-follower relationships have devastating impacts on business performance and results. Many businesses are trying to build coaching skills, but leadership habits take time to change. Maybe leaders don’t make good coaches. Does being a leader and leadership coach have to be that hard? The truth is it doesn’t. You can coach your team and have fantastic leader-follower relationships. How? By anticipating and avoiding what’s causing issues in the first place. Evidence suggests that most problems can be traced back to these five things. Why Avoiding Leader as Coach Pitfalls Matter Leadership is a relationship. A theme in leadership research is that high-quality trust-based leader-follower relationships enhance positive results for leaders, teams, and organizations. The documented benefits include: Improved leader and follower performance Enhanced follower job satisfaction Increased leader and follower organizational commitment Decreased employee turnover Improved workplace climate Better two-way communication Improved creativity Value-added collaboration Decreased levels of workplace stress In an increasingly complex workplace having leaders that can cope with uncertainty and build trust within their leader-follower relationships is a competitive advantage. The benefits of investing in coaching are many; 80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence. Over 70% benefit from improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills. 86% of companies report that they recouped their investment in coaching and more. 5 Common Pitfalls to Avoid Too often companies make narrow investments into leadership development with little to no results to show. Effective coaching relies on a partnership that goes beyond investing in leader as coach skill development. Coaching is a partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. International Coaching Federation Successful leaders anticipate and avoid the following five most common categories of leader as coach fails: 1. Expectations Ambiguity Unclear expectations are a common challenge. Often workplace ambiguity results from a misunderstanding about what is coaching versus what is leading. Leaders will need to provide direction, but a coach avoids giving advice. Tip: Establish a written definition that compares and contrasts leadership, coaching, and mentoring. When scheduling meetings for coaching make the purpose clear. If using another meeting time for coaching include a specific agenda item to draw a clear distinction between your coaching and leadership roles. If you are not using separate meetings for coaching (which is my preference) you might find the coaching conversation goes better when it is the first item on the agenda. 2. Conflicts of Interest Leaders that use coaching to drive a personal agenda and put their personal needs ahead of their team members create a conflict of interest. Leaders often run from meeting to meeting and it can become very tempting to hijack a coaching session to cover an action item. If you find yourself falling into this trap, you are limiting your coaching effectiveness. Tip: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Set clear boundaries upfront and invite team members to provide feedback if you step out of the leader as coach lane. Establishing and sticking to a transparent agenda will help you avoid any potential conflicts of interest when you are under pressure. 3. Lack of Trust Trust is a fundamental aspect of high-quality relationships and an essential competency for a coach. Trust allows a coaching conversation to be open and without concern for being vulnerable. It is in this space that growth occurs best. A threat to trust is confidentiality within the leader-follower coaching relationship. Tip: Establish a coaching agreement with clear definitions of what about the coaching is confidential and what is not. Consider the needs of both you as the coach and your follower as the coachee. The agreement should include how concerns about trust are shared and resolved. 4. Leadership Power The role of the leader as a coach in hierarchical organizational culture is an especially challenging paradigm to establish. Coaching is most effective in collaborative relationships. The higher you go in an organization the more power you are given within the organization. When team members enter a meeting with expectations for the leader to be in charge and have all the answers it is difficult to adopt a mindset of collaboration. Tip: Set expectations upfront for the leader as coach relationship to be collaborative. Make it explicit as a part of the coaching agreement. Include examples of what is and is not a collaborative coaching relationship. Focus on your coaching presence, active listening, and use of powerful questions during coaching sessions. 5. Forced Participation Sometimes out of a desire for everyone to develop leaders and followers are forced to have coaching relationships. However, for coaching to be most effective participation needs to be desired. When a coach or coachee does not want to be coached the effectiveness of the investment is diminished. Tip: Make participation voluntary for the coach and coachee. Even though you want everyone to be developing, you cannot force someone to learn and grow in a coaching relationship What’s the biggest leader as coach challenge you face? Key Summary Points High-quality trust-based leader-follower relationships enhance positive results for leaders, teams, and organizations. In an increasingly complex workplace having leaders that can cope with uncertainty and build trust within their leader-follower relationship is a competitive advantage. The more leadership coaching you provide, the more likely two-edge issues will arise. A successful leader as a leadership coach anticipates and avoids expectations ambiguity, conflicts of interest, lack of trust, leadership power, and forced participation. References: Athanasopoulou, A., & Dopson, S. (2018). A systematic review of executive coaching outcomes: Is it the journey or the destination that matters most? The Leadership Quarterly. 29(1), 70-88. Lai, Y., & Palmer, S. (2019). Psychology in executive coaching: An integrated literature review. Journal of Work Applied Management, 11(2), 143-164. Milner, J., Milner, T., McCarthy, G., & da Motta Veiga, S. (2022). Leaders as Coaches: Towards a Code of Ethics. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science: A Publication of the NTL Institute, OnlineFirst, 1. Trompenaars, A., & Voerman, E. (2010). Servant-leadership across cultures: Harnessing the strength of the world's most powerful management philosophy. McGraw-Hill.

A lot of businesses are experiencing a leadership shortage. CEOs need a strong leadership pipeline to thrive, but it's not easy to build. In fact, perceptions of leadership effectiveness and readiness often differ between executives and the frontline. The added risk and costs that result from this misalignment are cringeworthy. Whether due to unclear expectations or a lack of talent visibility across the organization, a disparity of perceptions is dangerous. Leadership development investments don't have to be a big gamble. You need to understand the challenges leaders face, what it takes for leaders to be successful, and use a high-quality systemic approach. Here are a few proven ways to do just that. Why You Need a Strong Leadership Pipeline? Leading in a fast-paced and crisis-driven market is no easy feat. Today's senior leaders are concerned about the quality of their leaders and the complexity of the new challenges they are facing. It turns out that these concerns are justified. Alarming data from a new global study reveals that only 14% of leaders across all levels indicate they are confident with hiring decisions. Also, only 11% of CEOs rate their organization as having a strong bench of ready-now leaders. Having the right leadership in the right place at the right time is vital to navigating the volatility and uncertainty in the marketplace. Good leadership can make a success out of a weak plan, and ineffective leadership can destroy a business with a great strategic plan. Great leaders achieve great results. A review of the published research reveals that leadership effectiveness makes a difference in the leader's life, those they lead, business performance, and communities. The best organizations are made up of the best leaders. In a controlled study involving leaders across different industries, researchers found a significant link between the leader's effectiveness and employee retention, sales, margin, labor costs, and net profit. How Can You Identify the Right Leadership? A critical first step toward building a strong leadership pipeline is to bring clarity to the confusion of leadership effectiveness and readiness perceptions. While defining rating scales for performance and potential are helpful to gaining consistency, alone, they are not sufficient. Fair and robust talent calibration meetings present a meaningful solution for identifying the right leadership. These meetings create an intentional space for leaders to discuss and align on the performance and potential of the talent in the leadership pipeline. A talent calibration meeting is to review, assess, adjust, and agree upon a direct report's performance and potential within the organization and make development decisions. In large companies, these annual meetings typically involve the direct reports manager, the peers of the manager, the manager's leader, and a human resources business partner. To resolve any existing misalignment and get the most value from a talent calibration meeting, leaders need to come prepared, resolve existing disparities in perceptions, and create psychological safety to discuss critical feedback. Preparation: Ahead of the meeting, all leaders involved should solicit feedback and reflect on specific examples that support their point of view on a leader's performance, potential, and readiness to advance that is being reviewed. Everyone in the meeting should bring evidence to support their perspective. The leader of the direct report being reviewed should also identify the areas where the leader being reviewed should continue to develop. Commitment: A critical factor that separates a successful talent calibration meeting from a waste of time is the shared will to have the robust discussion needed. If the conversation is fair and transparent, there will likely be productive conflict at times. The commitment of those in the meeting will determine the quality of the meeting. Before the meeting, it is helpful to discuss the purpose of the talent calibration meeting and why each person is being invited. Don't assume everyone knows. Psychological Safety: Research has repeatedly suggested that businesses benefit from a diversity of thought. However, when meeting participants don't feel comfortable speaking up to share concerns or an alternate point of view, the quality of the discussion is minimized. Establish meeting ground rules before you get started. You want participants to know that silence is not golden and productive conflict is encouraged. How you position the meeting and what you say is essential, but how the team responds to the constructive conflict will determine if there is safety. How Can You Accelerate Leadership Development? Having a strong leadership pipeline is a talent magnet and competitive advantage. High-quality investments in leadership development motivate leaders, create a strong culture, and increase organizational commitment. Many leadership development programs are missing the mark because they are event-driven. Leaders attend a workshop or conference and return to the workplace with little to show for their time out of the office. Leadership development is best viewed as a system and not an event. You can accelerate talent development by rethinking your approach. Aligning the leader and organizational development readiness with high-quality coaching improves development outcomes. Whether you think you can do a thing or not, you are right. ~Henry Ford Development Readiness Development readiness refers to the individual's and organization's ability, orientation, and motivation to develop. Leaders who want to learn and can focus on learning tend to view obstacles and challenges to their learning as the path to improvement. Organizations with a learning culture encourage leaders to seek new knowledge and apply new skills to improve continually. A personal development readiness example. I love to SCUBA dive. If you offered the best free workshop on ancient literature, I wouldn't want to attend. I probably could learn something and might have a good time. But, if you offered a class on SCUBA diving, I likely would learn and enjoy it more. My development readiness in this example is more positively aligned with the SCUBA class. If you know, I need to learn about ancient literature. It will improve the learning outcomes of the class by working on my development readiness ahead of signing me up to attend. Too often, with good intentions, leadership development programs get rolled out without considering development readiness. The good news is that you can positively affect development readiness and accelerate leadership development. A great way to get started is by asking your leaders in your next one-to-one meeting to identify where there are opportunities to improve. The following categories can be used to guide the conversation and learn about their leadership development perceptions and experiences: Assigning and providing opportunities to learn Tolerating mistakes as a part of learning Having high-performance expectations and accountability Setting policies and practices that support leadership development Leadership supports new ideas Awareness of how leadership responsibilities fit into the big picture Knowledge, skills, and abilities to lead If leadership development is viewed positively High-Quality Coaching Deploying high-quality internal or external coaching extends development beyond the typical event-driven program that is often too narrowly focused on developing specific leadership skills. Coaching is a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires leaders to maximize their personal and professional potential. The coaching process unlocks sources of imagination, productivity, and leadership ability. Current evidence-based research supports various psychological approaches to coaching. The GROW model is a popular approach. Given the ultimate goal of coaching is related to change within you, the model centers on using essential questions and client-centered critical thinking to invoke self-awareness and personal responsibility. To make the best decision between internal and external coaching approaches, you will want to weigh the time, cost, and quality advantages and disadvantages. Some of the reasons why companies use external coaching are: External coach specialization and experience Lack of internal politics, conflicts, and competing priorities Enhanced confidentiality and the ability to work on sensitive issues Diverse perspectives of the coach Internal coaching is often more cost-effective, but scalability can be a severe challenge for most companies. A 2019 study by Gartner revealed that 45% of leaders across all levels lack the confidence needed to coach direct reports. Leaders in the study indicated that they weren't confident in their coaching skills and lacked the required time. Conclusion: Identifying and Accelerating the Right Leadership Amidst the great resignation, identifying and accelerating the right leadership is a huge competitive advantage. Failing to address the misalignment of leadership perceptions between executives and the frontline and the use of event-driven approaches are barriers to building a strong leadership pipeline. Working through misalignment that often exists across all levels of leaders requires a willingness to engage in productive conflict. A massive opportunity for accelerating leadership development is achieved by leveraging high-quality coaching aligned with organizational and leader's developmental readiness. What's the real challenge you face with building a strong leadership pipeline? References: Avolio, B. J., & Hannah, S. T. (2008). Developmental readiness: Accelerating leader development. Consulting Psychology Journal, 60(4), 331-347. Gartner. (2019). Gartner says 45% of managers lack confidence to help employees develop the skills they need today. Gurdjan, P., Haibeisen, T., & Lane, K. (2022). Why leadership development programs fail. McKinsey & Co. Korn Ferry. (2022). The leadership shortage. Rhyne, R. & Neal, S. (2021). Top CEO challenges 2021: 4 key trends in leadership. DDI. International Coaching Federation. (2022). What is coaching?

Each of us has two games at play as we go about our days: an inner game and an outer game. As a leader, whether it's how you manage the organizations operating budget, establish the agenda for a one-to-one coaching session, or make decisions about the annual strategic plan. These leadership actions are observable habits shaped by your inner game. It is the inner game that is quietly controlling the outer game. Like a new piece of technology in the workplace, the technologies features or outer game behaviors often get the most attention. Still, the technologies operating system or leader's inner game virtues, character, and values deserve equal attention and focus. Forming good habits and breaking leadership bad habits includes understanding and transforming the inner you. Why Transforming the Inner You Matters? Socrates suggested that "to know thyself is the beginning of wisdom." Several research studies demonstrate the proven benefits of a leader's inner game. Here are a few recent studies: In a seven-year study of 9,000 employees and 84 executive leaders in Fortune 500 and 100 organizations, evidence suggested that leaders with higher character ratings had a return on net assets of nearly five times those rated lower. Evidence from a large-scale empirical study involving 1,207 employees 1,341 customers suggested that the influence of virtues on employee and customer identification, distinctiveness, and satisfaction has a significantly positive correlation with all dimensions. In another study involving 2,000 manufacturing companies, researchers discovered that virtues had a more significant positive impact on organizational performance and quality than management control processes. Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are. –Coach John Wooden. Understanding Your Inner Game Although not frequently discussed in the workplace, a leader's virtues, character, and values are foundational attributes to effective leadership. Aristotle considered virtues a habit or disposition to think, act, or feel in the right way that is not deficient or in excess and toward a good goal. Virtues are a part of an individual's distinctive character that influences personal values. A leader's virtues and character will govern actions when presented with a new or unknown situation, which accounts for most leadership situations. Effective leadership involves a combination of character, competence, and commitment to challenging work. The following figure is a model that depicts the foundational relationship between virtues, character, and values that create habits resulting in a leader's performance. Because virtues, character, and values are often considered complex and ambiguous topics to discuss and measure they are often left out of the discussion when considering leadership development in the workplace. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education. –Martin Luther King, Jr. Like competencies, values, character, and virtues can and should be intentionally developed. Evidence in virtue and character development suggests that an individual's development should include: knowledge transfer reasoning and practice. Steps To Transform the Inner You Striving for better habits is a competitive advantage available to any leader looking for a powerful point of differentiation. Just because you haven't already achieved the leadership success and significance you want doesn't mean you can't now. "Nothing changes without personal transformation." W. E. Deming Character development is primarily developed through role modeling, feedback, practice, and reflection. However, feedback on values, character, and gaps in virtues are not commonly provided in the workplace, given the complexity of these conversations. Additionally, leaders typically spend little to no time reflecting on character experiences because of blind spots. There are likely inner game attributes you find important that others are unaware of and values you demonstrate that other people see, but you don't. Researchers Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham captured this dynamic in their Johari Window model. Using an assessment like the Character Strengths Survey from the VIA Institute is an excellent place to build self-awareness and uncover inner game assumptions and beliefs. The free VIA Character Strength Survey provides insights into 24-character strengths in rank order. Character strengths are values in action or positive traits for thinking, feeling, and behaving that benefit the leader and others. The VIA has been completed by over 15 million people globally, and all of the scales have satisfactory reliability. While knowing where you are is the beginning, it is likely more important to know where you are going. Engaging a dedicated and skillful executive coach is another way you can improve character feedback and purposeful character reflection on your inner game. Executive coaching focuses on moving toward the leader's future, assessing where they are currently, their goals for the future, and exploring and discovering the steps to get to their desired future. The ultimate goal is a change (e.g., behavioral, attitudinal, or motivational). Dedicated mentors can also support character development by openly reflecting on insights gained from experience. The most effective mentoring is mentee-driven and mentor-guided. Mentoring is a dynamically reciprocal, active learning process. A mentor asks questions and shares personal past successes and failures. A coach uses questions but focuses on the leader, not the coach's experience. Conclusion: Transforming the Inner You Modern business executives are running on a metaphorical treadmill every day at work. Time is precious and a scarce resource. Leadership development is one of the best and most important steps a leader can make toward success and significance. Your inner game is primarily developed through role modeling, feedback, and reflection. Both executive coaching and mentoring provide massive benefits. However, this does not mean there isn't the best choice for you, given your situation and unique context. An integrated approach to developing your inner and outer game unlocks the ability to break bad leadership habits and create good ones. What inner transformation do you want to create, and how can you get started? Let's talk about how we can help you achieve your goals with transformational executive coaching and organizational solutions that work. References: Anderson, R. & Adams, W. (2016). Mastering leadership: An integrated framework for breakthrough performance and extraordinary business results. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Badaracco, J. (1997). Defining moments: When managers must choose between right and right. Harvard Business School Press. Brickhouse, Thomas C.; Smith, Nicholas D. (1994). Plato's Socrates. Oxford University Press. Chun, R. (2017). Organizational Virtue and performance: An empirical study of customers and employees. Journal of Business Ethics, 146(4), 869-881. Donada, C., Mothe, C., Nogatchewsky, G., & de Campos Ribeiro, G. (2019). The respective effects of virtues and inter-organizational management control systems on relationship quality and performance: Virtues win. Journal of Business Ethics, 154(1), 211-228. Pakaluk, M. (2005). Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: An introduction. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511802041 Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues. (2017). A Framework for Character Education in Schools. University of Birmingham. Kiel, F. (2015). Return on character: The real reason leaders and their companies win. Harvard Business Review Press.

Companies need to continuously introduce innovations to fuel growth. The financial and operational rewards for innovation are significant. Top-ranked innovation companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon accelerate out of market disruptions. Creativity and risk-taking are essential to overcoming challenges, but businesses often reward efficiency and avoid risk. Innovation doesn't just happen in the workplace without a supportive culture. Employees are only as innovative as their environment. Company culture is the one thing that influences everything in the workplace. Leaders that focus on cultivating an innovation culture and developing innovative leaders outperform their competition. As the world changes, so must leaders and organizations. But, not all change is innovation. Innovation is a word that commonly gets used and can have multiple meanings. Innovation is best defined by producing significant positive change for customers, communities, and the business's bottom line. Many leaders are curious about where innovative ideas start, and many people are wrong in thinking that innovation occurs from a random action. Innovation is like a puzzle in that the last piece is the result of a series of prior activities supporting the finishing of the idea. Innovation requires opportunity recognition, talent, commitment, sacrifice, and risk-taking. According to a recent global study by the Boston Consulting Group, more than two-thirds of executives have identified innovation as one of their top three business priorities. Leaders want employees that will take risks and challenge the status quo. However, more than half of these same leaders indicate they are severely challenged to inspire teams to innovate. How Innovation Helps a Business Although innovation requires taking risks, failing to innovate can be fatal. The proven benefits of innovation include: increased competitive advantage improved operational productivity reduced costs and increased revenue improved commercial value enhanced problem-solving One modern innovation that is impressive to watch is SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9. Space travel alone is challenging, but reusing a rocket by landing it on a drone ship takes the complexity to another level. Jefferies International, a financial services company engaged in investment banking and capital markets, estimated the customer benefit of the Space X Falcon 9 reusable rocket. If Space X passed on 50 percent cost savings to its customers, this one innovation could reduce company costs by 21% or $48.3 million per launch. Leaderships Role in Creating an Innovation-based Culture Culture change should be approached with purpose and caution. Leaders need to realize that culture change is never-ending. Organizational culture is oriented around visual objects, spoken words, and the taken-for-granted processes and perceptions. Leaders looking to change an organization's culture should clearly define employee behavioral expectations. Then leaders need to align what they regularly pay attention to, how they respond in a time of crisis, where they allocate resources, what they reward, and how they buy, build, and bounce employees with the defined behavioral expectations. A culture of innovation comprises many different attributes, and learning quickly is critical to building an innovation-based culture. Cultures that produce innovation adhere to three basic rules: creating innovation teams and addressing the "lack of time" barrier holding employees accountable and providing persuasive prompts for innovation recruiting, rewarding, recognizing, and developing innovation champions An empirical study of over 800 organizations found that effective innovation characteristics are not the same for product innovation and process innovation. For example, the research demonstrated that increasing problem-solving freedom among employees decreased product innovation. Leaders can increase innovation effectiveness by clarifying the gap between the current and desired state, identifying and removing barriers to innovation, and clarifying innovation processes. Innovations are dependent on senior leadership's ability to deliver: effective leadership company innovation integration controlled change volume and focus creativity and innovation value realization reward and recognition for desired behaviors internal and external diverse relationships and talent removed barriers and negative reactions to innovation Conclusion Organizations naturally reward efficiency thinking and avoiding risk. Senior leadership has a vital role in creating and sustaining a culture supportive of innovation. Bad leadership habits and ineffective leadership approaches are not destiny, and all leaders need to continually develop at a pace consistent with the change in the leader's world. One of the core philosophies in my new book, Breaking 10 Leadership Bad Habits, is that leaders must continually transform and adapt or fall behind. Sign up to be the first to know when the book is available and begin receiving weekly leadership tips delivered to your inbox now. Key Summary Points Companies need to continuously introduce innovations to fuel growth. Employees are only as innovative as their environment. Leaders that focus on cultivating an innovation culture and developing innovative leaders outperform their competition. More than two-thirds of executives have identified innovation as one of their top three business priorities. Culture change should be approached with purpose and caution. Cultures that produce innovation create innovation teams, address the "lack of time" barrier, hold employees accountable, provide persuasive prompts for innovation, and recruit, reward, recognize, and develop innovation champions. Are your followers taking risks and innovating? Let's talk about how we can help you achieve your goals with transformational executive coaching and organizational consulting solutions that work. References: BCG. (2022) Overcoming the innovation readiness gap. Berkun, S. (2010;). The myths of innovation (1st ed.). O'Reilly. Cameron, K. (2006). Competing values leadership: Creating value in organizations. E. Elgar Pub. Çokpekin, Ö., & Knudsen, M. P. (2012). Does organizing for creativity really lead to innovation? Creativity and Innovation Management, 21(3), 304-314. Davila, T., Epstein, M., Shelton, R. (2013) Making innovation work: How to manage it, measure it, and profit from it (Updated ed.). Pearson Education Inc. De Selding, B. (2016). SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9: What are the real cost savings for customers? Space News. Gierczak-Korzeniowska, B., & Golembski, G. (2017). Benchmarking in the process of creating a culture of innovation in hotel companies. Economics and Business Review, 3 (17)(2), 101-113. Schein, P. (2017). Organizational culture and leadership (5th ed). Wiley

Getting leadership transitions right is rare. Alarming evidence shows that more than half of executives fail within eighteen months of starting a new position. Organizations operate more like organisms than machines, and leadership changes increase workplace anxiety. When a leader struggles, the entire business underperforms. A recent pulse survey by PwC reveals that a staggering 65% of employees are considering a new career opportunity. In the new normal, leadership transitions are more common and more important than ever to get right. Investing in leadership and career development are great ways to drive business growth. So, how do you know which is a better investment for you to make, executive coaching or mentoring? Why You Need to Invest in Leadership Transitions Leadership transitions, whether successful or not, are costly. On average direct reports spend 10-20% of their time helping a new leader transition. Also, a study revealed that two-thirds of leaders in transition report they do not receive the support they need from their team. Evidence suggests that successful leadership transitions increase company revenue, have 13% lower attrition rates, and are 90% more likely to achieve long-term performance goals. Unsuccessful leadership transitions lead to 20% less employee engagement and 15% lower performance. Direct expenses for recruiting and hiring senior leadership positions are estimated at two times the job's annual salary. Also, businesses experience increased hidden costs from the loss of potential gains associated with not having the leader in place. Leadership transitions increase anxiety and stress in the workplace. Most leaders in transition wonder if they will get along with their new direct reports. And team members wonder how the change will impact their performance and future with the company. According to DDI, 35% of all executives promoted internally, and 47% of hired externally are considered failures. Leaders need feedback and support to make a successful transition. "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." Derek Bok What Is The Difference Between Executive Coaching and Mentoring? Executive coaching and mentoring are excellent strategies to support leadership and career development. Both approaches have been growing in popularity in successful organizations. However, as a certified executive coach and organizational consultant with over 25 years of talent management experience, I have seen firsthand how they are distinctly different and often confused. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching "as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential." Executive coaching focuses on moving toward the leader's future, assessing where they are currently, their goals for the future, and exploring and discovering the steps to get to their desired future. The ultimate goal is a change (e.g., behavioral, attitudinal, or motivational). Executive coaching is a purposeful process that helps executives develop and experience a positive transformation in life and leadership. The executive coach-client relationship is grounded in trust, transparency, and confidentiality. While the coach and client are the primary stakeholders, the executive's sponsoring organization is often an additional formal or informal stakeholder. Current evidence-based research supports various psychological approaches to executive coaching, such as cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused, strength-based, and GROW. While each approach is similar, the GROW model is a popular executive coaching approach. Mentoring, like coaching, can be approached in vastly different ways from business to business. The most effective mentoring is mentee-driven and mentor-guided. Mentoring is a dynamically reciprocal, active learning process. A mentor asks questions and shares personal past successes and failures. A coach uses questions but focuses on the leader, not the coach's experience. The Association for Talent Development (ATD) defines mentoring as "an informal association focused on building a two-way, mutually beneficial relationship for long-term career movement." Although many people believe that a mentor needs to be senior to the mentee, it is not critical to success. Like executive coaching, mentoring is a trust-based partnership. It is most effective with clearly defined roles, driven by the mentee, voluntary, and confidential. When Executive Coaching is Your Best Choice Executive coaching, instead of mentoring, can be the best choice for leaders preparing to make a leadership transition, are just getting started with a new career opportunity, or have hit a wall in their development. Many companies use executive coaching as a leadership transition acceleration tool. Executive coaching helps leaders who need a plan get focused. An executive coach increases blind spot awareness. Also, the coach keeps the leader feeling challenged versus being worried about what is next. Living life to the fullest can be at risk during a leadership transition. A coach can help the leader see different interrelated factors that impact them and be a true champion in a supportive way. Executive coaching encourages experimentation and self-discovery through the application of what is discussed. A skillful coach helps the leader dance in the present moment and take the necessary actions for their future. During leadership transitions, leaders need to shift their mindset to allow for new perspectives and take advantage of new opportunities. An executive coach challenges assumptions and encourages and stretches the leader to reach new heights in life and work. The benefits of investing in executive coaching are many; 80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence. Over 70% benefit from improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills. 86% of companies report that they recouped their investment in coaching and more. A limitation of executive coaching is that it focuses on the future and doesn't deal with the past. Executive Coaching Transition Example: A leader from one part of the world was assigned to take on operations in another in one organization. They hired an executive coach as part of the leadership transition support and cultural agility development. The virtual executive coaching relationship had three specific goals: improve the cultural awareness and agility of the leader in a new culture, keep the executive focused on their 90-day plan, and creative thought partner about decisions in a new culture. It is crucial to find a skilled and qualified executive coach. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is a globally recognized association with evidence-based competency and code of ethics certification requirements. Look for a coach that: Demonstrates Ethical Practice Embodies a Coaching Mindset Establishes and Maintains Agreements Cultivates Trust and Safety Maintains Presence Listens Actively Evokes Awareness Facilitates Client Growth I challenge you to invest in an executive coach for your leadership transition and see your business results improve. When Mentoring is Your Best Choice Mentoring can be the best choice for an organization looking to increase talent mobility and internal visibility to talent across the organization. Mentoring creates purposeful relationships providing access and mutually beneficial interactions between employees that may not typically connect. Mentoring provides leaders with a development-oriented relationship and can expose leaders to different business areas and encourage new careers. Both the mentee and the mentor benefit from increased exposure in the business. Mentoring is effective for encouraging ethical behavior and virtues. Where past experiences can help leaders understand decisions between right and right. The benefits of mentoring include increased job satisfaction, expanded perspectives, strengthened technical, interpersonal, and leadership skills. A limitation of mentoring is that the learning is grounded in the past experiences of the mentor. While that approach can be helpful, we are all created with different strengths and backgrounds. Also, contemporary leadership challenges can be vastly different. Mentoring Transition Example: In one successful mentoring relationship, the mentee was the VP of HR for a nonprofit. The mentor was the managing director of finance. The leaders from different parts of the organization arranged in-person and virtual face-to-face meetings once a month. The mentee described that the relationship helped them grow as a leader. Specific technical advice was provided on the use of financial dashboards. The connection enabled the mentee to approach the challenge from a big picture business finance lens. The mentor described that the relationship improved their awareness of the role of organizational talent and how to navigate difficult conversations with senior leaders. The right mentor is critical to the outcomes of the relationship. To find the right mentor: Get clear about what you want to accomplish personally and professionally. Know yourself and the characteristics you admire in others. Consider what career opportunity you would like to have Know the difference between a sponsor and a mentor Develop a pitch and a few questions to use with a potential mentor. Include your goals, how often you want to meet, agendas, and clarify it is OK to say no. Conclusion: Getting Leadership Transitions Right Leadership and career development are two of the best and most important steps companies can take to drive lasting success in the new normal. Supporting and investing in leadership transitions unlocks tremendous business value. Both executive coaching and mentoring provide massive leader and company benefits. However, this does not mean there isn't a best choice to make for you, given your situation and unique context. Let's talk about how we can help you achieve your goals with transformational executive coaching and organizational solutions that work. References Bharucha, K. (2013). Corporate finance: The cost of poor leadership transitions. Corporate Executive Board. Boushey, H., & Glynn, J. (2012). There are significant business costs to replacing employees, Center for American Progress. Eskandanian-Yee, C. (2020). A mentor versus an executive coach: Which one is best for your business? Forbes. Ettore, M. (2020). Why most executives fail: And four things companies can do about it. Forbes. Keller, S. (2018). Successfully transitioning to new leadership roles. Mckinsey & Company. Krbechek, A., & Tagle, A. (2020). The right mentor can change your career. Here's how to find one. NPR. Next in Work. (2021). PwC pulse survey: Next in work. PwC. Pease, M. (2021). Private struggle: Why executive transitions continue to fail. DDI. Syed, A., Miller, S., Safferstone, T., Selinger, R., Schmidt, C., & Freire, P. (2005). Succeeding with your new manager: Strategies for getting your relationship right. Corporate Executive Board. Tyler, K. (2014). Executive coaches ease leadership transitions. SHRM.

Most leaders think talent is the most important business resource. Yet, a growing number of leaders lack confidence in having a workforce that can deliver against current and future business goals. Talent scarcity is forcing CEOs to reconsider growth priorities. The importance of human capital planning needs to be elevated to equal the emphasis placed on products and services. Leaders that apply strategic workforce planning can deliver better results in the new normal. Understanding the Talent Shortage Globally businesses are lacking the skilled employees needed to deliver on business strategies. This was predicted by Rainer Strack back in his 2014 TedTalk using labor supply and workforce demand forecasting. In 2018 Korn Ferry predicted that by 2030 there would be a global talent shortage of more than 85 million people. A more granular look at their research indicates that the talent shortage will impact countries and industries differently. For example, the financial services industry in the US will be affected the most due to lack of talent, with $435.69 billion in projected unrealized output. In line with these reports, ManpowerGroup's 2021 global survey of companies validated the crisis. Seven in ten companies reported talent shortages and facing significant challenges hiring (see image below). There is a growing trend in the US that people are unable or unwilling to work. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the labor participation rate will decline to 60.4% for people 16 and older in 2030. Beyond looking for answers in new technologies, leaders can rise above the talent shortage by applying the tools and practices of strategic workforce planning. Strategic Workforce Planning In addition to the obvious need for companies to attract, retain, and develop great talent, leaders need to proactively anticipate current and future talent needs. Today's evolving talent shortage amplifies the gaps of organizations that have relied on an "if you build it, they will come" workforce plan. It is time for leaders to get serious about strategic workforce planning. Strategic workforce planning is a dynamic process to ensure a business has the correct number of people with the right skills in the right places at the right time to deliver on current and future goals. Strategic workforce planning is different from operational demand planning in that it addresses both the organization's current and future strategic needs. The goals of strategic workforce planning are to: produce a workforce with the right skills, able to meet the changing realities in the talent market and shifting needs of the business in a cost-efficient manner. avoid being surprised by a changing talent marketplace. detect and prepare for mixed future realities in the crisis-driven business environment. Getting Started with Strategic Workforce Planning There is no "one- size fits all" approach to strategic workforce planning. The best approaches account for the unique context and culture of your business. It all begins with getting clear on your strategic business priorities. Then you are ready to integrate the following fundamental strategic workforce planning steps into your planning process: Role segmentation. Identify strategic roles based on their importance to the execution of the business strategy. As a general guide, identify the roles that contribute the most value to the strategy. These roles would account for no more than 15% of the organization. Succession planning tools like the 9-box can be altered and used to segment roles based on value and potential. Environmental scanning. Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis of the internal and external workforce supply and demand. Advanced talent data analytics and tools like TalentNeuron can make this step more manageable and more robust by tapping into global talent, location, and competitive insights. Scenario planning. Consider a range of potential futures to improve the possibilities of future success in your business. Possible future scenarios might include unionization, competitive threats, availability of talent, or economic recovery impact on the workforce. The goal is not to predict the future but prepare for likely possibilities. The field of strategic foresight provides answers for how leaders can become future smart. Once you have completed the steps above, you are ready to conduct a gap analysis and begin action planning. The final step is to monitor and report on your plan to keep it dynamic to the changes in the talent marketplace and your shifting business strategies. It is always good to have a plan, and the best strategies are the ones created and worked out in implementation. Strategic workforce planning is not an exact science. Companies can benefit from partnering with an organizational development consultant to save significant time and avoid frustration from strategic workforce planning projects. Key summary points Today's leaders lack confidence in having a workforce that can deliver against current and future business goals. Seven in ten companies reported talent shortages and facing significant challenges hiring. In addition to the obvious need for companies to attract, retain, and develop great talent, leaders need to proactively anticipate current and future talent needs. Strategic workforce planning is a dynamic process to ensure a business has the correct number of people with the right skills in the right places at the right time to deliver on current and future goals. Role segmentation, environmental scanning, and scenario planning are fundamental steps to strategic workforce planning. Let's talk today about how we can help you achieve your goals with transformational executive coaching and organizational consulting solutions that work. References Mayo, A. (2015). Strategic workforce planning – a vital business activity. Strategic HR Review, 14(5), 174-181. Momin, W. Y. M., & Mishra, K. (2015). HR analytics as a strategic workforce planning. International Journal of Applied Research, 1(4), 258-260. Willis, G., Cave, S., & Kunc, M. (2018). Strategic workforce planning in healthcare: A multi-methodology approach. European Journal of Operational Research, 267(1), 250-263.

It's that time of year where everyone starts talking about future trends and how the business will be different next year. But maybe you are an outlier. Maybe you feel resistant toward these conversations about the future and are only somewhat intrigued by what is being discussed. Given the crisis-driven workplace realities, it is no surprise that you may feel skeptical, especially if you are exhausted from the past year. Or if past attempts to become future-ready have not yielded much success. It could be that you are entirely on board with getting future smart. You want to change and create trends rather than catch up to the competition. Whatever situation you find yourself in, no business sets out to become obsolete, and there are many proven benefits to futures thinking. "The future depends on what you do today." Mohandas Gandhi Benefits of Being Future Smart Contemporary business leaders operate in a fast-paced mix of societal, technological, and commercial crises. Leaders are forced to respond and navigate their businesses from one crisis to another. Advances in technology continue to be a significant transformational force like what past companies faced with the prior agricultural and industrial revolutions. Marketplace chaos brings increased stress, new demands and creates new opportunities. Business leaders benefit from being better prepared, having the right tools and resources at the right time, and improved decision-making. Having strategic foresight leads to enhanced change management and positions a business to move from responding and reacting to change to architecting trends. When companies lead new trends, it fuels revenue growth. Top Ten Business Trends Beyond 2022 Leaders can't be ready for what they don't understand. Here is a list and description of the top ten trends beyond 2022 that you need to understand to get ahead of the competition. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advances in technology will make Artificial Intelligence mobile and a part of every business sector. Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are already investing in the scalability of AI and advances in technology such as Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) that enable better AI performance. Leaders and businesses that understand the value of data will transform their processes, products, and services with a competitive advantage. AI is projected to account for $15.7 trillion in the economy and boost GDP by 26% by 2030. Bricks-and-Clicks This trend is about using technology to transform internal business processes and customer experiences that are entirely self-service-based, always accessible, and without friction. The bricks-and-clicks business model incorporates pop-up stores, virtual stores, interactive kiosks, and online hypermarkets like Amazon. Technology will seamlessly help customers: make better decisions provide always-available access to services and products experience products and services virtually enable customers to pay for products and services electronically, such as Google Wallet, Apple Pay, or near field communication (NFC). Cybersecurity Increased utilization of technology and the complexity of consumer and corporate security threats will drive businesses and customers' increased cybersecurity investments. The trends in cybersecurity threats include increased counterfeits, increased network malware attacks, and geopolitical interference. Cybersecurity will become a competitive differentiator. It is projected that the cybersecurity market will grow to $433.6 billion by 2030, at a 12.6% CAGR. Gig Economy The gig economy gives employees and businesses flexibility. Flexibility is a significant competitive advantage in a crisis-driven marketplace. According to some estimates, as much as 50% of the workforce will be made up of freelancers by 2030. Advances in technology and increased hiring challenges will push businesses to outsource functions to address their needs. Using a temporary employee becomes a strategic advantage, especially for small businesses. It is projected the size of the Gig Economy will grow to $455 billion in 2023, a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.4%. Talent Shortage Globally growing economies lack the available skilled employees to meet growing job opportunities. Korn Ferry predicts that by 2030 there will be a global human talent shortage of more than 85 million people. Also, there is a growing trend in the US that people are unable or unwilling to work. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projections, the labor participation rate will decline to 60.4% for people 16 and older in 2030. Baby Boomer retirements will drive lower participation of those over 55. Additionally, people ages 16-24 in the active workforce are projected to continue to decline by more than 4%. The reduced size of the US labor force will push businesses to turn to technology, freelance employees, a global workforce, and talent management strategies to address employee retention and recruitment to meet growing workforce needs. Remote Work Work from home is likely not going away. According to McKinsey, communities and businesses will work and learn remotely. Advances in technology such as virtual and augmented reality will make working remotely easier. Real estate is not cheap and physical space for employees can be a high cost for businesses. Also, as work schedules move away from 9 to 5 to support omnipresent products and services, it doesn't make sense for all positions within a physical office space. However, leaders need to be smart about establishing a structure for decision-making and effective communication to reduce confusion and lack of clarity that can occur with remote work. Robotics The utilization of robotics in the engineering and technology sector will grow by 175% by 2030. It is projected that the global service robotics market size will increase to $46 billion by 2026, with Europe and Asia-Pacific leading the way in world investments. Robotics will revolutionize manufacturing and production through reduced costs and improved human and equipment productivity. Social Media Marketing According to research, 8 out of 10 Americans are shopping for something at any given moment. Additionally, 32% of shoppers change purchasing decisions based on mobile product information within brick-and-mortar stores. It is important to deliver relevant marketing messages, but they must be delivered through consumer touchpoints. Social media marketing will not stop changing and rapidly disrupting business, so businesses must keep learning to stay relevant. Early adopters already provide spaces for customers to make user reviews, social media posts, and stream while engaging with products and services. Social Purpose There is an increasing market for innovative, socially responsible, and affordable solutions. Customers are looking for organizations to address society's significant issues, such as social equity and climate change. It is not enough for your business to be green or promote social justice internally. Companies need to be transparent with potential customers about their social purpose and running their business. According to BrandWatch, Gen Z and millennials are deeply concerned about the environment, and almost two in five are purchasing pre-owned products. VR & AR The prediction of a world that blurred the lines between digital and physical was first discussed in 1992 as the metaverse. Businesses already have improved processes using smart glass displays for technicians. It is projected that virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) markets will continue to expand in the US to $1.5 trillion by 2030. The future will include simulated reality making new business opportunities possible. Every business will need a real-time live 3D presence to tap this growing market. How to Make Your Business Future Smart Becoming future smart can be assisted by leveraging practices and frameworks from strategic foresight. Strategic foresight is a way of thinking, engaging, discovering, and acting. The goal of futures thinking is not to predict the future but enable better decision-making and strategic planning. Strategic foresight is a systemic view of change, considering not just the likely changes but all the possible potential changes. Here is a short video to learn more about doing business in 2030 and the concept of futures thinking. Strategic foresight is not traditional strategic planning. Strategic foresight links the organization to the external environment recognizing the company will operate within a larger world rather than be only change in the world. We want to partner with you to bring futures thinking principles and tools to your organization. We offer interactive strategic foresight webinars that last 90 minutes and involve a maximum of 25 participants. These webinars are ideal for teams looking to become future smart. Participants will learn: the purpose and benefits of strategic foresight how to apply the Futures Wheel strategic foresight tool and the STEEPLE scanning framework. Let's talk today about how we can help you achieve your goals with transformational executive coaching and organizational consulting solutions that work. References: Agrawal, M. (2021). The possibilities of AI in 2030: Transformation across dimensions. Forbes. Alt, W., and Markose, A. (2019). Top 9 cybersecurity trends for 2020. Booz Allen Hamilton. Baldwin, J. (2020). Engineering and technology trends to watch in 2020. GrabCAD Broda, K. (2021). Gig economy-The economic backbone of the future? Brodmin. BusinessWire. (2020). Global cyber security market (2020 to 2030). Berkshire Hathaway. BusinessWire. (2021). Growth opportunities in Retail 2.0 Berkshire Hathaway. Bussa, T. (2020). Cybersecurity 2030: A look ahead. Gartner Inc. Fortune Business Insights. (2019). Service robotics market size, share & industry analysis, by type (personal robots and professional robots), by application (domestic and industrial/ commercial), and regional forecast, 2019-2026. Gregg, B., & Perrey, J. (2020). The path to the next normal. McKinsey & Company. MarketWatch. (2021). AR and VR market latest trends and business opportunities through 2030. McFadden, C. (2019a). 7 Engineering trends to watch in 2020. Interesting Engineering. Strack, R. (2014). The surprising workforce crisis of 2030. TED. Tennant, A. & Schmelz, C. (2021). Brandwatch: E-commerce in 2022 and beyond. Brandwatch. The Economic Daily. (2021). Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Being a leader in today's crisis-driven workplace is exciting on the one hand and exhausting on the other. You are presented with new opportunities to make a real difference in areas where you find purpose and are frequently stretched to grow. These 'crucible moments' can leave you questioning your career. Crises disrupt healthy habits creating an imbalance. At times like these, you may not be aware that you are sabotaging yourself. Self-care is fundamental to maximizing your joy of living as a leader. Self-care is not selfish behavior. Like every living thing in this world, if leaders are not continually investing in restoring and strengthening physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, it is deteriorating. No one in the workplace escapes this reality. What is Self-Care? Although no single definition exists for self-care, it involves a wide range of activities that promote physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Implementing and building healthy self-care habits leads to positive emotions, improved relationships, increased physical energy, emotional inspiration, and creativity. Self-care includes the do-it-yourself approach and the use of an executive coach. The scope of self-care ends at the point of becoming dependent on someone for achieving health.⁠ For example, a DIY approach would be independently going to the gym to exercise and receiving guidance but not assistance from a professional coach at the gym. Every leader is different in their definition of physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional health and needs. Because we each have different definitions of success and significance in life, it is natural that health and self-care activities will vary from leader to leader. What is Self-Sabotage? Many executives lack joy in life as a result of self-sabotage. These bad habits can be conscious or accidental, ranging from subtle to devastating consequences affecting every aspect of the leader's life. For example, perfectionism is a subtle type of self-sabotage where a senior leader can work tirelessly, dismissing incremental improvements as flaws or sacrificing relationships with those they love. It is easy to accidentally lose sight of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health in a fast-paced digital, always-on workplace. Before you know it, the day is done, and you realize you rarely, if ever, got up from your desk. Maybe you worked through breaks instead of going for a walk, or you chose to eat the left-over donuts in the break room out of convenience instead of bringing in something healthy to eat. When self-sabotage is accidental, leaders simply mistake not placing achieving health on their list of priorities, or the urgent issue of the day shifts the leader's focus. Neglecting and procrastinating when it comes to taking care of yourself limits your ability to perform at your full potential. The following is a hilarious and insightful TedTalk presentation on procrastination. Organizational culture, past leaders modeling, and the fear of failing can steer leaders toward conscious self-sabotage. Unhealthy corporate cultures that emphasize working harder and longer hours can motivate leaders to purposefully self-sabotage their health. These organizations make heroes out of leaders that sacrifice achieving balance in their lives for the company's benefit. In these organizations, leaders purposely neglect self-care in trade for recognition and rewards within the organization. Self-sabotaging habits also come from past leadership examples and mentors. The previous director, who constantly was checking and replying to emails at all hours of the day, might cause the new director to neglect family relationships thinking that is the company's expectation. Fear of failing at something emboldens the inner critic. In return, the internal critic influences executives to not take risks to avoid falling instead of taking a necessary step to innovate and respond to changing environment. Self-sabotage leaves leaders feeling stuck and lacking self-confidence. Self-sabotage has the potential to stop momentum in a leader's life and career. The following video introduces seven common signs of self-sabotage and how to know if you may need help. Creating Healthy Self-Care Habits as a Leader So how do leaders navigate the new normal high-pressure crisis-driven workplace without self-sabotaging their joy in the process? Achieving balance with self-care is an individual path. However, relationships, rest, and your work environment are proven to have significant influences on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Having a clean and organized workspace can provide a sense of being in control of our work. Going for a walk in the park with a friend and talking about life can give perspective during challenging times, or simply resting away from work can provide time for us to process and work through a situation with clarity. It ultimately doesn't matter where you start, but that you do start. Working on one domain of self-care, such as physical exercise, can improve emotional and mental health. For example, suppose you run in the park. In that case, you may encounter others along the run, which provides an opportunity to build relationships and improve your emotional health. It's not difficult to see how these domains can overlap, and simple steps can lead to significant improvements. The following short video helps you become more aware of your emotions. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Creating a Healthier Life guide provides an excellent step-by-step approach with resources to help promote self-care. Use this link for more information regarding the SAMHSA guide: ww.samhsa.gov/wellness-initiative. Key Summary Points: Crises disrupt healthy habits creating an imbalance in life. Every leader is different as to their physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional needs. It is easy to accidentally lose sight of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health in a fast-paced digital, always-on workplace. Organizational culture, past leaders modeling, and the fear of failing can steer leaders toward a purposeful self-sabotage habit. Relationships, rest, and your work environment are proven to have significant influences on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Visit our executive coaching page to learn more about how we help you achieve your personal or professional goals or partner with you to craft a solution specific to your organization's context and challenges. Getting started is as easy as visiting www.organizationaltalent.com or contacting us via email info@organizationaltalent.com. Organizational Talent Consulting utilizes proven, simple, and transformational personal and organizational development solutions to help our clients learn, change, and apply tools in ways that benefit their unique needs and corporate culture. References: Godfrey, C. M., Harrison, M. B., Lysaght, R., Lamb, M., Graham, I. D., & Oakley, P. (2011). Care of self – care by other – care of other: The meaning of self‐care from research, practice, policy and industry perspectives. International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, 9(1), 3-24. Richards, S. (2010). The benefits of self-care. British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, 4(5), 246-247.

Working from home can make reading the room during a team meeting more difficult. And have you really had a meeting if no one said 'you're on mute?' Leadership is a relationship. Without human connection, leaders rely on positional power to influence others. Using power can appear to work, but it comes with harmful personal and business side effects. Genuine relationships are not easy to achieve online. Studies reveal that contextual clues and emotions are more difficult to discern online. Mastering the intangible art of building virtual connections is an essential skill for leading a hybrid workforce. One of the five global leadership megatrends identified in the 2021 Global Leadership Forecast by DDI is that leaders crave more time to spend building connections with their teams each day. The hybrid workplace has increased feelings of isolation in the workplace. Leaders need real connections to influence and engage their teams. Also, they need real connections because limited in-person interaction negatively impacts mental health. What is the meaning of building connections in a hybrid workplace? Building connections is establishing meaningful, committed relationships between two or more people. A hybrid workplace is a flexible workplace model that supports distributed employees that work remotely and those that work in a shared office. A synonym for connection is relationship. Virtual workforce challenges Psychological distance and the use of technology present hidden threats for anyone trying to establish real virtual connections in the workplace. Increased psychological distance decreases feelings of belonging that are fundamental to trust and communication. Being virtual increases the degree to which people feel removed from each other. Additionally, increased distance limits the ability to read the room and get a feeling for the atmosphere when building a connection. When employees and leaders are virtual, spontaneous encounters are typically limited compared to being in the same physical workplace. Informal, spontaneous interactions increase communication frequency and opportunities to share personal information that enhance relationships and trust. The less employees see each other, the more anonymous they become to each other. Technology creates the potential for increased anonymity due to the limited visibility of each other. Anonymity raises the potential for misunderstandings, especially during challenging conversations where visual cues convey emotions. The following video presents a humorous and accurate depiction of some of the many challenges leaders face on conference calls. Building virtual communities in the workplace A community is a group defined by a shared social identification among the members. It can be a vital source of support during times of crisis. Social identity theory suggests that we share identity with individuals with whom we associate. And as a result, we are more likely to trust and influence those individuals than individuals and groups with whom we do not associate. In conversations, we tend to find communication more comfortable and more productive with those we consider "us" versus "them." According to social identity theory, we are more motivated to be receptive and mentally able to fully process communications with those we identify. Shared social identity increases both help-giving and social bonding and increases feelings of belonging among community members. These communities produce solidarity and support for community members. Communities generate a wide range of health benefits, including a sense of belonging, reduced depression and anxiety, trust, and increased self-esteem. Types of virtual communities Peer advisory groups, communities of practice, and affinity groups are increasingly popular forms of virtual communities. Peer advisory groups typically serve as an informal board of directors for the leaders. They listen, advise, and debate through shared experiences. They are acting as a personal advisor. Requesting member commitment, confidentiality, and collaboration to get involved will help these groups succeed. These groups also benefit from engaging an experienced moderator to help maximize the value of the meetings. Similar to peer advisory groups are virtual communities of practice (vCoP). A virtual community of practice is a group with common concerns, knowledge, and experiences on a given topic. As the name implies, these online communities are centered around practice, where online peer advisory groups are focused on the role of the leader. A community of practice focuses on creating best practices for niche domains where the members possess specific expertise. Online affinity groups are inclusive to individuals from diverse backgrounds but interested in a shared goal. While they share a common goal, many may not have the expertise to achieve the goal itself or be aware of best practices. Strategies that work for building virtual connections Like there are numerous challenges to establishing virtual connections, there are many potential strategies for how to build virtual connections. The key is to overcome the virtual workplace challenges of identity construction, social facilitation, and building trust. The following are research-proven strategies that work for building real virtual connections. How to create a shared social identity online: Sharing Visual Clues: When using video calls, have each person turn on their camera as a sign of respect. This will also increase the opportunity to observe each-others facial expressions. Fostering Informal Communication: Schedule time for virtual coffee breaks for checking in with others. Informal communication builds relationships and creates shared experiences. These types of opportunities are less likely to occur, so it is important to schedule them. Social Recognition: Look for opportunities to say thank you. Use a reinforcement survey to find out what motivates each other and put them on a shared drive. Then use those learnings to recognize each other. Don't wait until the end of the year. How to leverage the positive influences of social facilitation while working from home: Presence Matters: Although technology has limitations compared to physical proximity, research supports that a digital presence decreases the adverse effects of anonymity. Establish strategies to be present with each other, such as turning on your cameras during a video call and working as if you were sitting across from each other. How to build trust in the virtual workplace: Create Psychological Safety: Being open and candid demonstrates caring and respect. The best way to create safety is to model vulnerability. You have to be willing to have a courageous conversation. Practice Humility: Humble leadership does not need to be an oxymoron. A high degree of self-orientation creates significant distrust from others. Spend time listening to others. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Ask for feedback and help when needed. Humility does not mean you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself less. Ken Blanchard Adopt a Coaching Mindset: Use the following five questions model by Michael Bungay Stainer to listen. The goal of the conversation is to get curious, listen, and be helpful. What is on your mind? What is the real challenge? And what else? What do you want? What was most helpful? Key Summary Points: Genuine relationships are not easy to achieve online. The hybrid workplace has increased feelings of isolation in the workplace. Building connections is establishing meaningful, committed relationships between two or more people. Psychological distance and the use of technology present hidden threats for anyone trying to establish real virtual connections in the workplace. Communities generate a wide range of health benefits, including a sense of belonging, reduced depression and anxiety, trust, and increased self-esteem. The key is to overcome the virtual workplace challenges of identity construction, social facilitation, and building trust. Visit our executive coaching page to learn more about how we help you achieve your personal or professional goals or partner with you to craft a solution specific to your organization's context and challenges. Getting started is as easy as visiting www.organizationaltalent.com or contacting us via email info@organizationaltalent.com. Organizational Talent Consulting utilizes proven, simple, and transformational personal and organizational development solutions to help our clients learn, change, and apply tools in ways that benefit their unique needs and corporate culture. References Afflerbach, T. (2019). Hybrid virtual teams in shared services organizations: Practices to overcome the cooperation problem. Springer International Publishing AG. Blackford, M. (2021). How real connection in a virtual workplace boosts mental health. FHE Health. Bungay Stanier, M. (2016). The coaching habit: Say less, ask more & change the way you lead forever. Box of Crayons Press. Center for Workplace Health. (2021). Your mental health and well-being. America Psychological Association. Greenaway, K. H., Wright, R. G., Willingham, J., Reynolds, K. J., & Haslam, S. A. (2015). Shared Identity Is Key to Effective Communication. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41(2), 171–182. Murphy, S. M. (2020). How the University of Chicago medicine designed virtual rounding to maintain human connections during COVID-19. Patient Experience Journal, 7(2), 80-82. Neal, S. (2021). 5 Global leadership megatrends for 2021. DDI. The mental health benefits of community helping during crisis: Coordinated helping, community identification, and sense of unity during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2021). Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2520 van Dick, R., Ciampa, V., & Liang, S. (2018). Shared identity in organizational stress and change. Current Opinion in Psychology, 23, 20-25. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.11.005 Waranyuwat, A. (2020). Seeking human connections when all we've got are virtual ones: Strategies for advising students during disruptive times. Harvard Business Publishing.