Leaders Need a Push Too

Building a safe environment where peoople can think and express how they feel, is healthy.  A place where they feel valued, respected, and inspired, will help them take ownership and be accountable.  If you’re leading, are you building trust? The post How do you create trust? appeared first on Connie Warner.

There are many leaders who affect their culture because they keep breaking trust without meaning to.  They are not aware enough to know how their behaviour affects the people they lead. Do you recognize your trustbuster?  What do you have to do about it? The post What is your trustbuster? appeared first on Connie Warner.

Samuel Floss’s poem The Calf Path has such a message for us as leaders.  What will it take for us to learn to try something new when the old way isn’t working anymore.  We do get ourselves into ruts that are deep and well trodden by those before us.  But times are so different!  We […] The post Walking on a Calf Path appeared first on Connie Warner.

Leadership roles come in many styles.  Traditionally extroverted behaviour seemed to be needed to guide and motivate employees and encourage teamwork. Introverts may have been considered to be too quiet and unassertive to successfully handle the many challenges of leadership.  My experience with the strengths of an introvert have made me understand and value their many talents. The post Benefits of an Introverted Leader appeared first on Connie Warner.

The message really is about understanding how we are seen as leaders.  We need to understand who we really are and who we need to become in order to lead effectively.  Getting clear on the gaps, setting a plan for change, then changing the behaviour, sounds very overwhelming.  However, with a great coach to support […] The post How do we change the things we know we need to change if we want to lead? appeared first on Connie Warner.

Leaders are seen wearing a mask of “victim” when they lack confidence in their ability to lead, afraid to lose control and blame others when things go wrong.  Or they have a fear of making tough decisions and allow the team to take control.  Whatever the reason is, we are setting ourselves up for failure, […] The post Do you lead like a victim or do you take your power back? appeared first on Connie Warner.

Learning how to recognize how our team feels about us, makes us realize how they have branded our behaviour.  Deciding to take control of how we are seen, begins with self awareness.  Changing our demeanour and understanding how we present ourselves when we are communicating good and bad news to our people, gets the results […] The post Changing behaviour in order to lead appeared first on Connie Warner.

Being brave enough to speak your truth takes confidence.  Self awareness and developing your strengths will give you the confidence you need to express your feelings.  It means being vulnerable, and when you can do that you realize it is a strength not a weakness.  Change happens! The post Vulnerability is scary when you are not confident appeared first on Connie Warner.

Learning to be resilient in a toxic environment is necessary if you are going to lead.  Being self aware and capable of remaining positive enough to take the actions required to turn a toxic team around, takes skills.  It begins with understanding your own feelings and not buying into other ‘s negative tapes. The post Smart ways to deal with toxic people appeared first on Connie Warner.

Dan Goleman quotes: ‘Gifted leadership occurs when heart and head – feeling and thought – meet. These are the two winds that allow a leader to soar’. That can only happen when we as leaders take the time to be mindful, reflective, and willing to sharpen our focus and attention to achieve self awareness. The post Stop! Look! Listen to Yourself! appeared first on Connie Warner.

When we become Self Aware and independent we are capable of seeing a bigger picture.  It allows us to look outside of ourselves and to become Socially Aware of others.  Seeking to understand another person teaches us to be kind, keep commitments,clarify expectations, and speak in adult without judgement. The post Steven Covey’s 3 Habits for Creating Interdependence appeared first on Connie Warner.

Steven Covey’s 7 Habits can make life as a leader so much easier.  The first 3 habits are about becoming self aware and learning to be independent by taking responsibility for your actions.  Becoming clear on what you want in your life, expressing it, and setting priorities to make it happen. The post The first 3 habits of Steven Covey’s 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People appeared first on Connie Warner.

Blame can become a habit that drains the life out of relationships in the workplace.  By blaming others we are refusing to take responsibility for our own feelings.  Learning to be accountable for how we feel and expressing it in an adult way will help build a thriving culture.  As a leader we have a […] The post Blame destroys trust appeared first on Connie Warner.

There is a tremendous amount of information on how to become a great leader.  Practice makes perfect!  The more aware you become of the necessary skills you need to be a leader that people will follow, the easier your job gets.  Paying attention and constantly learning will help you become the inspiration that your people […] The post Quotes for leaders to live by appeared first on Connie Warner.

Following a leader with profound strengths makes being their employee a wonderful experience.  When they can inspire, motivate, get results, be strategic, collaborate, walk their talk, be trustworthy, develop and support their team, build relationships, and have courage, you have a leader who makes a significant impact on the engagement of the employees. The post Leaders we love to follow appeared first on Connie Warner.

As training budgets get cut back, middle managers are put into positions without the training and support that is necessary to build effective teams.  They do the best they can based on the role models they have had.  That is not good enough in our society today.  It is time to create self and social […] The post Life with an untrained middle manager appeared first on Connie Warner.

The first of five keys that Google uses to build effective teams is Psychological safety.  That means an environment of trust.  That must be the very first factor that a leader begins with when building a culture.  Where there is trust there is success! The post Focus your team culture on TRUST appeared first on Connie Warner.

Wikipedia definition: A toxic leader is a person who has responsibility over a group of people or an organization, and who abuses the leader–follower relationship by leaving the group or organization in a worse-off condition than when s/he first found them.  Their leadership style is both self-destructive and ultimately corporately harmful as they subvert and destroy organizational structures. The post Toxic Leaders come in many different styles appeared first on Connie Warner.

Humiliation,  sarcasm, distrust, meddling, and passive aggressive behaviour are all types of bullying.  This creates a toxic environment, and we know there is much more of that going on than ever should be in today’s society.  We know better.  We don’t live in the dark ages!  It is time for people who are given positions […] The post Toxic leadership destroys the workplace appeared first on Connie Warner.

Building trust in your team takes courage to admit mistakes and to speak from your heart.  Sometimes leaving your ego at the door is the greatest courage you can present to your people. The post Can you say “I made a mistake”? appeared first on Connie Warner.

As Dr. Brene Brown asks….”What is keeping us out of the arena?  What’s the fear?  Where and why do we want to be braver?  What is our armor?  Perfectionism? Intellectualizing? Cynicism?  Numbing? Control?  It is not an easy walk into that arena, but it is where we come alive!” I challenge you to look at […] The post Being vulnerable creates great leaders appeared first on Connie Warner.

Enjoyed Jacqueline Smith’s article in the Forbes magazine on workplace etiquette on Valentine’s Day.  Emotions may run high on this day.  Enjoy, and have a Happy Valentine’s Day!   The post How not to celebrate Valentine’s Day in the workplace appeared first on Connie Warner.

Women leaders are a hot topic these days.  Women have been leading for centuries and need to continue to bring the feminine energy to our communities.  We need more understanding of each other’s cultures, less judgment and more awareness.  It is time for women to be completely authentic and confident in their ability to lead. The post Qualities that make a woman a great leader appeared first on Connie Warner.

Author Daniel Goleman in Primal Leadership, discusses how in any group the leader has maximal power to sway everyone’s emotions.  As a leader you must be emotionally intelligent to achieve the success you want from your people.  When leaders drive emotions positively, they bring out everyone’s best. The post Leader’s emotions are contagious appeared first on Connie Warner.

If team members trust one another, engage in healthy conflict around issues, commit to the decisions they make, and hold one another accountable for those decisions, there is a pretty good chance they are going to make it. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team- Patrick Lencioni The post Focusing on results appeared first on Connie Warner.

Accountability within a team is between their peers.  It should not always require the leader to deal with a problem.  It is direct peer to peer accountability, and is based on the notion that peer pressure and the distaste for letting down a colleague will motivate a team player more than any fear of authoritative […] The post Embracing accountability appeared first on Connie Warner.

Commitment requires clarity and buy-in.  Clarity requires that teams avoid assumptions and ambiguity, and that they end discussions with a clear understanding about what they’ve decided upon.  Buy-in does not require consensus.  Members of great teams learn to disagree with one another and still commit to a decision.  Patrick Lencioni   The post Lack of commitment in a team appeared first on Connie Warner.

The fear of  occasional personal conflict should not  deter a team from having regular, productive debate.  Patrick Lencioni Learning how to talk about the elephant on the table without attacking one another is a wonderful way of moving forward. The post Mastering the fear of conflict in a team appeared first on Connie Warner.

There are many ways to manage a team.  My way is, I trust you!  Those are powerful words.  They bring out the best in the people you surround yourself with.  They know that you will trust them until they give you a reason not to.  Trust has to be given, as a leader you have […] The post Motivate and empower employees to build relationships and trust. appeared first on Connie Warner.

Having a strong leader is an essential part of what builds high trust in a team.  But saying trust is important and actually cultivating an environment of trust are two different things.  Is trust destroyed or thriving in your organization? The post A thriving culture begins with TRUST appeared first on Connie Warner.

People who lead the best teams realize early on that they cannot run their business alone.  It will either kill them or they will fail. So surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. The post Ten ways to be better at team building appeared first on Connie Warner.

The only thing that ever instigates behaviour change is emotion.  Emotion (stirring up, moving up) is what gives energy to behaviour change – there have to be strong feelings behind the new behaviour – to give it the power to stick. The post Connect to your deepest leadership passions appeared first on Connie Warner.

Once you realize that your reality can be changed by your energy, you will begin to recognize that your limiting beliefs and painful memories are more than just unpleasant.  They are actually preventing you from living the life you desire.  …..  Esther Hicks The post Influencing through energy connection appeared first on Connie Warner.

Reality testing is a key contributor to how you make decisions as a leader, whether your approach is seen as grounded, objective and in touch with the work environment, or disconnected and biased.  A new year gives us an opportunity to revisit our intentions., The post Let’s be realistic! appeared first on Connie Warner.

Leaving a year behind gives us an opportunity to start over.  Reset out intentions as leaders.  Set clear achievable goals and include our people to ensure we have complete success.  Be authentic and they will follow you! The post Out with the old! In with the new! appeared first on Connie Warner.

It is gift giving time.  The greatest gifts you can give to your team are the ability to be open, honest, and willing to listen without judgement.  What gifts are you willing to give? The post A special time of year to be a leader appeared first on Connie Warner.

“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.  Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”  Albert Schweitzer “No one who achieves success does so without the help of others.  The wise and confident acknowledge this […] The post Gratitude from the leader is the best Christmas gift appeared first on Connie Warner.

“The true measure of a team is that it accomplishes the results that it sets out to achieve.  To do that on a consistent, ongoing basis, a team must overcome the five dysfunctions: Absence of trust, Fear of conflict, Lack of commitment, Avoidance of accountability, Inattention to results.”  Patrick Lencioni The post Do you have a dysfunctional team? appeared first on Connie Warner.

Difficult challenges are the “living laboratory” of emotional intelligence.  Adversity, not comfort, is the test of our core and character.   Winston Churchill said, “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Executive EQ- Robert K. Cooper,P.HD., and Ayman Sawaf The post Challenges create character appeared first on Connie Warner.

“We all know that leaders need vision and energy.  But to be inspirational, leaders need four other qualities.  Probably not what you would expect, these qualities can be honed by almost anyone willing to dig deeply into their true selves.” Robert Goffee and Gareth Jones – Harvard Business Review The post Why should anyone be led by you? appeared first on Connie Warner.

Happiness comes from the inside out.  If you are leading, and you’re not happy, quit!  Give yourself and your team a break!  Happier people live longer! The post Are you happy? appeared first on Connie Warner.

Taking time to renew your spirit and  balance all areas of your life including physical, mental, spiritual, and social/emotional, ensures a highly effective leader.  To neglect any one area  negatively impacts the rest.   A leader must also give recognition to each of these dimensions in their organization’s mission statement in order to provide a […] The post Stephen Covey’s Habit 7 – Sharpen Your Saw appeared first on Connie Warner.

Learning to lead with self awareness allows you to self manage.  Then you have the skills to lead and manage others.  Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits are so very practical that they teach them to children in schools.  They are understanding self awareness at a very young age. The post These are effective leadership habits as written by Stephen Covey appeared first on Connie Warner.

Building a culture using Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” makes a leader’s job so much easier.  Learn them and apply them and transform the way you lead. The post Do you and your team know Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”? appeared first on Connie Warner.

A great culture is based on trust.  It begins with the leader, but it ends with the involvement of everyone.  A great team doesn’t always build a great culture, but a great culture builds a great team.  What comes first in your organization? The post A team needs Emotional Intelligence too! appeared first on Connie Warner.

Leaders have people who follow them, while managers have people who work for them.  However, to be a successful business owner one needs to be both a strong leader and manager to get their team to help them reach their goals.  Understanding how to move from one to the other takes emotional intelligence.  Self awareness […] The post Are you a leader or a manager? appeared first on Connie Warner.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, become more, you are a leader.”  John Quincy Adams “Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react.  If you are in control, they are in control.”  Tom Landry   The post Being a role model for your culture appeared first on Connie Warner.

It is very difficult to lead if we don’t trust others and their motives.  Feeling the need to micromanage to ensure perfection, or to insist it has to be done your way disempowers employees creativity. The post Do you lead like a critical parent? appeared first on Connie Warner.

Dr. Eric Berne the author of Games People Play, talks about the adult ego state.  As leaders we need to understand the importance of managing our emotions and responding in the here and now, not from past tapes that don’t belong to us.  Speaking our truth without judgement allows the people around us to do […] The post The game of getting to adult first! appeared first on Connie Warner.

We continue our discussion on the three Ego State as outlined in Dr. Eric Berne’s book “Games People Play”, and  Amanda Knight’s Successful Relationship Accelerator report.  We look at what happens when our emotions take us back into our childhood. The post What happens when a leader reverts back to their childhood ways? appeared first on Connie Warner.

We discuss Amanda Knight, author of the Successful Relationship Accelerator report, who has designed a graph based on your responses that suggest the extent to which you spend time in each of the relational patterns, as outlined in Dr. Eric Berne's book “Games People Play”.  This is an opportunity to think about your relational pattern […] The post Whats your relationship pattern? appeared first on Connie Warner.