Want to boost your company’s profitability? Start by putting more women in leadership. While we’d happily take credit for this advice, we can’t. Research consistently shows that companies with women in leadership roles are more profitable than those with few women in key roles. The Secret to Stronger Business Performance? More Women at the Top…
Even though life these days seems to be in a continual state of flux, some things stay the same. One frustrating example: the making, and subsequent breaking, of New Year’s resolutions. Research shows that about 40% of people make them — and that more than half of those of us who do, don’t keep them…
By Erika Andersen, Founder/Partner If you’re running a small consulting firm or helping clients navigate the wild world of business, you know that “being strategic” isn’t just a buzzword—it’s essential. In a world where change is the only constant, you have to do more than just react to what’s happening today. Real strategy is about…
By Erika Andersen, Founder/Partner Years ago my six-year-old granddaughter informed me that she knew everything. It was pretty easy to disabuse her of that belief: I just asked, “Do you know how to build bicycles?” and she looked at me with narrowed eyes for a moment, then smiled, shrugged, and said, “Well, maybe not everything.”…
By Erika Andersen, Founder/Partner I was working with a leader and her direct reports, focusing with them on how they wanted to operate as a team, given the complexity of their business and the role each of them needed to play. This leader is someone for whom I have a lot of respect, and who…
Being Capable of Changing is an Essential 21st Century Skill By Erika Andersen, Founder/Partner Humans are not hard-wired for change. Or, put differently, we are capable of changing, but we are often bad at it. As we have seen in recent years, we are living in a time of constant change, and that change is…
By Erika Andersen, Founder/Partner Every member of a team has unique goals and preferences. The most effective strategies for developing talent take this into consideration by balancing leadership support with employee agency. Developing talent is more challenging in hybrid work environments. Without seeing team members in-person regularly, leaders may struggle to understand employees as deeply…
By Erika Andersen, Founder/Partner We subscribe to the principle that each individual is responsible for their own performance and development. But we also know from over 30 years of observing leaders in action how uniquely positioned a leader is to support employee growth and performance. This is even more true as hybrid work is more…
By Erika Andersen, Founder/Partner People approach their jobs differently. One person may be fast-paced and decisive, while another is moderately-paced and cautious. This mix of behaviors can create balance in the workplace and lead to innovation, but can also create tension or frustration. Leaders must understand these behaviors and how to adapt to them to…
Be Future Ready: 10 Essential Facilitation Skills for Leaders By Jeff Mitchell, President/Partner Think about the time you spend trying to keep meetings on track, drive inclusive collaboration, and communicate ideas with impact. Whether you host client meetings or book clubs, you rely on facilitation skills to ensure interactions are effective and move you…