Email is a powerful communication tool but like all good things, too much can turn downright onerous. From excessive reply-alls, to messages inappropriately marked as urgent, to convoluted requests, a small amount of email abuse adds up to a tremendous drain on a team. Is it time for your team to sign a Team Email Charter? Read on for some suggested email policies to ensure your team is using this valuable tool as efficiently and effectively as possible.
A Harvard University survey confirms a good deal of our happiness depends on how well we manage stress. Ready to end this toxic relationship? Here are 13 ways to make the break.
You probably know this already but you may be getting too many emails. If this resonates, you are not alone. Email is a powerful tool and it can make life easier but when your inbox continues to grow despite your best efforts to whittle it down, it can become a source of unnecessary stress and anxiety. Thankfully, we have ten simple but effective ways you can reduce email volume, take control of your inbox – and leave some room for inspiration in your day. Read on to learn more.
Formal mentoring programs are becoming more prolific in the corporate world. Theoretically, this is a strategic way to accelerate skill development. But as we all know, theory doesn’t always translate into results. Some mentors are frankly better than others. As a result, certain lucky employees are blessed with having won the equivalent of the mentor lottery. Their mentor is a unique blend of a champion, challenger and collaborator. How do you know if you are one of the lucky few with one of those infamous mentors? It’s relatively straightforward to determine – ideally, your mentor does most (better yet, all) of these seven things. Read on to learn more.
I’ve learned the important things in life and at work are far too important to leave up to chance. Sounds obvious but in truth, this is what many of us are doing when we set goals and don’t regularly review them. Reviewing our goals is how we maintain focus, momentum and stay true to our key priorities. Yet the busier we get, many of us tend to bump this important but non-urgent task. Now, I’ve got a one-page personal scorecard to keep me and my goals on track. Are you ready to create your own personal scorecard? Read on to learn more.
We all face challenges and set-backs. But what sets us apart is how we handle our stress. Olympic athletes are no strangers to pressure. Many spend their entire lives training for their events. Clearly, physical training is crucial. But athletes also recognize mental toughness is a key differentiator among the best of the best. Thankfully, this mindset isn’t simply something you’re born with or not. It can be developed over time and is within reach for all of us. Read on to learn more about the mental strategies elite performers use to stay at the top of their game.
Productivity drops when we don't feel connected at work. Connecting with others is a fundamental human need - and an integral quality of a high-performance team. We can see the value of fostering connections in all elite performers, and a great example is the gold-winning performance of the Canadian Figure Skating Team at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
I love watching the Olympics because t is incredibly inspiring to watch people perform at the top of their field. There are many lessons we can learn from high-performance athletes about thriving in stressful situations. Here is a great example of how one coach "keeps things light" before competition.
We all face challenges in life. But what happens after a setback is where we see people take distinctly different approaches. Experts refer to the ability to bounce back as resiliency – and it is considered to be a bigger predictor of success than education or intelligence. What differentiates resilient people? They aren’t necessarily smarter or harder working than their less resilient counterparts. However, they do rely on four key strategies - and the good news is those strategies are within reach of all of us.
Today’s businesses strive to create great workplace cultures to motivate staff and drive higher performance. Before they can do this, however, they need to understand what workplace culture means and how they can engage their people. Our guest contributor, Rae Steinbach, shares how organizations can motivate to succeed.
