In response to the uncertainties presented by Covid-19, many companies and universities have asked their employees to work remotely. While close to a quarter of the U.S. workforce already works from home at least part of the time, the new policies leave many employees — and their managers — working out of the office and separated from each other for the first time. Click here for the full article by Barbara Z. Larson , Susan R. Vroman and Erin E. Makarius.
Archive for "Accountability"
My Legacy is More Than My Skin Color by Desiree Buffin Accountability • Generations
Over the coming weeks, you are going to be hearing more from me on the topic of Inclusion, and why it is so critical to both personal and organizational success. During this incredible moment in the Black Lives Matter movement, it is more important than ever to listen to people and viewpoints you may not have in the past and try to better understand what it is like to walk in the shoes of the African-American community, as well those from different countries and experiences of your own.
I am honored to begin our Inclusion series with a first-person piece from my incredible Executive Administrative Manager, Desiree. Desiree has a fascinating background, and as a result, has a unique perspective on what she is seeing and feeling in the current environment. Desiree, thank you SO MUCH for your courage and generosity in sharing this with us. To all of you reading this, I hope you enjoy and welcome your comments and discussion.
Wake up! What is going on outside? Do you not see what’s in the headlines that your very existence is still being challenged? What are you going to tell your children today? How are you are going to explain that there’s not only COVID-19 outside our doors today without telling them that the whole human race has decided to become judge and executioner just because they feel like they can do that? Who are you going to help today when you are suppressing the feelings within yourself just because you do not want to join everyone and get angry or mad because you are thinking about history and the many necks that had been broken just for trying to say we should get along? Do you recall that you’re not only a minority woman but you are also a single mother and you’re also an immigrant and you’re also still trying to build a legacy for children that you bore in order to survive and honor your forefathers in this land called America? Time to take a walk and get out of this house so that you can think and process and decide how do you really feel and what are you going to tell the children who look to you? You have told your children that they can dream, and they can live the reality of that those dreams with respect and hard work. Wait what is that video that‘s circulating on my phone? Is this something I want to take the time to stop and look at or do I want to just not think about it, not feel about it. Why am I being reminded of 911 at this very moment, why is this helplessness trying to return – I know that it’s time to decide to watch more deeply than I have in the past couple of weeks. Let me press play on the video and face whatever it is that it needs to show me. Uncontrollable crying, I have returned to the state of a baby and I just cannot stop watching and I cannot stop feeling this overwhelming need to run, the very thing that I hate to do even when no one is chasing me but today as the officer throws an identifiable young lady to the ground and tosses her around like a rag doll, I understand that we as a human race have not come far enough.
On the walk, I remind myself that this is just my neighborhood but why am I now checking the faces to see their reaction or their response to me taking a walk and do I really need to watch every little movement that the children make while only riding their bikes – what is happening? Am I truly now uncomfortable with eyes wide open because my one semi-safe bubble has been popped and it seems like I can see color that I never looked at before and this is not about nature it’s about everything else but nature! Oh, my goodness my son can tell that something is wrong as he asked – why do you have your face like that mom – everything okay? I lied – yes, of course, just making sure we are safe with COVID-19 (6 ft apart). It is apparent that I’m not being the brave soldier, I’m supposed to be keeping their dreams of freedom and hope alive and filled with all happy moment until the real world comes in but by then they will be adults, right? It’s very strange when the music which you love which always has a refocusing effect fails. I AM NOT distracted today not by the music, not by its ability to lighten my mood, not lifted by it but instead there‘s so much on my mind that needs to be adjusted that needs to be thought out and so much in my heart that needs to be felt but I do not feel brave enough to allow it all to come to breathe – So what now?
Virtual life transformation group is tonight and now I am only within 24hrs of my bubble– popping feelings. This is a small group meeting virtually from my church family. I enter into the virtual meeting I am overwhelmed to see the diversity of the faces that on my camera and as the questions pour out, I decided I must speak – it is addressing the racism in the news. Here come those tears but this time it is because I trust the faces I see and I feel safe enough to actually say how I am feeling and how incredibly overwhelming it is to accept that all the advancements of acceptance and love that we have shown as a people of diversity had reverted back to the 1960s. Why is trying to embrace love something that causes us to maim, wound, castrate, beat, condemn, and kill our differences? It was clear to me that we are still fragile souls trying to control a piece of whatever we feel relate to us. So many have died for those of us here right now in this moment of history to provide us the ability to have a plethora of choices that exceed birth, gender, nationality, education, disability, or human tendencies. Why do we fight to create so many groups of diversity when we fight to subdue diversity itself in its most natural form?
You must go to sleep I tell my restless mind because I must make that choice to control me in order to not join the hate brigade. Did I mention that I am African American, British, and West Indian and so the various layers of me are all on attention? There is an old spiritual song that comes from a religion that says that “weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning” but of course you must make it through the night. The dream was simple, it was when Malcolm X had to say goodbye to this family because he was going against his original execution of his belief but when did Martin Luther King Jr meet Malcolm X? I woke the next day to see I made it through the night and the dream was mixed with the men in history I know decide that they had to risk it all for the greater good! The lesson is that in all of this, there is skin on the line and everyone will risk something on both sides. I had to risk being who I need to be in front of my children, my community, myself, and any future people I am to help regardless of their color. A choice made and I feel like me again, all layers of myself are in agreement and then I went for that same walk again and it was a better day because I decided to own being black, woman, immigrant, single mom, entrepreneur, soon to be foster mom, homeowner, successful, healthy, wealthy and above all the best me I dream of regardless of any time in history. What do you choose? Then go be that and own the risks and the rewards because not deciding is deciding and no change comes from no action. Level up and Legacy up because you can!!!
‘Corporate America Has Failed Black America’ By David Gelles Accountability • Generations • Leadership • Winning Culture
In the past week, it has seemed like every major company has publicly condemned racism. All-black squares cover corporate Instagram. Executives have made multimillion-dollar pledges to anti-discrimination efforts and programs to support black businesses.
Yet many of the same companies expressing solidarity have contributed to systemic inequality, targeted the black community with unhealthy products and services, and failed to hire, promote and fairly compensate black men and women. Click here for full article by David Gelles.
Elevating customer experience excellence in the next normal by McKinsey Customer Experience Practice Accountability • Execution • Generations • High Performance Teams • Leadership
This article was written collaboratively by the global leaders of the McKinsey Customer Experience Practice, a group that spans different regions and includes: Constance Emmanuelli, Nimish Jain, Nicolas Maechler, David Malfara, Stefan Moritz, Kevin Neher, Adrian Nelson, and Anna Thomas.
The impact of COVID-19 on customer behavior has been sweeping and immediate. Spending across most industries is down, purchases have shifted from in-person to digital channels, and public safety has become a top priority for companies and consumers alike. Executives who had carefully crafted omnichannel strategies to create unique, compelling customer experiences have had to throw out their playbooks and improvise to keep pace. Click here for the full article.
HOW HISTORY’S GREAT LEADERS MANAGED ANXIETY By ALISON BEARD Accountability • Execution • Generations • High Performance Teams • Leadership • Winning Culture
Leaders around the world, in business and government, are facing an enormous challenge: guiding people through a deadly pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands and upended the lives of billions more. Amid so much uncertainty about Covid-19, how can they inspire their anxious colleagues and constituents? And how can they manage their own anxieties in the process? Click here for a full article by Alison Beard.
3 Overlooked Ways To Find The Right Company For You By Adunola Adeshola Accountability • Generations • High Performance Teams • Leadership
When it comes to looking for a new job, do you find yourself just itching to take whatever you can get? Have you convinced yourself that it’s impossible to know if you’ll truly like a company until you start working there?
If you’re guilty, you’re not alone. Most people approach their job search the same way, and it’s the reason tons of people end up in jobs they don’t like. But it’s not because it’s impossible to find a company you will enjoy, it’s because you likely don’t know how to find it. Click here for the full article.
What Does Your Manager Really Want? How To Become A Top Performer By Joseph Folkman Accountability • Execution • High Performance Teams • Leadership
Most people at some point in their lives feel that they haven’t received the recognition they deserve. They might be asking the question, “What does it take to get promoted around here?” or “I am working harder and longer than others in my group, but how do I get my manager to notice?”
To better understand what managers are looking for on their teams, my colleague Jack Zenger and I gathered assessments from 9,356 leaders. Each assessed their direct reports on the 48 behaviors found to have a significant impact on performance outcomes. They also provided two ratings of performance: effort and overall performance. We selected those individual contributors who were rated by their manager as being in the top 10% on both items, which added up to 26% of the individual contributors. Click here for the full article.
The 5 Leadership Essentials – Harvard Business Review By John Hall Accountability • High Performance Teams • Leadership
If you’re reading this, I’m sure you experienced the consequences of not taking responsibility as a child. I’ve heard stories of parents throwing away a child’s favorite toy because it wasn’t picked up. Others were grounded or forced to miss a field trip because they didn’t ask their parents to sign the permission slip. Others who didn’t do their chores couldn’t earn an allowance or do something fun, like have a sleepover at a friend’s house. Click here for the full article.
Five soft skills you need to be a better leader in 2020 By Bas Kohnke Accountability • Execution • High Performance Teams • Leadership
Traditionally, leadership was seen as very top-down, with CEOs and other executives in their corner office ivory towers. Leadership was telling people what to do, in a convincing way. It was about giving direction, and mostly, it was about leading in a non-collaborative fashion. Employees’ opinions were not considered important for input on company decisions or direction. Of course, there were boards of directors, executive committees, etc. so that one person wasn’t calling all the shots on their own, but leadership was traditionally reserved for a small group of people who had worked their way through the ranks. Leadership was about power. Click here for full article by Bas Kohnke.
Employees Need Purpose More Than Pay To Be Happy And Productive By Danielle Brooker Accountability • Generations • High Performance Teams • Leadership
When you scroll through Glassdoor’s list of the UK’s top companies for work-life balance, the reasons employees cite for their rating consistently are because of the culture, work environment and flexibility of their employer.
There are numerous studies that show the importance of employee happiness, and how this contributes to workplace productivity. In a Harvard Business Review article on the value of happiness, Shawn Anchor, a world-leading expert on the connection between happiness and success says that “Happy employees are more productive, more creative, and better at problem-solving than their unhappy peers.” Click here for full article by Danielle Brooker