January, 2014

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25 Ways to Spot Leaders You Can Trust

Leadership Freak

'Before everything else, determine if people are trustworthy. But, what if time is short and schedules full? How can you quickly spot someone you can trust? Leaders you can trust: Acknowledge they don’t know. Treat waiters and waitresses with kindness and respect. How do they treat rental cars and hotel rooms? Take clear positions on […].

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What The Best Leaders Will Learn From Peyton Manning (But Most will Ignore)

Kevin Eikenberry

'He’s won one Super Bowl, so far. He’s been the NFL’s MVP 4 times, set numerous records, and more are likely in his future. He was recently named The Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. And for the next few days will be among the most talked about and read about people in the […].

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Matthew E. May | How Leaders Can Encourage Creativity And Innovation

Tanveer Nasser

In today's increasingly competitive, global market, it's understandable why so many leaders are trying to figure out how to foster innovation in their organizations. So how is it that some organizations seem to thrive on the cutting edge while others can barely get their innovative initiatives off the ground? That's the focus of my discussion with one of the world's top experts on innovation and creativity, Matthew E.

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Ten Radical Shifts in Thinking all Leaders Face

Leadership Freak

'Leaders fail when they don’t think like leaders. Leaders who think like individual contributors demoralize their team and devalue their leadership. Lousy leaders think like individual contributors. 10 radical shifts in thinking: From “I” to “we.” Leadership begins with we. From controlling people to aligning passions. Raise your hand if you enjoy being controlled.

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How to Make The Best Benefits Decisions for 2025's Workforce: An HR and Total Rewards Guide

Speaker: Kaitlin Ruby Carroll

Retaining top talent in 2025 means rethinking benefits. In a competitive job market, fertility benefits are more than just offerings - they are a commitment to your team’s well-being. Gain critical insights into the latest fertility benefits strategies that can help position your organization as an industry leader. Our expert will explore the unique advantages and challenges of each model, share success stories from top organizations, and offer practical strategies to make benefits decisions tha

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The Secret to Focusing on What Matters

Leadership Freak

'Trivialities replace what matters when you’re under the gun. The dark power of time pressure, stress, and urgency is they obscure what’s meaningful. Getting things done replaces making a difference. Check lists replace connecting. Coercion replaces partnership. Junk food replaces healthy food. Rudeness replaces respect. I’d like to say that I focus on what’s important […].

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It Only Takes One Word

Leadership Freak

'The word “health” adopted me for 2014. I used the “One Word” concept and just listened. Health is the word that stuck. One Word isn’t a resolution. I haven’t made one of them in years. One Word is a focal point that gives direction and purpose to what I do. It’s not a have-to. It’s […].

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Seven Ways to Keep Dreams Alive

Leadership Freak

'She said, “I have a burning passion to live a high impact life. She began explaining her vision. It’s exciting. However, the inevitable “how to make it happen,” fills her with fear and doubt. Withhold how: I said, “Focus on what you want to do, not how you’re going to do it. Imagine how the […].

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Energy for a New Year

Leadership Freak

'Lousy leaders drain people; successful leaders energize. Do eyes light up when you’re around? Those who make the biggest difference, energize others. The law of energy is put more in than you take out. Any person or system that takes out more than it puts in is dying. Reserves last for awhile, but death is imminent. […].

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16 Ways to Help Less

Leadership Freak

'Help done poorly creates dependency. But, help withheld seems disconnected or cold. Leaders who say, “How can I help,” connect, change attitudes, and move agendas forward. But, help that weakens teams hurts organizations. Over-helpful leaders frustrate teams. Help done well strengthens. Help done poorly weakens. How to help less: Help team mates find mentors.

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The Secret to Leadership Finding You

Leadership Freak

'You aren’t a leader if you don’t have followers. “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” John Maxwell, “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership“ A young leader I coached received a leadership award. I asked him, “Why did you receive this award?” He said, “I have no idea.” […].

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The Diversity Reckoning: Can HR Survive Without New Perspectives?

Speaker: Jeremy York

2024 has tested every organization, and 2025 promises no less - the warning signs are everywhere. If you’re relying on superficial approaches to diversity, you might find yourself scrambling to catch up. Thought diversity - the fuel for new ideas, fresh perspectives, and disruptive innovation - is more than a buzzword. It's a survival strategy. And if you’re not building it into your workplace culture right now , you’re heading for trouble.

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29 Ways to Energize Tired Dogs

Leadership Freak

'Managing energy is more important than managing time. It doesn’t matter how much time you have if your energy tank is empty. Put more energy in than you take out or you’ll end up drained. Four areas of life require energy: mind, emotions, spirit, and body. 16 energy drainers: Pretending you’re something you’re not. Incomplete […].

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10 Ways to Change the Future Today

Leadership Freak

'Those who wait for the future to change repeat the present. The only way to change tomorrow is to change today. The future changes today. “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” People: Break the isolation that solidifies the present. The future is people. Find your future by connecting […].

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10 Ways to Eliminate Isolation and Connect

Leadership Freak

'Everything is worse when faced alone. Lousy leaders withdraw, build barriers, condone silos, and stifle relationships. Pulling away feels safe, but its destructive. Isolation causes, magnifies, and exacerbates every issue leaders face. For example: Distrust expands when you hide in your office. Arrogance, the deadliest leadership failure, grows in segregation.

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Three Secrets to Heartfelt Engagement

Leadership Freak

'Pressure invites resistance. Demanding conformity hinders engagement. Don’t use authority and pressure to get what you want. Find out what they want. Explore their hopes and dreams. The more energy spent pressuring and convincing, the less relevant you become. But, connection and overlapping vision infuse relationships with energy and engagement. The best way to get where […].

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Recognition Powers High-Performance — If You Do it Right

Speaker: Radhika Samant and Todd Wuestenberg

Employee recognition has often been deemed a "feel-good" initiative, tied closely to rewards. While we understand its importance, we tend to associate recognition with intangible outcomes like engagement and sentiment, rather than direct impacts on retention and high performance. In today’s workplace, the true ROI of recognition lies in its ability to regenerate tangible, business-driven results.

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Distinguishing the Wise from the Foolish

Leadership Freak

'The most talented fool in the world only brings misery and destruction. Business is more than numbers and results. Leaders go astray when they neglect character and focus on abilities. The gifts and talents of fools makes them dangerous. Wake up call: It’s possible to be talented and foolish. Wise leaders develop character before skills. Wisdom […].

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Seven Ways to Develop Smart Teams

Leadership Freak

'Fearful teams pretend they agree with you when they don’t. When was the last time someone spoke against something you said? Better yet, are team conversations rich with options and alternatives? Or, are the people around you just dumb? You’re team probably isn’t dumb. Bring out their wisdom rather than shutting it down. Decide or […].

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13 Ways to Pass the Squeeze Test

Leadership Freak

'The people you serve evaluate you like a person buying bread. Do you pass the “squeeze test?” Ever have a bad boss who didn’t realize how bad they were? What if complaints about you are partially right? Experience suggests you may not realize you are a stale, lousy leader. Really lousy leaders don’t know how […].

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Five Ways to Confront Bullies

Leadership Freak

'Gary and Ruth Namie in, The Bully at Work, say that 95% of the workforce has seen bullying at work at least once. Bullying in the office includes, intimidation, withholding information or resources critical to getting jobs done, insulting rumors, intentional sabotage, and purposeful humiliation. Unconfronted bullying always escalates. Eventually, it negatively impacts social dynamics, […].

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HR Meets AI: The New Way of Keeping Large Workforces Connected and Engaged

Speaker: Miriam Connaughton and Donald Knight

As organizations scale, keeping employees connected, engaged, and productive can seem like a monumental task. But what if AI could help you do all of this and more? AI has the power to help, but the key is implementing it in a way that enhances, rather than replaces, human connection. Join us for an exploration into how industry trailblazers are using AI to transform employee experience at scale while addressing both the potential and the pitfalls.

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Finding Happiness in Leadership

Leadership Freak

'Passion to change things – to make a difference – eats away at you. Show me a leader who’s always content and I’ll show you a lousy leader. Finding happiness as a leader means learning to navigate tensions between: Dissatisfaction and satisfaction. Discontentment and contentment. Unhappiness and happiness. Early in my career dissatisfaction and discontent […].

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How to Deal with Frustrated Employees

Leadership Freak

'Years ago, I said no to a boss. I hated it. I’m a getter-done type. Saying no was painful. It was unexpected for her to hear as well. I’d always said yes. She pressured and threatened. I replied that I wanted my job description changed. She said it might result in a pay cut. I didn’t […].

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Eight Ways to Find the Key to Success

Leadership Freak

'Misguided leaders think plans and programs are solutions. People are the key to success, always. Programs, systems, plans, and projects are dead words on paper until people give them life. Spend most of your time developing the team. Successful leaders go further than developing the current team. They constantly identify, recruit, develop, and integrate new […].

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How to Break the Conspiracy of Silence

Leadership Freak

'The organization was under scrutiny from regulators and the media. That’s a big deal when you have over 15,000 employees. The conspiracy of silence had come home to roost. To make matters worse, a long-term culture of, “go along to get along,” oozed from offices at every location. It’s sad when employees of large organizations […].

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The Upskilling Advantage: Transforming Your Workforce For Future Growth

Speaker: Brian Richardson

With a staggering 92% of CEOs prioritizing skill development, and 84% struggling with transformation, mastering upskilling is now more critical than ever. Drawing on extensive research and collaboration with hundreds of leading organizations, discover key hurdles and innovative best practices in workforce upskilling. You'll walk away with a deep understanding of how to build a culture of continuous learning, expert insights into assessing the current skills of your employees, and a strategic too

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13 Ways to Overcome Timidity and Fuel Boldness

Leadership Freak

'Stagnation emerges where uncertainty prevails. Fear pulls back and congeals the past. But, boldness builds the future. Boldness is the belief that hard work works. Bold teams achieve; timid teams survive. Lousy leaders inspire uncertainty. Timid environments reflect fearful leaders. Bold leadership: Boldly engage in behaviors you expect from others.

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Ten Secrets to Success Through Adapting

Leadership Freak

'Adapting as you go sounds great until you have to do it. The need to change direction suggests failure or disappointment. Results fell short. Strategies failed. Hard work didn’t work. One of two things usually happens when you feel you failed. You buckle down and work harder. Or, you throw in the towel, defeated. Disappointing […].

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Seven Ways to Exploit Persistent Dissatisfaction

Leadership Freak

'Real leaders live with an itch that can’t be scratched. Be happy with dissatisfaction or live an unsatisfying life. Dissatisfaction keeps us working. Those who tell us to accept the world as it is, would be out of work if we believed them. George Bernard Shaw writes, “As long as there is want, I have […].

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The 10 Liberating Powers of Playing a Role

Leadership Freak

'Jim McCann, came into the world a shy, Irish kid, in New York City. He wasn’t always a conversationalist. Jim overcame shyness by becoming a salesperson in a clothing store and, later, a bartender. His story helped me see the transformational power of taking on roles. Famous method actors become the characters they play. Daniel Day-Lewis, […].

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Mastering Remote Onboarding: Proven Strategies for Seamless New Hire Integration

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

Join this brand new webinar with Tim Buteyn to learn how you can master the art of remote onboarding! By the end of this session, you'll understand how to: Craft a Tailored Onboarding Checklist 📝 Develop a comprehensive, customized checklist that ensures every new hire has a smooth transition into your company, no matter where they are in the world.

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Six Ways to Innovate in Rigid Organizations

Leadership Freak

'The future rides on a horse called innovation. Organizations that can’t innovate stagnate. Some organizations have innovation in their blood. But, many are mired in systems and bureaucracy. It’s easier to begin innovating within rigid cultures than it is to change them. Think skunkworks. Systematize innovation in organizations driven by systems. Evolution or revolution: Innovation […].

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Jack Welch Grabbed Jim McCann by the Collar

Leadership Freak

'Leave a comment on today’s post to become eligible for one of twenty complimentary copies of the new book, “Talk is (NOT) Cheap,” by Jim McCann. Putting off difficult conversations doesn’t help. The longer you wait, the harder they get. Jim McCann, founder and CEO of 1-800-Flowers Inc., shared Jack Welch’s “encouragement” when it […].

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Finding Bright

Leadership Freak

'Leave a comment on today’s post to become eligible for 1 of 20 complimentary copies of Simon Sinek’s new book, “Leaders Eat Last.” The gift of darkness is finding bright. Dark days are coming for you. If you haven’t felt the darkness yet, you will. I’m being optimistic. Your response to the dark days […].

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Ten Hats All Leaders Wear

Kevin Eikenberry

'As a leader, all day long you are wearing a hat. Not the kind that people might laugh at or that might smoosh your hair, but a hat nonetheless. For the next few minutes I want you to think of the various roles you play as a leader and different hats that you wear. While […].

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How To Empower Your Workforce With Modern Fertility Benefits

Speaker: Andrea Wuchiski

In an era where a workforce spans multiple generations, HR managers and Total Rewards leaders face the unique challenge of designing benefits packages that cater to diverse employee needs. This session will delve into how comprehensive fertility benefits can bridge generational gaps, support employees’ health, and enhance workplace satisfaction. Join us for an insightful session that highlights the strategic importance of fertility benefits in today’s competitive job market.