Monday Moment: Recent Episodes
Monica Wofford, CSP
Good morning and HAPPY MONDAY!!!! So, so many have heard me say that in an audio, but not usually in video. Welcome to the 2020 video podcast Monday Moment format. We’re glad you joined us. I’m Monica Wofford and this is your Monday Moment. In January we’ll focus on some of the more common obstacles… read more
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Wouldn’t it be so nice, and oh so convenient, if learning how to lead better were something you could put on your list and check off when finished? Many new skills, and learning how to master them, would be nice if they worked in that manner, yet part of becoming a better leader and learning… read more
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Little learning is known to occur in the month of December as the holidays add a layer of stress that prompts more of a focus on mere survival. Yet, in the face of crazy times we’re all encouraged to enjoy, work still happens and leadership is still needed. And, in a stroke of completely intended… read more
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Whether it’s year end or month or quarter close, tensions tend to rise when pressure mounts and task lists grow. For most, this combo reduces patience, increases frustration and let’s face it… can provoke a pretty flagrant use of quickly doled out names and labels. So, in the spirit of the season, as you’re working… read more
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Over the last eleven months, we’ve covered numerous aspects of leadership because leadership is…well, not a one and done behavior. Becoming a boss is an event. It’s a promotion and it happens and then you’re done. You’ve reached that next level position. Becoming a leader is a bit more complex and is based not on… read more
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Promoted, but not prepared, describes many a leader, but the reasons differ. One leader gets promoted because of their skills. Another because of limited other choices. Some take a promotion, only to find disillusion in a position, not at all what they envisioned. Yet, when promoted to leadership, the need, privilege and responsibility for leading… read more
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Even if we’ve not said it, we’ve all led team members, staff, or even volunteers, to which we’ve wanted to say just get it together. And the IT varies. Sometimes it’s their schedule or ability to follow it. Sometimes it’s their job and their seeming disinterest in doing it. Sometimes it’s just the general concept… read more
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Ever hear, or seen on Facebook, this phrase: Make time for your health or you’ll be forced to make time for your illness? Leadership is similar. Make time to improve it or you’ll be forced to find time to fire, interview, hire and visit HR. You may even be forced to personally find time to… read more
The post Who’s Got Time for Leadership? appeared first on Contagious Companies.
We all want to believe we’re great at leading others. Not all leaders are great, but all leaders have that potential. What you make of it is determined by your decisions. Do you learn? Do you make improvements? Do you make many of the choices on today’s Monday Moment listing? Whether you’re transitioning from bad… read more
The post 15 Choices Soon to Be Great Leaders Make appeared first on Contagious Companies.
I recently listened to a leader describe a difficult employee who always said “well, that’s the way we’ve always done it”. You’ve heard it, but what happened next may surprise you… that same leader then told me she wasn’t sure about changing the training format because… “well, you know we’ve never done more than 1… read more
The post How to Remain a Learning Leader appeared first on Contagious Companies.
For the entire year thus far, we have focused on segments of leadership development with each month of the Monday Moment. For this month and the next couple, our focus shifts toward application. How do you become a better leader? How do you become a better behaving leader? Both questions are answered by doing different.… read more
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For most leaders, bosses, managers, and even supervisors, the thought of leading with only single syllable words seems hard to imagine. Maybe the idea is even silly and certainly the act would sound a bit robotic, but on the other hand, maybe the concept would get us back to basics and lend itself to much… read more
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As with any pronoun used in a sentence missing context, the first step is to define it. Who are they, exactly? No matter the answer, the very question of why something or someone is not working, is sought out by leaders, perhaps all too often. Why aren’t those employees busy? Why aren’t those people focused?… read more
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The title of today’s Monday Moment might well need sound effects. Perhaps we need a dastardly laugh like “Mwah haha” and a cartoon of an evil wrong doer, to convey the mood of this discussion and the potential answer. As this month’s podcasts focus on leaders being loyal to their ethics, we must also consider… read more
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If you’re a rule follower, the answer here is likely no. If you’re a rule maker, you may feel the same. But in business, where does one draw the line? Where does one say we have to do what is right, even if that means breaking a rule or even making a new one and… read more
The post Can You Have Too Many Ethics? appeared first on Contagious Companies.
There is an argument that could be, and has been, made that if a leader needs to teach ethics to future leaders, the organization has employed the wrong people. However, in your role of leader one of your key responsibilities is to develop future leaders and, in this day, and age, ensuring their ethical standards… read more
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The subject of ethics is tricky, but critical, to every leader and each workplace. Some would say ethics are “good” behaviors, yet we’ve all seen good experienced in multiple interpretations. It is the confusion around what they are and how to enact them that makes ethics tricky and yet this is also why they landed… read more
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There’s promoted and there’s prepared and there’s a real chance both don’t exist in the same new manager. So, before you say yes to a promotion or let an up-and-coming leader accept your promotion opportunity, make sure they have the answers to these questions. The questions seem easy, but they reveal the underpinnings of what… read more
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Sex sells and whatever the man in this picture is sellin’, many people are buyin’. Not a new idea. Principles aren’t sexy and they just don’t sell well. Maybe a note for leaders to consider. The media, entertainment, and beauty industry have figured out how to influence their buyers and they rinse and repeat the… read more
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Let’s play with words for a moment. One of my most fond leadership influences, was my high school principal. We feared him, loved him and knew he had a paddle, and wasn’t afraid to use it. His role was that of principal, but looking back on it, it is clear he also operated from a… read more
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While schrinciples may not be the easiest word to say, there’s likely not a leader currently working who can’t say they’ve seen a mission statement on the wall that no one in the company knows how to actually implement. This situation is frighteningly common. Leaders think values, vision, mission, goals, and yes, principles are known… read more
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Develop your future leaders. You’ve heard the advice and perhaps even considered the wisdom, but there’s a larger issue. What exactly are you looking for in these soon-to-be leader people? Is it enough just to like them and click or does there need to be a set of traits that are more substantive? In a… read more
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A startling article claims, “research has proven we’re experiencing a drastic leadership shortage on a global scale” and then it makes it sound worse. According to Inc. magazine, “eighty-five percent of companies have reported an urgent need to develop employees with leadership potential”. But, if this is you or your organization and you work with… read more
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It started in January with a list of top ten tips leaders needed to heed for the year and as we’ve progressed, we’re now at Tip 7: Develop New Leaders. How, how fast, how well, and how often you make it a priority to develop those who will lead after you, and maybe even take… read more
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It may come as no surprise that all leaders have personalities. Some you like and some, well, you could likely do without, but the truth is leaders have not just one, but multiple, and they need all of them. Why? Because each person you have the privilege of leading is different. Not to worry, nothing… read more
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We’re told history repeats itself. We’ve learned that a knowledge of our history is critical for improving our present and our future. Yet, while both statements have value, what really does our American History, and the day we celebrate our independence have to do with how we lead going forward? More than you might think.… read more
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Leaders in the role for more than a minute, all know that teaching and doing are entirely different. Yet, in recent Monday Moments we’ve talked about the benefits of teaching employees to fail and learn faster, while we’ve ignored teaching leaders to stop backing themselves into proverbial failure corners. These are the tight spots and… read more
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Monday Moments for this month are focused on teaching those you lead how to fail. It’s not easy, but it’s a one of the Top Ten Leadership Tips of 2019 leadership will benefit from the most and in which they’ll find the most value. Workforces are changing by the minute and new generations are emerging… read more
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“The fastest way to succeed,” IBM’s Thomas Watson, Sr., once said, “is to double your failure rate.” It’s a nice topic of conversation, but most companies and even more leaders find themselves ill equipped to encourage failure, much less teach new leaders how to double their rate at it. The question becomes are you a… read more
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In one of our first Monday Moment’s of 2019, the Top Ten Leadership Tips of 2019, tip number six was Teach them How to Fail. The year is flying by and chances are these last six months have been filled with both failures (hope not too many!) and successes. Yet, for leaders, it seems the… read more
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In honor of Memorial Day in the United States and in honor of all military branches and the men and women within them who have served, today’s Monday Moment is dedicated to our Veterans. While many organizations have found ways to appeal to, attract, and aid in the transition of our Veterans from active military… read more
The post Why Veterans Deserve Your Recruiting Focus appeared first on Contagious Companies.
When leaders talk of recruiting and how it happens, they’re often referring to candidates outside the company. But what about existing employees? Internal candidates for job openings are people, too! Internal candidates also deserve a leader’s close reexamination of how recruiting happens because how it happens if you already work there is, well, different. In… read more
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Tired of the same ole same ole when it comes to how you attract good talent? We’re still on that topic of reexamining your recruiting practices as a powerful 2019 leadership tactic and let’s face it, if you’re bored with how you’re recruiting, so are your candidates. But, first things first. What do we mean… read more
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Oh come on. You’ve probably thought it. In fact, I know people listening to this Monday Moment, who’ve SAID it, but we can’t just go around calling people idiots. Ha! But, think back. All the way back in January, we shared a list of what 2019 is going to require of leaders. That Top Ten… read more
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Sometimes we just need to keep it simple. Office issues and people development have become complex topics and most leaders are merely trying to keep their heads above water. Then we throw in authenticity or tell leaders to be even more authentic and the wheels fall off. Think of what you did as a kid… read more
The post When Leaders Should Go Fish! appeared first on Contagious Companies.
Leaders are indeed human and because of that they’re all different. Some have an abundance of stereotypical people skills and some would prefer not talking to people at all. Both benefit from using said people skills when working with the people they have the privilege of leading, but knowing about those skills, knowing they are… read more
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We all have days as leaders, when it feels like our cape fell off on the way to the office. Admitting it is being human. Asking for help when you need it is being authentic. Well beyond saying we all “put our pants on the same way” now enters the need for humanity amplification, which… read more
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This month’s Monday Moments are focused on amplifying your humanity. The good news is there are a great many skills, talents, and actions humans can make that robots or chatbots or automated phone tree people cannot. The bad news is that in light of all the glitters and the appeal of going all things robotic,… read more
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In one of our first Monday Moment’s of 2019, the Top Ten Leadership Tips of 2019, tip number four was Amplify Your Humanity. As we progress through the year, we cover each tip with more thorough detail and guidance and this next month’s content is about being more human (and less like a robot) in… read more
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Very little else will stress a leader more than receiving notice that HR has been called in and an investigation begun…on them. Panic can set in quick. Doer of wrong or complete angel, in those moments a leader is faced with a few decisions. However, the only one that helps is compliance. Just such a… read more
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When your title says manager, supervisor, team lead, or director, you’re a B word. Boss, that is, of course. However, those other B words employees might call you matter nearly just as much, if not more, than your official position. Whether they talk about you in frustration, or anger over a decision you’ve just delivered,… read more
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Shifting gears in March from diversity to handling harassment, our Monday Moments are progressing through the 2019 Top Ten Leadership Tips. The third area of focus leaders are likely to face this year is boundary crossing, including harassment and our third tip was to handle such issues with common sense. Years ago, I heard the… read more
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I don’t know what started it or how it happened, but the moment I step on stage or begin to train a program or lead an audience, there are truly no stupid questions. There is zero judgment and zero finger pointing or criticism of any participants. (even the ones any other person might call down-right… read more
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Most leaders will admit to having lost their patience or even their cool a time or two, but their password? Their password to people, no less? If only people were that easy. A simple user name and password and we’d unlock the system, and all would be smooth sailing. People clearly aren’t software systems. Slightly… read more
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So, your Human Resources department encourages you to be diverse in hiring practices. Your customer fusses at you when your advertising fails to reflect the diversity of your followers. Your team members complain about or resent messages that feel less than inclusive of their needs or preferences. The landscape of diversity and inclusion issues is… read more
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In our first Monday Moment of the New Year, we released the Top Ten Leadership Tips of 2019. Second on that list is Be Truly Inclusive and Diverse and yet, even in this day and age, while some might say the need is being forced upon them, many leaders are still not sure what that… read more
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Meg made an assumption that her boss was older than her by at least five years, based primarily on the differences in their demeanors (the boss was generally more serious and alternated between saying “raise the roof” like a dad in a 1990s teen movie and “back in my day”) and her boss’s penchant for… read more
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Every leader knows the team they lead is comprised of people who are different. There are personalities, backgrounds, and yes, generations to understand, motivate differently, and even discipline. The differences can be maddening, particularly if what you want is for them to just get on with it and do what you’ve asked of them. Add… read more
The post The Leaders Guide to Leading Multiple Generations with Zero Frustration appeared first on Contagious Companies.
The top leadership tip of 2019 is work with the generations. But, what does that mean? Most generational descriptions for leaders are far to overgeneralized, with my favorite saying this: “Gen X is disaffected, bitter, and likes flannel. Millennials won’t buy houses, get married, or eat mayonnaise.” Every stereotype does have a grain of truth,… read more
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As we lead our way into the last year of the decade, a quick look back will tell you exciting things are ahead. But, how do leaders navigate the rapid speed of massive and constant change? One step at a time, as always. Yet, in this New Year and those still to come, there are… read more
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The New Year Celebration is often a time of reflection and renewed motivation. Are you where you want to be? Are you doing what you wished you were? Are you performing at work in way you can be proud? They’re loaded questions to be sure and answering them all in one sitting can be overwhelming.… read more
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This time of year, things change. Maybe it’s the people to whom you give presents or invite for Christmas dinner. Maybe it’s the pace of work or your business. For entrepreneurs, it might be the goals, the systems, or strategies with which we approach things. For leaders, it might be the method, or the budget… read more
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In the Twelve Days of Christmas song, it’s actually ten lords a leaping, but if you play with the words, leaders are seen as lording over things and what’s worse is most seem unable to stay in their position for more than five minutes. So, are you one of those leaders leaping from job to… read more
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It’s the holidays and I LOVE the Grinch cartoon. We normally think of him as stealing Christmas spirit with his attitude, but don’t you have Grinches in your office, too? They bark and growl and bah humbug every idea, making your role as leader a pain in the you know where. You’ve labeled them as… read more
The post How the Grinch Stole Intelligence…Again! appeared first on Contagious Companies.
So you’ve looked at all the things that went well this year and now you’re looking ahead, right? If not, it’s time to celebrate, reevaluate and move forward. Your fiscal year may not end in December, but the calendar year is about to and like it or not everyone will act as if it’s a… read more
The post 13 Ways to Boost Performance in 2019 appeared first on Contagious Companies.
The end of the year is near and yet, as it always does, January will peak its head around the corner before we know it. As the New Year approaches, how will you lead you and your team to make a fresh start for 2019? This isn’t about resolutions or goals. It’s a natural time… read more
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The holidays are here! Celebrations, office parties, and higher levels of stress will all be things added to your leadership list of things to do, but wait… which holiday do you celebrate in your office? How do you create a spirit of respect and inclusion for all the team members who may or may not… read more
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It seems we live in a nation of excessive misunderstanding, an abject lack of tolerance, and overt sensitivity to every single tiny little thing. How can a leader be him or herself, joke around a bit, and have a sense of humor, when there is always the looming likelihood that someone will not only be… read more
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Not all of what leaders struggle with are those that report directly to the team they have the privilege of leading. Difficult relationships or conversations can frequently exist in peer to peer relationships. Yet, the consequences, balance of power, and approach for managing these conversations does need to be different. The mindset with which a… read more
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Often, we talk about leadership not being easy, but what if becoming a better leader were easier than you think? Could it be made simple? As we approach Halloween this year, these tips are actually scary simple and yes, with very little effort, they will also significantly improve your leadership. Get Out of the Office… read more
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