Get ready for "The Performance Review" - that time of year when emotions run high and the impact on your organization and employees is significant. In this episode, we delve into how you can make this meeting engaging, clear, and respectful, ensuring it has a positive ripple effect. With the evolving work environment and the rise of hybrid setups, the performance review holds even greater weight. How the review is conducted determines the effectiveness. This is the opportunity for a manager to put on their coaching hat and see this review as an opportunity to build for the future of the employ ..read more

Have you been trying to get your teams from good to great?  Improve how they collaborate, communicate, and achieve goals, plus balance productivity and morale? Wondering what’s the best way they can use Microsoft Teams? What team building activities and skills can help?   You’re not alone. That’s why we created this episode, the combination of technical and soft skills to guide you in bringing out the best in your organization’s teams. We’re thrilled to have as our Guest Host Jon Neuhold, Co-Owner of Great Canadian Training, interviewing Senior Software Instructor Christine Irons and ..read more

Picture this: The team is getting together and… stuff is getting done! The team members (including you) feel heard, respected and want to contribute. This team is not only being productive, but they are also collaborating with ease. This episode is “Three Ways to Improve Team Communication”. Our host, Joel Silverstone, shares with you the strategies and activities to better understand yours and others’ communication styles and needs.   How does improved communication impact teams?   86% of employees and executives cite the lack of effective collaboration and communication as the mai ..read more

The focus of business leaders has been shifting from task- or objective-driven to people-driven. That means soft skills such as effective communication, understanding, and collaboration have become increasingly important to leaders’ abilities. In this episode, we have a great discussion with our guest Jennifer Lennox, a highly experienced HR leader on why soft skills are crucial in organizations and what leaders can do about it. Jennifer also shares how she found her voice to communicate and influence others and how her leadership career took off from there. One of the major challenges for lea ..read more

As a leader, what can you do to find and grow the talent that’s right there in your organization? As an individual, how do you raise your hand to be seen? Discovered? To grow? This episode could have also been called, “We need to be able to take a chance on people”, as we explore the topic of finding and nurturing talent both as a leader and as an individual. Our guest, Nupur Khandelwal, draws on her extensive experience as a leader and as someone who has had advocates for her growth within an organization. We discuss topics such as complacency, mentorship, progress, and perfection. Additional ..read more

In today’s business world, you need to differentiate yourself, to bring to life your experiences and your growth - but how do you do that without listing tasks? This episode, we’re talking with Dr. Adrienne Shnier on how to showcase your value. Whether it’s a performance review, or you’re seeking a promotion, job or school interview, how can you share your story and be the advocate - for you? You are so busy in your role that if someone asks you what makes you valuable, an asset, you might just ramble off tasks but not your value. Your experiences, how you deal with challenges, your growth - n ..read more

Do you remember why you keep going back to that restaurant… or not? It probably was your first impression, how you were welcomed, warm bread or stale bread, the interactions, the aesthetics, that first bite…. Those first impressions that we unconsciously hold onto are called imprinting beliefs, meaning that first impressions stick. In this episode, we discuss with Amy Davies on why first impressions matter and the impact people, leaders and organizations can have on improving employee retention by 82%. We also discuss why 1 in 3 employees will leave their employer within 12 months, typically f ..read more

Can you persuade another without feeling pushy or manipulative? Short answer… YES! In this episode, you’ll uncover easy ways to persuade, whether you’re writing or speaking. Your emails, communications and interactions motivate others to action. This episode is “How to Be Persuasive from Writing to Speaking”. Our host, Joel Silverstone, shares with you the strategies and insights to make persuasion simple and respectful. You will find the ideas and tips to balance emotions and logic that connect with the other to be persuasive. Because persuasion is making it easy for the other person. Join us ..read more

Empathy is one of the most important leadership skills you should be using more often. The research says that 76% of people who experienced empathy from their leaders reported they were engaged, compared with only 32% who experienced less empathy. Empathy is a crucial business skill because it enables collaboration, motivation, and feeling respected. You create a ripple effect where people’s perspectives and emotions are acknowledged - it doesn’t mean you have to agree with them, but they feel heard and understood. In fact, 67% of people with highly empathic managers report often or alway ..read more

When leading a complex project, how do you get to the desired outcome? How do you lead and communicate to motivate and engage towards the outcome? In this episode, Leading Complex Projects with Clarity, we discuss the importance of the human factor, the people that are going to make this successful. According to our guest, Nada Darwiche, projects are not linear lines and where we get stuck is the ‘on time, on budget’ result. A successful project focuses on the people – making sure they understand the message being delivered and why it matters to them, their team and the organization. This is p ..read more