One of the biggest challenges faced by everyone across all organizational levels, including CEOs I work with, is mastering the art of handling difficult conversations – what we refer to as “Last 8% Conversations.” We are all pretty good at the 92% of our conversations where everyone is agreeing, but when tension increases and conflict arises, our research shows that 68% of people avoid the Last 8% of a difficult conversation – the part of the conversation that really needs to be said! Examples of Last 8% Conversations that people commonly shy away from include: Providing performance feedback ..read more

Charles Darwin’s words about survival are particularly relevant in the post-pandemic economy: “It’s not the strongest species that survives, not the most intelligent. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” The COVID-19 pandemic and the current hybrid work models have necessitated new business structures, remote collaboration solutions, and a rapid acceleration of digitalization across organizations. Leading teams through these changes, especially during times of high stress and fear, required empathy and an understanding of the delicate balance between technological advancements ..read more

Your competitive advantage over competitors is not your strategy or product. If they are any good, they will be quickly copied. Your biggest opportunity to have a sustained point of difference over other organizations is your culture. Why? Because culture is not something that can be copied. It is the secret sauce behind why some organizations are able to retain their best and brightest, and get them to take the risks necessary to be high-performing. What does it take to build a culture that not only thrives under pressure, but also drives growth and innovation? You need to start by understand ..read more

Is Your Organization’s Culture Holding It Back? In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, an organization’s culture can be the difference between stagnation and success. While many companies operate under the guise of efficiency, they unknowingly default to a transactional culture, which promises short-term gains but undermines long-term vision and growth. At its core, a transactional culture is one where interactions, decisions, and relationships are based on a simple exchange mechanism: “If you do this, you’ll get that.” This creates an environment where quick results are prioritized a ..read more

When considering the types of organizational cultures, one of the most prevalent is what we call the “fear-based” culture – a culture characterized by both low-courage and low-connection, creating a harmful combination that can cripple innovation, growth, and performance. It’s not just a fleeting phase or a minor hiccup; it’s a deep-rooted mindset. Imagine a team meeting where everyone nods in agreement, yet no one speaks up, not because they agree, but because they’re afraid. Afraid of challenging the status quo, afraid of voicing a differing opinion, and most critically, afraid of the potent ..read more

When it comes to organizational culture, the “family” culture stands out as a unique blend of warmth, connection, and unfortunately, high-avoidance. It’s where everyone knows each other, and there’s an inherent sense of belonging. But, just like in many families, there are certain topics, certain inconvenient truths, that we tiptoe around to avoid confrontation.  When we talk about a “family” culture in an organizational setting, we’re referring to teams that exhibit low courage, but high-connection. It’s a culture characterized by two main traits: being nice and being capable. Yet, these ..read more

Developing leaders is an investment in the future of any organization. Strong leaders are critical to achieving organizational goals, maintaining high levels of employee engagement, and fostering a positive Organizational Culture. Here are 4 reasons why investing in leadership development is essential: Improved Organizational Performance: Investing in leadership development programs can have a direct impact on organizational performance. A study by the Association for Talent Development found that companies that offer comprehensive training programs have 218% higher income per employ ..read more

Organizational Culture refers to the set of values, beliefs, and practices that shape the behavior of individuals and groups within an organization. A strong Organizational Culture can have a significant impact on employee retention and recruitment, employee engagement, productivity, and overall business success. In this blog, we’ll discuss the 5 reasons why culture can have a significant impact on your company and how it can be fostered and maintained. Employee Retention and Recruitment: Organizational Culture is a key factor in attracting and retaining top talent. A positive culture that ali ..read more

What exactly is resilience? And why is it so important when we face change, adversity or any kind of challenging situation? Today we look at this important skill and how to grow it. Being resilient doesn’t mean that we won’t experience difficulty or dis-stress, it’s not the absence of adversity or challenging moments. On the contrary, it is during those times we get to practice and grow our resilience – they provide the best opportunity to improve on it. Resilience speaks to the ability to “bounce back” and reflects a “begin mentality” after we experienced failure. Success consists of goi ..read more

Having good relationships at work matters to you, but you are experiencing conflict with a person on your team. It’s driving you crazy, the moment you jump on a zoom meeting, and that person is on, you immediately feel resistance, even repulsion. You even feel like you don’t want to be on that call. And work has become far less enjoyable for you. The impact isn’t just on yourself: as a result of this ongoing conflict, your entire team isn’t as productive as it could be, which adds to your stress – as you have tight deadlines and many tasks you already feel behind on. This situation also gets i ..read more