Written by: Steve Graham As a coach, I often work with clients who are needy for knowledge. They desire to grow professionally and often feel stuck in their current work environment. It is no secret that when an organization values developing their people, the benefits for both the employee and organization are numerous. The benefits often include: lower turnover, increased engagement, and a smarter workforce. Professional development goes beyond cookie-cutter training programs. It involves a deeper commitment to learning. Learning can take various shapes within an organization. It can be organic, formalized, personalized, or on-demand. Whatever the shape, the approach
Written by guest blogger: Steve Graham A workplace culture is unique. There are similar cultures, however, each one has individual attributes. Great, good, bad, or downright horrible, each culture makes a statement about your organization. In today’s highly connected society, word spreads fast about your values, mission, and the way you treat the people who work for you. Culture will exist absent of a specific focus. Even the worst workplaces have a culture. These are often classified as, “toxic workplaces”. There is no shortage of literature about great workplaces, work culture, and even the toxic places. In this article, I
Guest blog written by: Steve Graham Conversations around reducing employee turnover, also known as talent retention, have been around since work began. Even though the topic is not new, the challenges facing employers and their approaches to reducing turnover is. Generational attitudes about how long a person remains at one job has dramatically shifted. For decades, people identified a career or found a job and they stayed with one employer until retirement. One reason for this shift in tenure, is how the modern career path is navigated. Many of the foundational thoughts on “career” do not apply in today’s workplace.
Guest blog written by: Steve Graham The Commitment: Leaders set the tone for an organization. They must be agile in their responses to the ever-changing marketplace and business climate. Leaders are charged with growing organizations, and learning is a part of the growth process. Learning can take various shapes within an organization. It can be organic, formalized, personalized, or on-demand. Whatever the shape, learning needs to be part of a leader’s commitment to improve both personally and professionally. One big lesson of learning is how to use failure. The old saying, “Failure is not an option”, is not realistic. Even
Guest blog written by: Steve Graham Job titles serve a purpose. Titles identify roles and responsibilities within an organization. They should not define who you are. Many of my coaching clients have enjoyed successful careers, but they desire to make a change. Too often, my clients are defined by their title and this makes it harder for them to make the desired change. For example, a top performing sales professional may identify as, “only a sales person”, without understanding who they truly are. What makes them a top sales performer is more about who they are than a title. What